Magic Johnson Visits SC State University

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Columbia , S.C. (WOLO) — An NBA legend took the stage at South Carolina State University Thursday. Earvin “Magic” Johnson was there as part of the school’s executive speaker series. “God is so good!” Magic Johnson yelled as he entered the room. In his speech to students, Johnson used his personal experiences to inspire students to stay disciplined and work hard to follow their dreams. “You have to dream past here and where you grew up and then you have to put a game plan in place and a strategy in place to help you make your dreams come to fruition,” said Johnson. From NBA legend to billionaire entrepreneur, Magic Johnson recalls to students his days before success, growing up in urban America. “See I grew up like that but I didn’t have poor dreams and that’s key,” he said. Johnson says his dreams are responsible for where he is today and he inspires students to reach for the same success. He gives them business tips, ranging from being educated about the industry to being careful who they partner with. “Don’t partner with your friend!” joked Johnson. All laughs aside, he reminds students achieving success is a journey they need to embrace. “Most people think that it just happens overnight and that not the way it happens , a lot of hard work went into going from urban Johnson to Magic Johnson and then going from Magic Johnson to Mr. Johnson,” he explained. Following his speech, students say they are ready to chase their own dreams. “What I took away from his speech is that as long as I believe in myself and dream it then I can achieve it,” said student Morgan Beatty. “I believe it was very encouraging and motivating because it’s a lot of us that come from rural areas such as him and we needed that motivation,” said student Antonio Hamilton. Johnson adds, if invited back, he will return to SC State in the future.