Jayden Wilburn-Johnson must have walked by the “Hand of Friendship” statue outside Hovey Hall hundreds of times during his first three years as an Illinois State University student. To him, the bronze sculpture of an open hand was just part of the campus landscape, no different than a building or a lamppost or a tree.
“I never knew what it meant,” Wilburn-Johnson said. “Sometimes in life you see something, and it doesn’t make sense until later.”
The “Hand of Friendship” took on special meaning for Wilburn-Johnson, though, when he was named a Robert G. Bone Scholarship recipient this fall. The highest academic honor an Illinois State undergraduate can receive is named in honor of Illinois State’s ninth president. The “Hand of Friendship” statue is also dedicated to the late Dr. Bone.
Wilburn-Johnson said he was “shocked” when he learned he had received the scholarship. The news prompted a “full circle” moment that made him take stock of how far he’d come over his first three years as an Illinois State student—a journey that included countless trips past the “Hand of Friendship.”
It all began when an Admissions counselor called his mom, Lolita, after being impressed by the admissions essay her son had written.
“I had applied to other schools, but no other school did that. They didn’t have to do that,” he said. “That’s really what drove me to come to ISU.”
“I kind of fell in love with learning.”
—Jayden Wilburn-Johnson
Wilburn-Johnson arrived at Illinois State with a less-than-impressive academic record. He admits to not focusing and not getting the best grades as a high school student. But something changed when he arrived at Illinois State. He prioritized academics. He established a routine.
“My first semester of college, I got a 3.2 GPA. That was the highest GPA I’d ever got,” Wilburn-Johnson said. “I kind of fell in love with learning.”
The Olympia Fields native was spending 40-50 hours a week at Milner Library, so much time that the staff there offered him a job. The extra studying helped his academic performance but was neither sustainable nor healthy. Wanting the full college experience, he immersed himself in college life. He joined the Black Student Union and Student Government Association. He got another job in Student Affairs and yet another in Career Services. He studied abroad in Barbados. He was one of the founding members of the Student Legislative Action Coalition that traveled to Springfield to lobby for increased state funding for Illinois State.
“One thing led to another, and I just got super involved on campus,” Wilburn-Johnson said.
“Illinois State took me from being a teenager to becoming an adult. I can say I’m ready for the real world, and I’m excited for what’s next.”
—Jayden Wilburn-Johnson
Growing involvement in things all over campus required time management and multitasking.
“I had stacks and stacks of these note cards, and I’d take them everywhere,” said the sociology major. “I’d be studying in the dining hall. I’d study in my room. I’d study everywhere.”
Wilburn-Johnson got help along the way. He credits mentors like Dr. Doris Houston, a current faculty member and former chief diversity and inclusion officer, as well as Dr. Levester Johnson, Tracy Willet, and the late Dr. Adam Peck from Student Affairs. He’s thankful for the bond he built with Dr. Joan Brehm, chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, to whom he reached out to during his first semester on campus. They’ve met regularly since then, and Brehm penned a personal congratulatory post to Illinois State’s News system when Wilburn-Johnson was selected for the Bone Scholarship.
“I’ve met few students as ethically and civically grounded as Jayden. Whatever his future studies or career, he wants to be on the front lines of addressing social problems,” Brehm wrote. “I have no doubt that he will excel in future scholarship and will become an impactful civic leader.”
Wilburn-Johnson plans to enroll in law school after a gap year during which he’ll study for the Law School Admission Test. Ever the multitasker, he’s pondering work in the county clerk’s office in McLean or Cook counties, or perhaps even substitute teaching at his old high school. Maybe all the above.
Whatever he does, Wilburn-Johnson said that Illinois State has prepared him for wherever his journey takes him.
“Illinois State took me from being a teenager to becoming an adult,” he said. “I can say I’m ready for the real world, and I’m excited for what’s next.”
This story is one of a series of profiles featuring Redbirds who are graduating this December. For more information about how Illinois State is celebrating commencement, visit the Graduation Services website.
