An exceptional athlete, Josh competed in cross country, swimming, soccer, track and had added triathlons in the last two years. Before he broke his neck resulting in C5/C6 tetraplegia, he was at a stage in life where he was transitioning towards becoming independent. He was living on his own, had his first real job, and was finally “finding my place in the world. Then, on June 17th, 2023, I jumped into a pool, and everything changed when I came up from the water.”

After a month in the ICU, twelve weeks of inpatient rehab, and six weeks of outpatient rehab he was ready to resume his life, determined to find new paths as an athlete and a scholar.  

He was told about the SWMF scholarship while rehabbing at Craig Hospital in Denver and will resume his studies in the Integrated Business and Engineering Honors Program at Ohio State University in Spring 2024. Only 14 students are selected for the program per year, taking specialized business, engineering and MBA courses. He will graduate in May 2026.