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Education changes the world — a lesson Judy Genshaft Honors College '17 alum Christopher Johnson has learned firsthand while teaching English across Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

Now based in Kyiv, Ukraine, the USF College of Arts and Sciences political science and government graduate continues his work during a period of ongoing conflict, using education to support students and instructors while promoting critical thinking and civic engagement. His experience highlights the role of education in shaping culture, people and places, as well as how the interdisciplinary nature of Honors coursework broadens perspectives and prepares graduates to navigate complex global contexts.

What has your career path looked like since graduating from USF, and what led you to teaching English abroad?

After graduating from USF, my primary goal was to find a way to live abroad rather than to immediately enter the education sector. I joined the Peace Corps and served as an English teacher in Rwanda for two years — an experience that revealed to me that education was not only meaningful work, but my true calling.

Since then, I have lived and worked in Iraq, Cameroon, Kenya, and now Ukraine. While much of my career has been rooted in international schools, I have also spent significant time teaching in prisons, supporting young men affected by or involved in conflict; lecturing at universities; working with teachers’ unions and national governments on curriculum development; and strengthening education systems’ resilience to conflict and climate change. As a consultant, I have traveled extensively throughout Central and East Africa and the MENA region to support schools and founders in their work.

Early in my career, I came to understand that education is both a tool for post‑conflict redevelopment and a pathway toward deradicalization for young people. That realization continues to guide my work, and I am proud to call this field my vocation. 

How did your experience in the Judy Genshaft Honors College prepare you for work in international education? 

The Judy Genshaft Honors College was instrumental in shaping my career. Its small, discussion-based classes offered a model of what an ideal learning environment can look and feel like — intellectually rigorous, collaborative, and deeply student‑centered. Our professors consistently went above and beyond in their support, providing a standard of care and mentorship that I strive to emulate in my own practice.

Equally impactful was the way the Honors College brought together students from diverse backgrounds and nationalities. Being immersed in a community of peers with global perspectives helped me appreciate the richness that international viewpoints bring to academic and professional spaces.

My academic advisors were especially influential. Their honesty, encouragement, and consistent guidance helped me navigate university life with purpose and clarity. To this day, I encourage my graduating students to join an honors program if they have the opportunity — it can be transformative. 

You’ve taught in several countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. How have those experiences shaped you as an educator? 

Living and working across multiple regions has taught me that much of contemporary human experience unfolds far beyond the cultural reference points most Americans grow up with. This realization has made me more humble — and more patient. I now make a conscious effort to fully integrate into each new community before assuming that familiar norms or practices are appropriate in the classroom.

These experiences have also deepened my commitment to developing strong mentor‑mentee relationships with students. I am intentional about centering Global South authors, stories, and linguistic perspectives in my classes, and I design my courses with an emphasis on English as a professional tool rather than an abstract academic goal. For many of my students, proficiency in English opens doors to economic and personal advancement.

Working with educators from around the world has reaffirmed my belief in the value of learning environments where teachers and students work together across cultural differences. I've also learned firsthand how education is the first target when a repressive government wants to control their population, or when an invading force wants to cripple resistance. Schools are both the libraries and the laboratories of culture, so there's no room for meaningful education in authoritarian states. My career has made me passionate about the importance of education in fighting oppression. 

What does your current role as an English instructor and department head entail, and what part of the work do you find most rewarding? 

I currently manage a public‑private partnership — based at the British International School of Ukraine — between the Government of the United Kingdom, the Ukrainian Ministry of Education, and Cambridge University. Our program identifies school leaders from regions most affected by the war, brings them to Kyiv for training, and equips them with resilience‑centered educational practices. They then return to their communities to share and implement what they have learned. In this way, we are working to transform schools into centers of stability, refuge, and growth.

Within my school, I also advocate for educators working in conflict‑affected conditions, propose program improvements to government stakeholders, teach a small number of classes, train faculty in instructional best practices, and oversee scheduling, resource allocation, and student life initiatives — including our Model United Nations program and outdoor education trips to the Carpathian Mountains. 

My own experience as a young person taught me that the best classrooms are sanctuaries, and the best educators can change a person's life. The most rewarding part of my work is supporting teachers who feel fatigued or discouraged and helping them rediscover confidence and purpose. Watching veteran educators — some of whom could not read a children’s book in English just months earlier — lead lessons in English from our school’s bomb shelter is profoundly moving. Those moments remind me that this work matters deeply, and I consider it a privilege to contribute to it. 

What advice would you give to Honors students, especially those who are interested in teaching or working internationally? 

Study abroad. You learn the most important truths about yourself when you are in an unfamiliar land, surrounded by people who look and sound different from what you know.  If you have the opportunity to see the rest of the world, take it.