By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The four years she spent at the former Bridgewater State College were full of activity.
When Michaela Johnson wasn't in the classroom or studying or playing for the women's basketball team, she would be getting training for the future.
The 2010 graduate could be found working as a public address announcer at Bears' football, baseball and soccer games. Or she would be working at the school radio station, WBIM-91.5, as a disc jockey.
That helped Johnson, a communications major, onto a path that would take her to some interesting jobs.
Eight months after graduating from Bridgewater State, Johnson became one of the hosts of The Rhode Show on WPRI-TV in Providence, R.I., where she was part of a lifestyle show for 12 years until December 2022.
And since 2016, Johnson has been the in-arena host for Boston Bruins' games at the TD Garden, a job she is now in her eighth season doing. For the last three years, Johnson has been doing similar in-game assignments for major NHL events, including the Winter Classic.
It all started during her time at Bridgewater State from 2006-10 when she was a two-time captain of the basketball team and a regular on the microphone at the home games of other sports.
"The people at Bridgewater State instilled so much confidence in me and opened my eyes to some things I didn't really think were in the cards," said Johnson, a Rhode Island native. "From the game announcing to the great opportunities, I met some wonderful people and I'm so grateful they're still there. They are still there for a reason. They're good people.
"I felt like I received a great education. I felt like it set me up for life and it taught me a great work ethic."
Johnson is hoping to return to campus on Saturday afternoon as part of the women's basketball program's Alumni Day. The Bears are hosting Salem State University at 1 p.m. at the Tinsley Center.
The Bruins are in Philadelphia that day, so Johnson won't be working their game. She can be found at the Garden all season, keeping the crowd involved as the in-arena host.
"It's a way to integrate our marketing and promotions in a fun way," said Johnson. "It's keeping the show going, if you will, for the fans. During the timeouts, rather than just playing music, we're playing games with the crowd. We pre-record games with the players.
"We have giveaways, put people on the Jumbotron and work with charities. This season, being the centennial season, there's been extra events. We've brought back a lot of the alumni and I've been fortunate to interview them. I text my dad pictures every so often of the players he watched all the time."
In addition to working at the Garden, Johnson has gone on the road with the NHL.
She worked the Winter Classic in Minnesota in 2022 and the one in Seattle earlier this month. She did Stadium Series games in Nashville and Raleigh.
Johnson is headed to Toronto for All-Star Weekend Feb. 1-3 after working that event in Florida last year.
"I get to do rinkside interviews with the players," she said. "It's been phenomenal. The trust and confidence they have in me, I wear that well. I want to represent them well and the Bruins well."
Johnson was looking for a job right after graduating from Bridgewater State when she was hired by The Rhode Show.
There was a competition held, and a co-host was to be hired for one year. Johnson emerged as the winner and made such an impression that she was kept on a full-time basis for more than a decade.
"I didn't have a true plan after graduating," said Johnson. "I wanted to wind up as a sideline reporter. My first plan was just get a job and a paycheck. I was swimming in student loan debt.
"Then the Rhode Show opportunity fell into my lap. It was such a perfect fit for me. It was wonderful. It was a position I was made for."
A variety of topics were covered by Johnson, giving her the chance to experience something new on TV every day.
"It was the best," said Johnson. "I got to do sports pieces and cooking with chefs, which is another love of mine, concerts, fashion, entertainment.
"One day you're riding a camel at the zoo and the next day you're playing basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters. It was so much fun. The content always changed and you never knew what to expect."
Johnson was not recruited to play basketball at Bridgewater State but made the team as a walk-on as a freshman in 2006.
She appeared in only six games that season, then came off the bench for 23 of the 27 games in 2007-08 when the Bears went 22-5. That was the first time coach Bridgett Casey brought Bridgewater State to the NCAA Division 3 tournament, and Johnson was on the court as the Bears closed out Salem State in the title game.
Johnson started 12 games as a junior and 20 as a senior, appearing in 78 in four seasons. Her leadership earned her the role of captain the final two years.
"I am so grateful for Bridgett giving me that opportunity, kind of seeing something in me," said Johnson. "I had kind of a rough time in high school. In four years, we had three different coaches and it was hard developing consistency and getting things moving.
"When tryouts came at Bridgewater, I figured why not? She must have seen something in me and I made the team. It was awesome."
Johnson took pride in being a captain, providing leadership as a junior and senior and playing a role for teams that finished with winning records.
"I never put up big numbers, but every minute of every practice I was playing as hard as I could," said Johnson. "I tried to be there for the younger girls.
"It meant everything being a captain. It's a long season with a lot of commitment. I was never going to be a 1,000-point scorer. I didn't have all the accolades, but to know all my hard work really paid off, it meant a lot. I'm grateful for the trust the team showed in me."
The experiences Johnson had with the Bears' basketball program have been taken forward in life while she was on TV and now with the Bruins.
"I feel like sports has made me who I am in terms of hard work, team work, drive," said Johnson. "It's about doing what's best for the team and it carries over into life. No matter what job you have, you've got to be able to work well with others and knowing failure and knowing comeback.
"When you get a good coach like Bridgett who teaches you those life lessons, it's everything. It's part of me. It'll never leave."
Johnson remembers attending Providence Bruins games as a youngster and is living a dream working at Boston Bruins games.
"I grew up going to Providence games," she said. "I'd paint my face and make up posters and try to get on the Jumbotron, and now I'm always on the Jumbotron.
"It's so fun. Now I have this great rapport with the fans and season-ticket holders. I feel so valued and appreciated there and you can't beat that.
"When I got hired, I said, 'The Bruins? You're telling me I can work for one of my favorite teams of all time?' To be there and feel the excitement is something special."