Hard to Miss – Joshua Irving

     I am sure all of you know of Joshua Irving. I mean, he is hard to miss. He is always running up and down the halls, yelling at people, and yelling in general. He can be a bit of an issue sometimes, with his attitude.

     I have gotten to know him as a bit more than just a man who yells, and has an attitude for no reason. I see him as a role model, a leader, a boss, and a friend. You see, I met Joshua through our JROTC program, when he set the expectations for the program, and the staff. 

     Joshua has been with the program through thick and thin, and been committed to it since the beginning. He has climbed the ranks, joined several teams, and has now become the battalion commander. I commend him for his devotion, and doing what I probably could not do – that being, possessing the ability to deal with LTC Murphy for over four years.

     When I decided to join his JROTC staff, Joshua made it a point that he got to know us, and we got to know him. Joshua does annoy me sometimes, but I, along with the others on his staff know that he means well, and has absolutely no ill intentions or malice towards others. 

     I have learned, and grown to care for Joshua, as a friend. But, I did not know everything about him. I decided to conduct an interview with him, to find out more about his goals and aspirations for the future. 

     Joshua seems to be proud of himself, his accomplishments, his friends, his beloved school, and his family. He believes that there is always room for improvement. When asked about his battalion, and if he is proud of how far its come, he responded with “Yes, because, we are the best, and I know that we just came back from covid, so it was a struggle, but I’m still proud of all the things we did”

     Joshua is excited in many ways to finally spread his wings, he wants to “explore life as a college student.” Joshua is an old soul, so it would make sense that he wants to get the feeling of growing up, and being independent. He plans to attend Huston-tillotson University and major in criminal justice. Personally, I believe he has the argumentative, and charismatic spirit for it.

     Joshua has committed to YMLA, since the day he set foot here, a million years ago. He has done a lot for this school, so much so that he believes that “This school is nothing without me.” He was always at board meetings, giving tours, being helpful, and has always been around when “important people” visited the campus.

     Although he seems to have an overinflated ego, he knows he can always do better at being involved, especially as president of his class, and battalion commander. He could also use a bit of help being on time to places, having some empathy for others, and controlling his language.

     Overall, Joshua Irving is a great leader, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. Both me, and him believe that he will definitely be successful in the near future. With a bit of self control, and personal growth. 

…

     I know I joke with him a lot, but it is hard to let go. I seriously can not believe that the seniors are about to leave. With most of my friends being seniors, I know that they’ll move on with their lives, and make something of themselves. While that makes me very happy, I would wish for them to stay, if it wasn’t selfish. But, I digress, everything must come to an end eventually. This is a time of new beginnings for them, so lets give it up for not only Joshua Irving, but for all of our graduating seniors!