A Profile in Success:
Joshua Nally, Student Government President
East Ohio College
East Ohio College Business Administration student Joshua Nally, Sr. never thought he would attend college. Before starting at East Ohio at age 36, he was working full-time in an unfulfilling career. Then his wife, Jennifer, came to enroll in the Medical Assisting course. Joshua states, “She called me and said ‘how would you like to go back to school?’ and I said ‘OK, let’s do it.’” Until that critical point, Josh had never attended college before. In fact, he needed to enroll in the Penn-Foster high school diploma completion program offered through East Ohio before he could even enter college classes. Joshua applied his diligent work ethic to earning his high school diploma quickly to be able to start college.
Since starting at East Ohio last August, Mr. Nally has become an important part of the East Ohio family. He began employment as a federal work study, assisting the I.T. Department with computer network updates. He has led and been engaged in multiple community activities and projects supporting the U.S. military, in addition to being an all-around “go-to guy” on campus. Joshua’s leadership skills led to him recently being elected Student Government president, while his wife, Jennifer, was elected vice-president. Since his election, Josh has organized a campus clean-up to pick up trash around the outside grounds and organized the first school dance in recent history, a “Roaring ‘20s” themed event for students and their partners. Joshua has accomplished all this while maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and nearly-perfect attendance.
Mr. Nally chose the Business Administration program because he has always wanted to run his own business. After graduation, he plans to either open his own business or “work for a big company that deals with selling anything. I’m a salesperson at heart,” remarks Joshua. Mr. Nally has implemented “Josh’s Grab N Go” on campus to provide inexpensive lunches to students, staff, and faculty. The success of this venture led to him being asked to cater the dinner for the college’s community Advisory Board meetings, showcasing his entrepreneurial skills to business leaders. He hopes to continue this venture beyond campus, and grow to become a staple “go-to” food spot in the community.
When asked about his favorite part of attending East Ohio, Joshua states, “Everything! East Ohio staff and students are amazing. I love that the classes are short and there are not too many students in each class.” Mr. (Jonathan) Ream was recognized by Joshua for making him feel so welcome. “He will work hard to make sure you succeed. He has been there since day one. I appreciate him 100%,” said Joshua.
Looking to the future, Mr. Nally is confident about how he wants his life to be in five years. Josh states that he wants to be “financially stable, with enough money in the bank to never have to worry about bill collectors again.” Further, he would love to own a home within five years and “never have to go without anything again.”
When asked pointedly if he would refer a friend to East Ohio, Joshua said, “100%! Not only because of how awesome the staff and students are, but I never would have thought how much everyone treats you like family. The instructors will do everything in their power to make sure you succeed. My life has already changed for the better ever since I started at East Ohio. I can’t wait to see what’s coming in the future.”
To learn more about how to become a part of the East Ohio family, visit eastohio.edu!