Name: Joshua Winans
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Utica, Ohio
Major: Nursing
We’ve heard that you are an active duty Marine, what is being a Marine like?
“Being a Marine is amazing and gives me a great feeling. It is a hard profession and lifestyle to be in but I haven’t regretted one minute of it even during the roughest of times.”
How long have you been in the military?
“I have been in since June, 2006. So, nine years and five months.”
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned while serving?
“The lessons are never ending but I have learned that the only limits are the limits I create for myself. Anything is possible, if you set yourself up to reaching a goal, it can be achieved with hard work.”
You are a full time student at Molloy College, how do you balance being a student with your other responsibilities?
“Actually being a student at Molloy College is my life, not responsiblity. I’m getting paid to go to school full time and my school is paid for by the government. All I have to do is maintain good grades and have three meetings a week with my unit and that is it. School is my everyday job, so, it is an awesome situation that I can concentrate on school.”
You are studying to be a nurse, why did you decide to do that?
“I’ve always wanted to be a pediatrican because I love kids. So I am doing the Nursing program and doing an inter service change from the Marines to the Navy Nursing Corps. While in the navy I can apply for a doctorate program to where the Navy will send me to medical school and it’ll all be paid for by the government.”
Being on duty must be hard knowing that at any moment you might get called in, how does that make you feel?
“Being in the military and especially in the Marine Corps, you make that mental decision and choice when you join. Any day, and at any moment you could be called to serve your country and ultimately die. It’s a lifestyle that Marines have to accept and being in for so long now I don’t think about it too much anymore. Some people cannot do what we do, but that is why there are people like Marines to do what others will not.”
What inspires you to keep on moving and pushing through the hard times?
“What inspires me is inspiring others. I want to be that inspiration to others to do more and achieve more than what they did yesterday. I try to do that through my everyday actions, and lifestyle of how I am and how I live. Also, being a Marine, what pushes us the most is knowing that there is another Marine relying on you to protect them and save their lives and you expect them to do the same.”
On behalf of everyone at Molloy College, we would like to thank you Staff Sergeant Joshua Winans for everything you’ve done for our country.