JMU is Everything Joe Straub Expected
There's no disappointment in the voice of Joe Straub these days. The Huntington High School Class of 2012 member packed his bags and departed for James Madison University in Virginia two months ago and he's been a happy man ever since.
"College is everything that I expected and much, much more," Mr. Straub said. "Going into college, I was told by my brother 'don't say no. Wake up each day curious what you'll stumble across.' I have made a personal goal to go with what he said. It's about halfway through the first semester and I have done things that are unbelievable."
The teenager is determined to learn as much as he can over the next four years and his schedule and academic decisions reflect that goal. "Early in the year, I declared my second major," Mr. Straub said last week. "So now, I am on track to graduate in four years with a Bachelor of Science in integrated science and technology with a concentration in applied biotechnology and a Bachelor of Business Administration in business management."
The Huntington alum said he is enrolled in "some very interesting classes," with his favorite being ISAT 165: Viral Discovery. "For this class, I brought a soil sample from home and I have been enriching and purifying the sample," Mr. Straub said. "I have discovered a previously unidentified microphage and have named it 'Straubster.' At the end of the year, and after creating a report on the microphage, I will be considered a published scientist."
The college freshman is also taking financial accounting, business decisions in the modern society, calculus lab, lifespan of human development and critical writing. "It is amazing how I can apply knowledge I learned throughout high school in each of these courses," Mr. Straub said.
JMU's course demands have put into clear perspective the Huntington alum's high school academic experiences. "I do have to say 'thank you so much to the Huntington School District' and, more importantly, to my teachers throughout the years," Mr. Straub said.
"The AP program in Huntington is fantastic and through the courses I have taken, I entered JMU with 39 credits and have gained the academic standing of a sophomore," Mr. Straub said. "With these credits, I have been able to place out of several general education classes, which will allow me to complete my double major on time."
Mr. Straub wasn't on the college campus very long before he joined JMU's Relay For Life chapter. It's the college's largest fundraising enterprise, taking in $228,000 for the American Cancer Society in the past year.
"I applied for a position on the RFL executive board and was one of 25 students in the university to make it," Mr. Straub said. "This year I am working hard with my co-chair as the head of Team Recruitment. We hope to raise over $250,000 before our April event."
Mr. Straub said he "stumbled upon" a unique opportunity during his first days on the James Madison University campus. "Delta Upsilon is a brand new fraternity on campus this year and I will be one of about 50 members that colonize a new chapter at JMU later this semester," he said.
Delta Upsilon is the oldest "non-secret" fraternity and sixth oldest men's international fraternity, according to its website. "Through its four core values of the promotion of friendship, the development of character, the diffusion of liberal culture and the advancement of justice, my new brothers and I will be able to make a new, powerful and lasting impression on JMU," Mr. Straub said. "We are excited to create a new chapter, join in brotherhood and build better men."
The Huntington alum is also his residence hall's vice president on the community activities board. Known as CAB, the organization creates bonding events for the dorm and helps facilitate fundraisers and sales of T-shirts and other apparel.
"My hall, Frederikson Hall, has put together the Ultimate Frisbee intramural team Feelin' Disky and although we are 1-3, we have a lot of fun playing together," Mr. Straub said last week.
Residing in a suite-style dorm, Mr. Straub and his friends stay "pretty close," he said. "We get along great and it is so cool having so many happy, friendly people around me," the Huntington grad said. "We go out to dinner, play sports together and go out on the weekends together. JMU literally is the happiest place on earth. The campus is beautiful. The people are happy. The teachers want to teach and the students want to learn."
Mr. Straub is excited that he chose a college that boasts a business school ranked 14th among public universities and in the top 30 among all colleges in the country. He also doesn't mind that the JMU's campus food has been judged to be the fourth best in America.
"I could not imagine myself at any other university," Mr. Straub said.