You may all know him as “Mr. Breezeway,” but before that he was just Ray Johnson.
Johnson, a senior mass communications major, is from Queens, N.Y.
Ironically, in high school he was quiet but always had been interested in television and movies, accompanied with a passion for talking to people.
Clearing up any speculations, Mr. Breezeway is not a title but a nickname given to a once quiet young man.
What started as a regular day for Ray during his sophomore year turned into the beginning of his hosting career on campus.
During a Campus Life Marketing Committee sponsored event, Ray picked up the microphone and began to engage the crowd in the event. During his act of showmanship, a friend of his, Latoya Perry, Miss Winston-Salem State 2008-2009, approached him, and they began to talk.
Their conversation was amplified for all to hear and a part of it stuck in the public’s mind.
“You’re just ‘Mr. Breezeway’ now,” Latoya said. Since then the name has stuck.
Chelii Broussard, marketing and promotions coordinator, ushered Ray into his calling by asking for his presence at yet another CLMC event.
Ray has become known as the emcee of WSSU, with involvement at various campus events for the last couple of years.
Dec. 18 may very well leave WSSU students heartbroken, and wondering who the next emcee may be because Ray will be graduating and returning to New York to pursue a career as a radio disc jockey.