Professional illusionist Matt Johnson devoted his heart to the students at Fairmont State University, sharing his presentation Never Give Up: The Power of Persistence on May 1.
Students, faculty, and community members gathered in the Falcon Center conference rooms as faculty finished setting up for President Mike Davis’s final live stream of the year for the Presidential Speaker Series. Meanwhile, Johnson prepared his first motivational speech to a full room of people.
“I cannot tell you for months I’ve been so worried,” Johnson said. “When I got the gig, I was like yeah, I can do that. So, I’ve lectured, but I’ve lectured to magicians all over the world on magic, and I know that topic, right? And so I know my story and I do it in my shows, but I thought ‘do I have enough to say without the magic?’”
Matt Johnson arrived in Fairmont April 29 to start his two-day gig at Fairmont State. On Wednesday, Johnson wowed the crowd with his impressive magic and humor while he reserved Thursday for a more heartfelt discussion.
During his presentation, Johnson shared the unfortunate experiences he endured and how they led to his success today. Matt Johnson had the honor of participating in mainstream competitions like Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent in his career. With the presentation, Matt Johnson inspired the audience to chase their goals, regardless of any roadblocks.
“I really want to use my story now to inspire other people and hopefully it’s done that for you,” Johnson said. “The second you walk out those doors, it’s the first day of the rest of your life. Don’t forget it.”
After concluding the presentation, President Davis joined Johnson on the stage to ask him follow-up questions. The audience took the opportunity to express their curiosity.
A reception followed the event where guests took time to refresh, grab a bite, ask more questions, and snap photos with the magician. Laughter and compliments filled the room as guests continued to consider Johnson’s presentation.
“I felt it was very inspirational,” Madison Kerms, a nursing student at Fairmont State, said. “He made some good points, and I liked his anecdotes a lot.”
Johnson plans to give more motivational lectures in the future to audiences around the world.
Business administration student Sophie Stuart also attended the event and had the pleasure of asking Johnson what he would say to his 20-year-old self if he could go back.
“My favorite part was probably his answer to my question to be honest,” Stuart said. “Just seeing that he probably had no idea where he would end up today. So, seeing that he took that leap of faith and went to Japan at 22 years old and took this random job at some hotel, and to see where it’s gotten him now while not knowing it was going to lead this way was just really cool.”
