Joshua Wood is CHS Student of the Month
Joshua Wood, the Concordia High School Student of the Month for March, is passionate about grilling steaks. “I usually make a special rub that I apply to it,” he said. “They're great.”
An articulate and thoughtful young man, Wood came to Concordia a little over two years ago from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga's population is about 200,000. “There was a little bit of adjustment coming to Concordia, but I really like it here.”
The son of Caesar and Christy Wood, he has participated in Scholars Bowl, debate, choir, tennis, Spanish Club, and the Star-Spangled Banner Singers at CHS. In his spare time, aside from cooking, he enjoys archery, watching football with his dad, gaming, and paintball.
The key to being a good archer? “Patience is the key. Focus. Block out all distractions so you can hone in on the target.”
Wood wishes there were more places close by to pursue one of his other favorite hobbies: paintball. “There's not a lot of places to play around Concordia. But I'm always open to play when I can. I love the competition.”
Wood said that getting hit in paintball doesn't hurt that much. “It's less painful than a bee sting, and it only lasts a few seconds,” he said. “It's much less if you're wearing layers or padding.”
Wood and his high school business partner, Hunter Blackwood, recently took first place in the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, a competition for student-created, managed and owned ventures. Their company was called Oasis Airsoft and Paintball.
“It was really an eye-opening experience,” Wood said. “It gave me a new perspective on entrepreneurship.”
Wood likes to watch football with his dad. He's a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, and he's not shy about venting his displeasure at their lack of success in recent years. “There's been terrible management of the team. Inconsistent play. I think they lack real leadership on the field.”
Wood plans to attend Cloud County Community College (CCCC) for one year to obtain his associates degree, then major in electrical engineering at Kansas State University. “I really like math,” he said. “Math has a satisfaction factor to it. You solve a problem. As an electrical engineer, I'll look for ways to integrate new technology. I want to be able to help people, and I think I can do that by improving things that run on power.”
Wood said he has mixed emotions about moving to Manhattan. “It'll be a new experience, but I realize I'll have to do adult things like paying rent, paying the phone bill – all the challenges of growing up. K-State is good because I'll still be somewhat close to family.”
Aside from being an electrical engineer, Wood does not have any solid plans for the future. “I don't know where I want to live yet. A city like Chattanooga or a town like Concordia both have their benefits and negatives. I would like to go out and explore. I like traveling a lot. I would like to travel to other countries and explore their cultures.”