The Scott L. Carmona College of Business and Management Joshua High

Spotlight on… The Scott L. Carmona College of Business Joshua High Accounting Major

The drafting of any piece writing involves, on some level, a consideration of audience—of community—even if we are writing for a community of one. That focus on community is something that College of Business and Management alum Joshua High knows all about. A December 2019 graduate of SVSU, High was born in Fresno, California, but frequently moved because his dad was in the U.S. Coast Guard. Eventually, High and his family settled in Belmond, Iowa, where he graduated from Belmond-Klemme High School. Upon his high school graduation in 2011, High joined another community: he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he learned how to be organized and prepared, developing an understanding of the importance of service and of a professional, respectful attitude. As he was leaving the Army in 2015, where he volunteered as a tax preparer, High considered where he wanted to go to college. He consulted his dad—who was retiring from the Coast Guard and moving back to Michigan—and decided that SVSU would be a good fit. Because High values his family, another type of community, he wanted to be near them during his college experience. Based on his volunteer work in the Army, High decided to major in accounting upon entering SVSU in 2016. When he reflects on the work he often did in his classes, High points to the importance of the writing process: “Being able to do critical and evaluative research before the writing process begins is an invaluable asset that translates to many careers in business, and then tobe able to take that research that you have and organize it in a clear articulate way through writing shows both a level of commitment to the reader and to your profession as a whole that speaks volumes to people who read what you write.” High notes that paying attention to detail and being aware of ethical responsibilities have also been crucial to his success in the College of Business and Management. And of those who have helped him develop these skills, High specifically thanks Amy Hendrickson, associate professor of law; Timothy Kenyon, lecturer of English; Mark McCartney, professor of accounting; and Elizabeth Pierce, associate professor of accounting. While at SVSU, High also considered becoming an attorney, so he chose to minor in legal studies. This interest would lead him to SVSU’s Moot Court program, another community that would really emphasize and hone his writing skills. Almost everything that went into the arguments he presented to judges involved writing, and in this venue High excelled. When he competed at the regional tournament in 2019, he and his partner Ashley French received second place. The pair consequently went on to compete at the 2020 National Moot Court Tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as one of just three teams representing SVSU. In addition to the Moot Court program, High involved himself with writing in other extracurriculars. He is grateful for the connections he made with other student veterans and the skills he gained in preparing résumés with Career Services while working in the SVSU’s Military Student Affairs Office. These activities provided an outlet for his desire to engage in community service, promoted a strong sense of ethics, and enabled him to develop and share his writing skills. One other extracurricular stands out for High: the St. John Paul the II Catholic Ministries. Within this ministry, High notes, “I was able to seek both guidance and consolation through the practice of my Catholic faith on campus that gave me both strength and encouragement to pursue my

academics with greater intensity.” After much prayer and discernment, High has decided to apply to the Diocese of Saginaw and pursue becoming a seminarian. The genre of the homily may be a specialized one not typically covered in SVSU’s writing or business classes, but High will undoubtedly draw on writing skills he gained here at SVSU as he begins this new vocation in this new community.