Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2025 graduates.
Wayne Johnson, a 77-year-old Vietnam veteran and aspiring college instructor, is graduating with a Master of Arts in international affairs and leadership from Arizona State University this May.
Johnson received his bachelor's degree in international business and marketing from Florida State University in 1973, after serving in the Army. Years later, he brought his military background with him through the International Affairs and Leadership program at ASU’s School of Politics and Global Studies.
The International Affairs and Leadership Masters of Arts program is offered through ASU Online, giving Johnson the opportunity to study from his home base in Houston while still connecting with the cohort of students, faculty and industry professionals.
He was “the most beloved among students and faculty alike” in the program, according to Ambassador Roderick Moore, a professor of practice at the School of Politics and Global Studies who leads the master’s program.
Popularity aside, Johnson’s “stellar record of academic achievement — driven by his insatiable intellectual curiosity, dedication to excellence and noble work ethic — sets him apart,” Moore said. “Not only is he always prepared with a thoughtful observation or suggestion, but he deftly and tactfully incorporates historical perspective, novel policy ideas and his own professional experiences into exchanges with his fellow students.”
Question: What was your “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to study international affairs and leadership?
Answer: My “aha” moment came from an ASU advertisement for the IAL program, which highlighted the instructors as ambassadors and flag officers. Experience trumps academics.
Q: What specific courses or projects in the program were your favorite and why?
A: Character-driven Leadership is the foundation that applies to every following course. Preventing Genocide was perhaps the most illuminating study of humanity's horrors. Every student of foreign policy should carefully take and learn this course. It is the very reason liberal democracies must exist.
Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU that surprised you or changed your perspective?
A: The most surprising thing I learned is the depth of professionalism within the State Department. Being raised in the military, I was already very aware of their professionalism.
The State Department has been called “Foggy Bottom” my whole life. The IAL program has taught me that the State Department is the most underrated, underfunded and misunderstood department in the U.S. government. The minimum qualifications necessary to join the DoS far exceed any I have encountered in my 50-plus years of working.
Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?
A: I can't single out a single professor. The entire course has been a wonderful learning experience. I wish I could take every course offered in the program!
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
A: Set goals that you think are beyond your grasp. Failure, and you will fail, is an achievement. Learn from them and grow. You deserve only what you achieve — nothing is given.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: My plans after graduation are flexible. Immediately, I owe my wife (Roberta) three years of attention to whatever she wishes. Her support for the last three years has been invaluable.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
A: I would tackle the advancement of liberal democratic institutions, focusing on the importance of individual responsibility as opposed to dependence on socialism.
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