When Joshua transferred to Parkside from The Reece School in 2008, he was a kind soul and a wonderful storyteller. Mr. Alston remembers him being obsessed with animals, fantasy movies and books, saying "I believe his intense interest in Disney and other fantasy stories helped him to become more assertive and connected to his peers and teachers at Parkside."
After just two and a half years at Parkside, Josh completed middle school at Gateway, and went on to high school at Churchill, where he applied what he learned at Parkside to forge meaningful relationships with fellow students and teachers, and to challenge himself. He developed his passions for basketball, fitness and reading, and played on the Varsity basketball team during his Junior and Senior years. His team brought home the league championship this year!
During his final semester, Josh was offered an internship with the International Center for Transitional Justice, an organization that assists societies confronting human rights abuses. He begins his internship this month, and is looking forward to working with the team to pursue truth, promote accountability and build trustworthy institutions around the globe.
Even though Joshua only spent a short time with us at Parkside, he has fond memories of his years here, especially the teachers and staff he was fortunate enough to work with. He credits Parkside for setting him on a positive path. This spring, Josh has plans to visit Iceland with his Senior classmates. He has been accepted to the American University School of Public Affairs, where he plans to major in Justice and Law starting in the Fall.