Meet…
Josh Copeland is the Program Aid here at Sinclair and believes that you can have fun doing what you love.
What makes him interesting…
Josh Copeland is a 26-year-old, who started with humbling beginnings. Family has been and will always be important to him. He said there was never a boring moment because he was always surrounded by his family.
“There was never a dull moment because they’re me and my three other siblings. Then my parents adopted my two cousins, which later one of my cousin had a baby girl, so yeah it was something else,” said Copeland.
While summarizing his childhood with a bit of laughter, he said he looks back at it now as being lots of fun.
Copeland was a bright, young man, who attended Fairborn high school and graduated in 2007. Upon graduation he received a football scholarship and attended University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. He reminisced about struggling as he went off to college because he said he felt like he wasn’t prepared.
“I was the first person to attend college, but no one sat me down to talk to me about it, so I didn’t know what to expect, you know,” said Copeland.
Copeland hit some hardships while in college, as do many people, but the hardest part was finding balance between his schedule and the things he cared about.
“The hardest thing I had to overcome was balancing my football scholarship and focusing on my academics—It took a lot out of me,” Copeland said.
He studied geography, mainly because he was so inspired and curious about the world.
“I wanted to learn how to build a business and placing them in different parts of the world—to see how [businesses] can make a profit,” Copeland said.
With balancing a schedule of football and homework, Copeland felt like something had to be put on the shelf.
‘I gave up on football because I felt that I was working hard for something that might not come true—meaning everyone wants to go to the NFL, but might not make it in the NFL,” said Copeland.
After leaving sports, he struggled with finding his identity, but obtained a graduate degree from Buffalo University. However, Copeland said even though he struggled through some hardships, he learned valuable lessons in college.
“I learned that you should always manage your time in college,” Copeland said.
In October of 2015, became a program aid in the The Office and Student of Community Engagement, located in Building 8. He helps plan events at Sinclair.
“My position is fun, entertaining and challenging because you have to be on your p’s and q’s,” said Copeland.
Copeland leaves advice for Sinclair students and hopes that many people will live life to the fullest.
“College is what you make it and life is what you make it also,” said Copeland.