The GT-AE senior was named Mr. Georgia Tech 2015 during a Homecoming game that saw the Yellow Jackets take an unlikely victory from Florida State.

Johnson shared his coronation with ChBe major Missy Pittard, who was named Ms. Georgia Tech.

For anyone who knows the Lithonia, GA native, his triumph over a field of 25 competitors is no surprise. His energy, attitude, and smarts make him a stand-out even among the best students.

But, as fiercely as he competes to win at whatever he does, Johnson is the last person to predict victory.

"I was standing there with giants, really --  the people who make things happen at Georgia Tech," he said of his fellow finalists, who were brought out onto the football field during the Halftime Show.

"So I really wasn't thinking I'd win. I was wondering who would win."

That might explain why Johnson briefly lost his balance when his name was called over the loud speakers. It also explains why he was busy studying for a test the next day.

"Test doesn't care what title I got on Saturday," he said, with a smile.

And there it is: Johnson is a guy whose eyes are always on the prize. He's always scanning the future for the next goal.

After finishing his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering and business technology next spring, Johnson plans to earn a doctorate in aerospace engineering, get a law degree, work as a patent attorney, and, then teach- what else? - aerospace engineering.

Before he finished his undergraduate studies, he wanted to go for the Mr. Georgia Tech title, which brings together many of the best qualities of his experience here.

"It's something I was introduced to my freshman year, when Jacob Tzegaebe (MSCE '13) was the reigning Mr. Georgia Tech," says Johnson, one of just five finalists considered.

"I saw that here was this black man who was Mr. Georgia Tech, so I thought that's something I could do. Three years later, I'm doing it because Jacob opened the door for me. And the thing is, I'm holding that door open."

That, in a nutshell, describes the spirit  that drives Henderson Johnson. Articulate, friendly, and very ambitious, he would rather leverage an opportunity than wait for one to appear. Friends, like fellow AE seniorElizabeth Balga, commend him for finding ways to make things work -- for himself, and for everyone around him.

"I've traveled in lots of circles at Georgia Tech and I'm comfortable in them all," he says. "As Mr. Georgia Tech, I think I can tell a story that every student can relate to."

Like many engineers, Johnson has a story that starts with a pinch of science fiction.

"In ninth grade, after I saw the first Iron Man movie, with its big weapons, I was hooked. I started asking around what I'd need to study to do that," he says.  "The answer, per Google, was aerospace."

Seven years later, Johnson doesn't need Google to explain how his celluloid fantasies gradually morphed into a real-world career.

"What's engineering? It's literally taking something imaginary and applying a body of knowledge to it to make something happen. I love that. Like flight -- how did that happen? Someone had to imagine it, and, then, it had to be engineered. I love being an engineer."

Johnson seems to apply this same principle to his life, where he  systematically turns his dreams into reality by working hard, asking a lot of questions, and looking for opportunities.

And that formula has worked.

He has twice landed a prestigious internship with the Boeing Company; he is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, Sigma Gamma Tau, and Omicron Delta Kappa; and he's a Bill & Melinda Gates Millennium Scholar. For the past year and a half, he's conducted research on turbulent flames with Prof. Tim Lieuwen.

"I've been measuring consumption speed and other relevant characteristics because the better we understand turbulent flames, the better we can build combustors. We can make them cleaner, more efficient, and safer."

Lately, Johnson has begun to  focus on his next venture: graduate school.

"I know it costs a lot to pursue a doctorate and a law degree," he said. "But my mantra is: if I have to pay for it, then I've done something wrong. There are ways to make it affordable. And I will find them."

If that sounds like bluster, it's not. Henderson Johnson has always loved a good challenge.

"When I was accepted to Tech, I was also considering Tuskegee, because they offered me a full ride," he said.

"So  I called my aunt, who graduated from Tech, and asked her what it was like. She said a lot of things, but she ended with: 'It's really, really hard.'"

Johnson's face lights up at those words.

"That's what convinced me. I wanted something really, really hard. I wanted to be challenged."

He got what he was looking for at GT-AE.  And then some.

"In high school, I could read something once and get it," he said.

"But at Tech, I realized new concepts were not going to come to me as quickly and as easily as they used to. Sometimes I had to read something 2, 3, 4, 5 times to really get it. And that's what I did. Because that's the expectation at Tech -- and in the work place -- you have to really, reallyget it."

We're pretty confident that Henderson Johnson II has really, really got it.

And then some.