Amanda Johnson, junior fashion merchandising and apparel design (FMAD) major, is more than your average Georgia Southern and FMAD student.

The fashion guru and activist has overcome the idea of doing “good enough” by excelling academically and successfully managing her fashion blog that features pieces she created herself.

How does she do it?

Johnson rarely sees a day of rest being a full-time student with a part time job and an aspiring career in fashion design. From class, to work, to designing and creating her own clothing, Johnson is proving she can do it all.

“Basically, I’ll go to class and if I have a two hour gap, I’ll do an assignment and then I’ll go to work. After that, I’ll finish my assignments and I’ll even do them when I’m with my friends sometimes too. We’ll hang out and then do homework together,” Johnson said.

Johnson says this past year wasn’t easy for her but she found a way to manage her time in order to stay on top of all her responsibilities. Her friends have also been very helpful when it comes to managing her time.

“Last semester I would get out of class at five on Monday’s and Wednesday’s and then I’d ask my friend to come take pictures of me so I could post them on my blog on Monday’s and Wednesday’s,” Johnson said.

Changing the status quo

During the end of the spring semester, Johnson exceeded her own expectations by landing a position as a style guru for CollegeFashionista, a website that features style columns written by college fashionistas. The accomplishments don’t end there, though. She was also accepted as a media attendee at the nation’s number one product destination, AmericasMart, in June 2017 for the apparel market.

Most of Amanda’s friends and classmates may say she stresses too much, but she says her “high anxiety levels” about missing an assignment is what pushes her to do well.

“I messed up my second semester bad, so I was like okay, I have to do twice as good every other semester and ever since then I have,” Johnson said.

The pressure that Amanda puts on herself is what really motivates her to go the extra mile and exceed others standards.

“Unless I get a 4.0, I feel like I failed myself, so that’s really what it is. My friends yell at me all the time for it.” Johnson said.

Expressing your individuality

Johnson has always been the one to express her individuality, especially through the way she dresses. She says she found comfort in dressing up through her fellow fashion design colleagues, Amber London and Kay Faro.

“I wasn’t alone, even if I’m the only one walking on campus like that, but it’s kind of like now I like it. Even my teachers will be like, ‘Oh wow, she looks good every day and she tries,” Johnson said.

Amanda’s blog features fashion styling tips and exciting life updates. To keep up with Amanda and get some cool DIY’s, as well as fashion tips, visit her blog or follow her on Instagram: @styledby_mandy