Johnson’s medical technology company, MEMStim LLC, uses automated manufacturing to make cochlear implants more affordable for patients. She uses the UofL Micro/Nano Technology Center cleanroom to develop and prototype these next-generation devices for the hearing impaired.

Johnson grew up with 10 brothers and sisters. Her father was a chemical engineer and her mother was a mathematician. They home schooled their children, raising them with a heavy focus on science and technology. This childhood education was the driver behind Johnson’s career.

“I was really passionate about wanting to work on something that I could see helping individuals in the next three to five years,” Johnson said. So, she used engineering to help people hear by developing cochlear implants.��

“I am really excited about the idea of having created a scientific idea from concept all the way to fruition,” she said.��

Story, who lives in Louisville with her wife Missy, was recognized by NBC Out for “opening hearts and minds in Kentucky.” She is the mastermind behind many courses at UofL that deal with gender, sexuality, race and the intersection of those identities, such as “Queer Perspectives in Literature and Film” and “Black Lesbian Lives.”

“In every course, I out myself at the beginning so my students never get away from intersectionality,” she told NBC Out.��

For the series, Story said,” Being proud of oneself means not letting society define you, but for you to feel emboldened enough to define who you are on your own.” 

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