Going to college and getting involved
Plymouth State University student Joshua Chandler of Laconia has been named Stay Work Play NH’s 2022 College Student of the Year. Chandler will receive the award at the 13th annual Rising Stars Awards, to be held at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord) on Friday, Sept. 9, from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Where are you in your college career, and what are you studying?
I’m a non-traditional student. I’m going into my last year, which will be my fifth year, at Plymouth State University, as a dual degree major — a B.S. in cell and molecular biology and a B.A. in psychology. I started out studying exercise science when I first got to Plymouth State. I realized early on that I wanted to be a physical therapist, but then I decided that might not be for me. I liked the more hard-core basic science things. My aspirations switched. They stayed medical, but I started leaning more toward [being an] M.D. or physician’s assistant or something like that. I switched to molecular biology and decided on the physician’s assistant route. Then Covid hit, and I left for basic training with the Air National Guard. My studies got delayed a little bit. Then I got deployed to Kuwait, and I wasn’t able to take any of those biology classes while I was gone, but I took a couple psychology classes and I realized that I could add a psychology degree.
What was your experience in Kuwait like?
I loved it out there. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot. The most impactful part for me was being able to help out and provide medical help for the Afghanistan evacuations. We had about 5,000 Afghani evacuees come to our base. I also received the Army Achievement Medal for my help with that.
How did you balance serving in the National Guard and deployment with your college academics and activities?
While I was in Kuwait I was a full-time student. I was taking 15 credits’ worth of courses, as well as doing my National Guard Air Force upgrade training, getting all the different certifications. I’m a firefighter in the National Guard, so I was working 24-hour shifts. I’d go in the morning, pick up the truck, be on response if there was a fire or emergency, and then leave the next morning. Then I’d have the day off to use the gym, go shopping, get a haircut, relax, talk with my family. Coordinating deadlines for school was interesting because there’s an eight-hour [time] difference. I was also a speaker for the Plymouth State student government, and we would have our Zoom meetings, which would be at 7 o’clock Eastern time, but for me it’d be 3 in the morning, so on those nights I would either have to stay up for those meetings or go to bed and set an alarm to wake up and attend those meetings.
What are your plans for after graduating?
My plan is to switch to the Army National Guard and attend P.A. [physician’s assistant] school through them. Then, once I’m done with that, my goal is to come back to New Hampshire and work as a P.A. … After graduating, I would love to stay connected with Plymouth State University and the alumni department to help mentor and guide students, whether they’re thinking of [going into] medical, military — whatever they’re planning. I think being exposed to various backgrounds and doing a lot of research for my own plans means that I can be a good resource for students. Additionally, I do research at Plymouth State through the IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, and they have a mentorship program for alumni as well.
How do you practice self-care and keep from getting burnt out?
Sometimes I wonder how I don’t get burnt out. A lot of it is having a support system — my parents, family, friends, my girlfriend, co-workers, staff members and faculty at Plymouth State. Physical fitness, I think, is also important — setting aside a certain amount of time each day to either go on a walk or exercise or do yoga, just to make sure I’m staying healthy, and eating healthy. ‘Balance’ is the word that comes to mind.
What advice do you have for other young people looking to get more involved in their communities?
Look for opportunities. All of what I’ve done started from one simple thing: starting at student government as just a general member at first and then expanding on that, or going to talk with a professor about research and then getting involved with research at Dartmouth and now research for the military. It all starts with that first conversation, and then getting to a point where you’re looking for where you can get your foot in the door. The opportunities will follow. … Also, you don’t need to have a master plan. That’s something I struggle with. I try to imagine everything going perfectly, and usually, it’s never the perfect situation that I imagined [that happens], but it always works out in the right ways, so just go with the flow.
Featured photo: Joshua Chandler. Courtesy photo.
