Cover Story: Archer Alumna Finds Her Purpose

Finding Purpose:

Archer Alumna Helps Shape Social Movements

Turn on the TV, read the news on your iPad, or listen to podcasts and on any given day you’ll hear that America’s political system is “broken,” “stagnant,” “gridlocked,” and even “dysfunctional.” We live in a highly polarized country where politics is a contest and the spirit of cooperation has seemingly vanished. And yet, despite the media hype, change is happening. Thanks to people like Archer Alumna Erika Johansson ’04 who has chosen a career with a distinct purpose – to help shape 21st century movements and incite change where change is needed.

For the past three and a half years, Erika has served as a Senior Strategist for a company called Purpose, a New York-based b-corporation that works with organizations and progressive companies to help them mobilize largescale, purposeful action for a particular cause. Simply put, Purpose helps create movements to influence political, cultural, economic, and institutional systems in order to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems.

“We work to make an impact on major, systemic, global issues – from global poverty, to modern slavery, social justice and more,” said Erika. “I’ve personally had the privilege to work on a variety of issues for our clients including cancer prevention, nuclear nonproliferation, international development, veterans rights, school bullying, and more.”

Through her work at Purpose, Erika hopes to give every person the opportunity, the inspiration, and the tools they need to take thoughtful action on the issues that matter to them. Recently, she has shifted her efforts to internal projects within the company and spearheaded the creation of a technology project called the “Purpose Platform,” a new international online and mobile activism toolkit that aids in organizing movements on a global scale. As a senior member of the team, she is charged with training new strategists that join the company and she’s also working to develop a series of seminars for professionals who want to find purpose in their own work.

“My goal has always been to give people the tools they need to be advocates for what they believe in. I can and will make change on the issues that I personally care about, but I am a strong believer in amplifying and unifying the voices of others to make change,” said Erika. “Building out Purpose’s educational offerings and creating a shared online platform for activists around the world - these are the projects I’m most proud of and the projects that I think have immense potential to scale and accelerate the pace of social change.”

Erika began her work at Purpose in 2009, when the organization had only six employees. In just a few short years, the company has grown to 60 people who all share a common goal. “I love working at a startup because I’ve been able to not only watch the company grow, but also help shape it into what it’s become,” said Erika. “The people at Purpose are incredible. We bring together folks from many backgrounds – online organizing, branding, marketing, creative, government, social innovation – to solve complex global challenges. Purpose people are the smartest, most thoughtful, and socially aware people I know. Working with them is inspiring.”

It’s not surprising that Erika was drawn to an organization that charts its own path, cultivates new ideas, and embraces change. After graduating from Archer in 2004, Erika was accepted to the prestigious Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. The program at Gallatin is unique in that the program doesn’t follow a prescribed major, instead >>

“My goal has always been to give people the tools they need to be advocates for what they believe in.”

>> students are free to take classes in any of the colleges within NYU and pursue a concentration that aligns with their interests. “My concentration was called Travel Histories and Narratives of Exploration,” said Erika. “Having traveled a lot in my childhood, I was fascinated by travel narratives and the ways in which explorers (from early Muslim and Portuguese explorers to later British, French, and Americans) journeyed into foreign lands and described their experiences to people back home. What intrigued me most was perception – how does the wealth of history and experience a person has affect their view on the world? Especially when they encounter new people, places and things.”

Like many of Archer’s alumnae, Erika chose to leave Los Angeles and experience life in another part of the country. However she still stays in contact with her Archer sisters almost nine years after graduation. “I keep in touch with many friends from high school, but it can be a challenge living on the east coast when so many girls from my class chose to stay in L.A.,” said Erika. “It helps to be on the alumnae board, where I get to Skype into meetings and work with the incredible board on special Archer ventures.” Erika proudly serves as the Chair of the Archer Alumnae Association and is very involved in creating new projects and initiatives to help keep alumnae connected and engaged with the School.

She credits Archer with helping her find her voice and when asked what enduring lessons Archer taught her, she replied, “The funny thing is, when I started at the School it was kind of like a startup - the mentality was that we, the student body, could shape the school into whatever we wanted it to be. This same feeling that I can create the life that I want has stayed with me ever since.”

In addition to preparing her for college and life beyond the walls of Archer, Erika acknowledges that her career trajectory was shaped by an experience she had with Archer alumnae parent Arianna Huffington. “My first brush with politics was at a fundraiser for Arianna Huffington’s run for governor. The energy in the room was incredible, and since then, my entire career has centered around the intersection of politics and the media. From internships at The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to the work I’m now doing at Purpose, I’m not sure I would have pursued social change were I not exposed to politics at a young age.”

It’s clear that when it comes to the future, Erika could go anywhere and do anything. After all, that’s what she’s always done. She creates her own path, discovers her own meaning, and applies her own set of values and expectations to every experience. Erika is a big picture thinker and hopes to someday establish a program for students to go outside their comfort zone and travel the world. “I dream of creating a global gap year program to give students an international perspective on social and systemic issues before they go on to college,” she said. “I was fortunate to travel around the world when I was young, and I got to experience, firsthand, the amazing world beyond our borders. Providing exposure to activists, leaders, social innovators, and entrepreneurs who are doing incredible work in other countries might just shift a student’s perspective and show them that there are many non-traditional paths to success and fulfillment,” said Erika. “It is my hope that a program like this would motivate students to bring purpose, passion, and a global awareness to any career path they choose.”

In turn, Erika Johansson has chosen a path that enables her to fulfill her own purpose by helping others to find theirs. With talented, driven people like her pushing the global conversation and influencing millions, maybe we should all take a moment to reflect and ask ourselves, “What is my purpose?” And when the answer comes, then ask, “What can I do to fulfill it?”

5 Fun Facts About Erika ’04

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4. 5. I write one fan letter each month to a different person who inspires me. I dyed my hair a different crazy color every month from the age of 9-13. As part of a strong family tradition, I never take off my great grandmother’s 1905 high school graduation ring. In my spare time, I sometimes lead scavenger hunts around New York City. I used to travel the country with the Declaration of Independence.

Save the Date May 10, 2013 Harmony Gold Theatre

Learning to Lead

Archer’s partnership with the National Outdoor Leadership School helps girls learn valuable leadership skills outside the classroom while asking students to step outside their comfort zone and appreciate the natural world.

Athlete & Scholar, Jenny Horowitz ’14

Archer Junior Jenny Horowitz recently became the 2013 Gold Medalist in the US Fencing Association’s Junior Olympics Championships. Horowitz excels both inside and outside of the athletic arena, maintaining a 3.9 GPA. She was recently selected as the 2013 National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum’s Female Outstanding Jewish High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year.