Dr. Seuss once said, “You have to be odd to be number one.” Yesterday I caught up with a guy who is a little bit odd but still number one in the hearts of the Class of 2018. That guy is campus celebrity Josh Korn.
Originally from Mars County, New Jersey, Josh is a freshman majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. On campus he is involved in Alpha Epsilon Pi, is a CA for 15-112, and teaches a StuCo on League of Legends.
Though he humbly denies it in favor of the “anteater” we made during Orientation, Josh is the unofficial mascot of the Class of 2018. Ever since his Early Decision acceptance to CMU, Josh has been spreading Tartan pride all over Facebook. As an instrumental founder of the official Class of 2018 Facebook group, he has been arguably the most active member of the class, and “then it just kinda happened. It’s not something I asked for,” he told me, but he nonetheless enjoys his role because he got to meet a lot of cool people who recognized him as soon as he arrived in Pittsburgh (I distinctly remember fangirling the first time I saw Josh on campus).
What really makes Josh a campus celebrity, however, is not the trademark glasses or the all-powerful, blue 112 sweatshirt, but his love for Carnegie Mellon. I have not met anyone who embodies the Tartan spirit more than he does. When asked why he goes to CMU, Josh’s immediate response was because “it’s the best place ever.” He loves the quality of the ECE program, the city environment that Pittsburgh provides, and most importantly, the collaborative environment in which his peers are his best friends, not his competitors. He is not only passionate about his own college experience, but about the experiences of those to come, as he also founded the Class of 2019 Facebook group so they could build the same sense of acceptance and camaraderie that their predecessors did. Josh is truly living his dream.
The next time you see someone on campus who just looks like he’s oozing plaid, you’ll know you’ve found Josh. Take a minute to say hello; he’s a cool guy whose heart is truly in the work.