RCSJ Alumna and Military Student, Johanna Magner, Proves Different Perspectives Forge Different Paths

Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) alumna and military student, Johanna Magner, takes life head on. Through her 10 years in the military with multiple deployments, to her transition to civilian life pivoting different career paths, she’s gained a broader life experience than the average student. 

“Yeah, I’ve worn many hats,” she laughed. 

Her journey began in September of 2012, when she started basic training at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, immediately after graduating from high school. After basic training, she was stationed at the super tanker base in Wichita, Kansas: McConnell Air Force Base. 

“I was an aircraft mechanic on the KC-135 for 10 years,” she explained. “So, like a third of my life.” 

From a young age Magner understood that the only person who had a say in her limits was herself. She came from an athletic background, playing sports like softball and tackle football. The Philadelphia Eagles’ Brian Dawkins even came out one time to watch her play. 

“They heard a girl was playing, so he came down and watched me,” she shared with a smile. “I played for the Williamstown Braves.” 

During Magner’s time in the military, she was deployed five separate times, traveling to Qatar, Guam, and most notably – Afghanistan. 

“I was expecting it to be a career,” she shared. “… But by year eight, I had a feeling I was going to leave the military when I did.” 

It was during that time that Magner was aiding Afghan refugees. “I was working with families,” she said. “One of the families I liked, she had 10 kids. Essentially, a lot of these families came over, and their husbands, or girlfriends, or brothers, they all passed. I worked with them and made sure they were okay. I would go and check if they needed food, water, whatever … then they pretty much got sent out to whichever [sanctuary] city would take them.” 

Though helping refugees motivated Magner, it also made her realize that the military was not something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. “It was really fulfilling, but also it solidified my thoughts about getting out.” 

But when Magner did finally leave the military and transitioned back to civilian life, she didn’t have a plan mapped out on what to do next. “I got out and was like ‘I’m not going to school’,” she admitted. “I did not have any plans. I just got out, moved back home, and picked up a bartending job.” 

This transition was not easy for Magner: “My body hurt way too much because I’m disabled, so I couldn’t bartend anymore. My knees were swollen like balloons. It was bad … After six months, I couldn’t do it anymore.” 

Magner pivoted to a communications career, doing event coordinating and promotion for the radio station, 97.5 FM.  Afterwards, her boyfriend helped her get a job at NFL Films, working as a SABER Logger in Mount Laurel. 

“Essentially, I would watch games as they happened, I would break down the games play by play and then create player highlights from it.” 

She added, “There have been a few times that some of my stuff was in Hard Knocks, or some of my work was on Sunday Night Football.” 

Magner would have loved to continue her job at NFL Films if it weren’t for the fact that it was a temporary position. 

“It was a full-time job,” she said. “But it was only for seven months … I was trying to move [permanently] into the NFL during those seven months, but it’s really, really hard if you don’t have a degree.” 

Once she completed her time at NFL Films, Magner decided that pursuing a degree in communications might be the right course of action for her career, despite being unsure about schooling. 

“I started RCSJ in the spring [of 2023] … I was going for communications,” she recounts. “The more I got into it, the more I was like, I’m not sure … One day I just realized I’m not happy. I was just doing communications because I had nothing else that I was interested in. It clicked after my first semester … I talked to a friend of mine, and I talked to my sister [about making a change].” 

They discussed Magner’s love for staying healthy and active, and how her hobby could turn into an eventual career she envisioned for herself. 

“I have always been interested in nutrition,” she smiled. “I mean, I powerlifted at my gym, so I was going to powerlifting competitions, and I even won a couple times.” 

So Magner switched to what worked for her, earning her Associate of Science (A.S) degree in Nutrition at RCSJ in just one and a half years. She described having to accelerate her schooling to continue graduating in the same time frame.  

“When I figured out what I really wanted to do, I was behind, so at one point I was in three science labs at once [to graduate on time] … I was in Chemistry I, Anatomy and Physiology II, and Biology all at once.” 

“I don’t recommend it,” she added with a laugh. 

Magner’s perseverance to complete her degree even triumphed over her disabilities, which at times provided her with difficulty.  

She opened up about those challenges, “I have PTSD, I’ve had multiple traumatic brain injuries … I had to relearn about myself and relearn how to learn. Going to school was definitely a process, but I was not ready to go to school at 18. At 29, I was ready.” 

Her plan is to continue her education at Rowan University in the fall, beginning a fast-track dietetics program. 

“I wasn’t going to [do the fast-track program],” Magner confessed. “… But when I actually had a conversation with my advisor, she was like, ‘You’re already so much farther ahead than you think you are’.” 

With her core classes already primarily completed, Magner signed up for the program with the goal of earning her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in just three years. 

“To be a dietitian,” she explained. “You need a master’s degree, 1200 hours of job training, and you need to pass a certified board exam … So, I should, in three years from now, have my master’s.” 

Magner’s ambitious attitude doesn’t just stop there. She plans to continue her graduate studies, pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience once she has completed her master’s degree. 

She credits RCSJ faculty for helping her, “I wouldn’t have figured it out at all if I hadn’t gone to school here. The [nutrition] program director, her name is Sherry Valente-Gaspari, she’s the best … She has been in my corner ever since [I started].” 

“There’s a few professors that I think really convinced me to want to do nutrition and pursue a Ph.D.,” she continued. “Christylynn Petersen, Carole Subotich, Kimberly Henderson, and Sherry [Valene-Gaspari] are probably the best four teachers that I could have had in terms of guiding me for the future.” 

Magner also discussed the assistance she received from RCSJ’s Military Services. “We have a great military services department. Terri [Germano], Danielle [Crawford], and John Ryder, are all very helpful.” 

During her time at RCSJ, Magner received the prestigious Student Veteran of the Year Award in 2024 and was awarded the Eric Domurat Veterans Scholarship for her excellence in the classroom. She graduated with honors and was the American flag bearer at RCSJ’s Gloucester-campus commencement ceremony. 

“I’m getting all these A’s right,” she smiled. “And all these kids are like, ‘How are you doing this?’, and I was like, ‘I guess it’s because I see it from a different lens’.” 

Another benefit of being a military student is that Magner receives a monthly stipend from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for attending school, further motivating her to pursue graduate studies. 

“They pay me to go to school, in the sense that, as long as I attend school, they will pay me [for my monthly expenses].” 

She urged other military students who are considering returning to school not to be afraid of getting assistance. “Utilize your military service resources. One thousand percent, they [RCSJ military services] will walk you through everything.” 

Magner also advised that it’s okay to not know exactly what you’re going to do after the military. 

“The military does a good job of trying to make your entire identity the military, so if you get out, and you feel lost, everybody feels lost … Very rarely have I heard of someone getting out and being like, ‘I know what I’m going to do.’ I had no clue. I’ve changed my mind a million times, but getting a degree is the easiest thing I’ve done.  

“You’re already going to have an edge over everybody else, because you’re going to understand time management … and the responsibility that comes with going to school, because you’re not 18 anymore, you’re an adult. You see things from a different perspective.” 

For female veterans, Magner stressed the importance of never limiting oneself: “Don’t make yourself smaller. It’s okay to be who you are.” 

For more information about RCSJ’s Military Services, visit RCSJ.edu/Military or contact [email protected].