By Nicole Gregory, contributing writer
Less than a year ago, Josh Mitchell was stressing to finish his finals for his master’s degree in computer engineering at Cal State Fullerton. Today, the 24-year-old works as a software and database engineer at a growing Bay Area company called Poshmark and has recently given back to the university in the form of a $20,000 gift, in gratitude for all that he learned in his five-and-a-half years as a student.
Leadership roles in particular, which Mitchell took on as an undergrad and graduate student, taught him valuable lessons that he’s already used in his new job.
He was student body president at a time when racial tensions were escalating on campus and the entire community still struggled with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What I came to appreciate was that everybody has a different worldview or different viewpoint that they come to with a conflict,” Mitchell said. “And with that, it’s more so about listening and being able to navigate different people’s perspectives, and also learning to humble myself that I may not always be right, and there’s always going to be people smarter than me, so learning to appreciate their feedback.”
He also worked as a resident adviser overseeing freshman housing, a role that he likens to that of being a first responder, on call to help students in any kind of trouble and being a point person during an emergency. “One night there was flooding in one of the buildings, so I had to help get all the water out at 2 a.m.,” he said. “That was my first leadership experience that really started to change me.”
He taught computer science at a nonprofit called Dreams for Schools, which educates children, from kindergarten through high school, about STEM careers by demonstrating how to build software games for fun.
Mitchell was born in Mission Viejo and raised in Rancho Santa Margarita. When he entered CSUF in fall of 2017, his horizons were broadened. “Being from…
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