Little did Lisa Johnson know that when she enrolled her two oldest children in BYU Continuing Education’s (CE) ACT Prep course in 2015 and 2016, it would mark the beginning of a new chapter—not just for herself, but for her entire family. While helping her eldest daughters improve their ACT scores, a friend suggested that Johnson might teach some of BYU CE’s ACT Prep courses herself, given her familiarity with the material. With prior teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member in BYU’s English Department, Johnson accepted the invitation.
A few years later, in early 2020, when the program needed to fill a student assistant position, Johnson recommended her daughter, Talia, who had recently returned home from a mission. After going through the interview process, Talia was hired and continued in that role throughout the remainder of her undergraduate studies and into her graduate program. Around the same time, Johnson’s eldest daughter, Maren Schulzke (Johnson), whom Johnson described as the “[prime] example of what to do in the [ACT] camps,” was hired as an ACT tutor and later began teaching classes at the camps—something she continues to do to this very day.
Another opportunity came up after one of Johnson’s student assistants had to quit and the position needed to be filled. Johnson encouraged her son, Miles, to apply for the job, which led to him being hired, and he now works under Chris Garcia and Carol Salmon as part of the Broadcast and Video Production team. Johnson was even able to find a position for her husband, Jeff, when a spot for an ACT instructor opened up, which she felt would be a perfect fit given her husband is also an adjunct faculty member in BYU’s English Department.
Through her work at BYU Continuing Education, Johnson and her family have been blessed in unexpected ways, many of which have come through the connections they’ve made with other employees. One such example came during an annual ACT Prep trip to Rich High School in Randolph, Utah. While Johnson was discussing her daughter’s upcoming wedding, one of the math teachers offered to provide the catering. During that same conversation, Heather Patterson, Program Administrator for BYU CE TestPrep and Youth Programs, agreed to photograph the wedding. Johnson said “[It] felt like this whole ACT Prep family [was] putting together my daughter’s wedding, who had been teaching ACT Prep.”
When talking about what inspired her to invite her family to work with her at BYU CE, Johnson noted the following: “I enjoy the people that I work with at BYU TestPrep! . . . It’s a collaborative environment where we’re all working together to make the best experience for students.”