Hood College—Part of My Life—From Undergraduate to Doctorate

Hood College alumnus Joshua Work has earned his undergraduate degree in History (along with a Maryland Teaching Certificate), and his Master’s in Educational Leadership from the school.  A Doctorate of Organizational Leadership (DOL) candidate, Josh is on his way to becoming one of Hood’s first “Three Degree” graduates.  Josh, his wife Casey and three children Ava, Kai, and Chad live in Frederick.

He is currently an Assistant Principal for Frederick County Public Schools, and works at Middletown Middle School, as part of a leadership team that implements and coordinates the school program for 835 students and 70 staff, using rigor and working within a culture of cooperation, organization, determination and excellence.  All of this to promote a positive school culture that fosters the social development and student achievement.

Joshua grew up in Frederick County and graduated from Walkersville High School in 2005. While at Walkersville he interned at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Ft. Detrick. He applied to Hood for his undergraduate degree, he says, because “I knew that Hood was an excellent school with a distinguished reputation. Since I was still local, I was able to retain my internship position throughout my undergraduate degree at NCI.”

While in pursuit of his undergraduate degree, Joshua enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR). After completing boot camp and his military occupational specialty school, he returned to Hood to complete his degree. He remained at Hood, NCI, and his USMC reserve unit until his graduation in May, 2009.  Following graduation, he was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and served as a Fire Direction Center chief and vehicle commander for a light armored mortar vehicle.

Joshua returned to the States in May, 2010 and was hired to teach social studies for FCPS.  While teaching, he earned his M.S. in Educational Leadership.

“Hood has become a part of my life. I met my wife there during undergrad and we got married during our senior year. Beyond the well-rounded liberal arts curriculum, I believe what makes Hood so wonderful is the staff and faculty that have been supportive over the years. I have been fortunate to develop great relationships with Mr. (Roger) Stenersen, Dr. (Jennifer) Cuddapah, and Dr. (Kathleen) Bands and value them all as lifelong mentors. I am humbled by all of time and effort that my professors have provided to me from my undergraduate to the Doctorate. One way to honor their tutelage is to successfully complete the doctoral program with Hood’s inaugural doctoral cohort. One day I hope to return to Hood and support graduates in any capacity that I can.”