With his trademark afro and overall unique style, Saint Louis University senior Mitchell Johnson is easy to spot around campus.
“I just have style,” Johnson said.
Johnson is perhaps best known as the president of Xquizit, the hip-hop dance group on campus.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Johnson said that he first became involved in the performing arts when he joined a dance team called “Planet Funk” in his freshman year of high school.
Soon after, Johnson was accepted into his high school’s singing group, which led him to pursue his interest in music. He is continuing this pursuit still, as he is currently a music minor.
Before attending SLU, he often enjoyed helping his older sister with her marketing and advertising majors at her university.
In doing this, he discovered his own talent and appreciation for marketing. He decided to use his creativity for business prospects, while maintaining his love of the arts.
Johnson recalled his freshman year when he decided, that while pursuing his interests in music and dancing, a major in marketing would be his “backup plan.”
Contrary to popular belief, Johnson did not begin the Xquizit dance group. He did, however, keep it from disbanding.
Xquizit was formed in 2005 by SLU alumna Jessica Harris. After Johnson joined the organization as a freshman, the group saw a sudden decline in participants.
Xquizit may have disappeared from campus completely were it not for Johnson’s aggressive advertising abilities and his continued leadership after he was elected as the group’s president in his sophomore year.
He mostly wanted to see Xquizit survive because the group supported his “love of dancing.”
Growing up, Johnson’s family was very supportive of his intent to pursue the performing arts, although it was his older sister who first piqued and encouraged his interest in theatre, particularly in musicals.
He remembers that as children, he and his sister used to give musical performances for their parents, complete with a mock theatre.
“We were like a mini Destiny’s Child, and I was Beyonce,” Johnson said.
After graduating, Johnson plans to move to Los Angeles, CA. He wants to move out west because he not only loves the city, but his sisters also live there and because moving there would allow him to continue working on his talents and his career.
Though he plans to have a job mainly in marketing, he hopes to continue dancing and singing, and perhaps even star in a movie, maybe something similar to Step Up.
In addition to being the current president of Xquizit, Johnson is also an active member of the Bare Naked Statues. BNS is the all-male a cappella group on campus.
He is also a member of the Filipino Student Association, and occasionally dabbles in other student organizations on campus, such as the Black Student Alliance, the Indian Student Association, the Phases of Motion dance group, the Master Singers, and other classical and concert groups around SLU.
He also teaches a hip-hop dance class in the Simon Recreation Center.
During his free time between school and his many student organization commitments, Johnson likes to draw still-life pictures. He also enjoys photography, both as the photographer and as a model.
A self-proclaimed “cell phone nerd,” he proudly sports a brand new iPhone 4 from Apple.
With his plethora of talents and passion for his many interesting hobbies, whichever direction Johnson decides to take with his life after he graduates will no doubt continue to reflect his unique style.