Marquette University has long had ties to fantasy worlds. Since the late 1950s, Raynor Library has held the J.R.R. Tolkien Collection, whose work directly inspired one of the most popular fantasy tabletop role-playing games of all time: Dungeons & Dragons. Marquette alum James Lowder, A&S ’85, was even an editor, designer and consultant on several official Dungeons & Dragons publications.
While there are countless ways to play the iconic game, sophomore Trey Johnson has found a new way to engage with it — one that mirrors his own academic journey. A computer science and mathematics major in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, Johnson recently rediscovered his love for Dungeons & Dragons after changing his major.
A consistent lesson of D&D campaigns is that the path you first set out on isn’t always the right one. Johnson has found this lesson applies just as easily to college.
“I’ve been good at a lot of different things for a long time,” Johnson says. “There were a lot of reasons that made me convinced that only one job and one course of study would make me money after college. It was really refreshing when I found a major that appealed to me more. I enjoy classes so much more now, and I honestly regret not changing majors sooner.”
A journey starts with a decision…
Before switching to his current majors, Johnson says he felt drained by his previous academic path. That exhaustion spilled into other parts of his life, leaving less time and energy for the activities he enjoys, such as D&D campaigns with friends.
“Every major has its intense moments, but this one just didn’t feel right to me,” Johnson says. “I didn’t feel fulfilled, and it was starting to impact me — but I worried that changing majors would feel too much like starting over.”
After researching options and working with campus resources, Johnson found that many of his first-year courses applied to several different majors — including ones that better aligned with his interests. The switch allowed Johnson a more balanced schedule, as well as opportunities to take more varied courses.
“I’m someone who really likes electives,” Johnson says. “I’m in two math-heavy majors, but I love taking history courses. I like to see how my majors fit into other subjects. I feel the more diverse my learning is, the better I’m able to approach issues from different perspectives.”
Johnson has always enjoyed applying what he learns across different contexts, and courses that allow for experimentation have shown him how engaging and relevant coursework can be beyond the classroom.
A journey is never taken alone…
Kalyn Gackowski, student success coordinator for the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, says misconceptions often prevent students from changing majors and studying subjects that truly fit them.
“Whether it’s pressure from yourself or others, I see a lot of students come to Marquette and think that ‘If I want to do this in life then I should major in that,’” Gackowski says. “It’s great to have an end goal, but I really hope students challenge the ‘shoulds’ to find the best route for themselves. In my experience, students who choose a degree that suits their interests succeed and enter a wide variety of career paths with the skills they’ve gained at Marquette.”
Gackowski and other campus resources help students navigate these decisions while staying on track toward graduation.
A journey’s reward…
With his new academic focus, Johnson has been able to get back to one of his favorite hobbies, D&D game design. Combining his love for statistics, probability and coding, Johnson writes and graphs equations to predict possible outcomes based on dice rolls, using math to build more engaging campaigns.
“Changing my major helped revive my love for coding,” Johnson says. “I’m making databases for my favorite media, working on amazing projects in class and finding ways to use coding in daily life. I really missed that in my previous major.”
At the end of the day, Johnson is most thankful that he’s able to pursue what he loves in a way that works best for him.
“I’ve loved math for as long as I can remember,” he says. “I love it because you can prove these incredible things about the world once you understand the logic and building blocks behind it. When I understand something more deeply, I feel better about my place in the world. I’m fascinated by my upper division math courses because they make the world make sense — and I hope to stay a mathematician forever.”
With renewed enthusiasm and more flexibility, Johnson is now exploring jobs and internships that align with his skills in math and coding. More importantly, he says, he feels confident in the direction he’s heading.
“I’m happier now,” Johnson says. “I’m genuinely excited to go to classes and to think about my future career. Ever since I changed majors, I feel renewed, like I found myself and where I want to go next.”
Johnson’s journey as a computer scientist, mathematician, and game theorist is a reminder that educational journeys are rarely linear. Full of twists and turns, and the occasional course correction, choosing your own adventure can lead not only to academic success, but also to balance, fulfillment and a clearer sense of purpose.
