Joshua Watts came to Wichita State from Oklahoma City because he was impressed with the university’s facilities and amenities.  

Joshua is one of more than 2,400 students eligible for spring 2022 graduation. Learn more about his time at Wichita State and what is next for the grad.

Oklahoma City

Information Technology and Management Information Systems 

There were a few different factors that influenced my decision to attend WSU.

• Scholarship Opportunities:I’m the 2018-2019 Clay Barton Scholarship Recipient. It is an honor and privilege to carry that title and have the financial burden of college alleviated.  
• The affordable cost of tuition:I’m an out-of-state student from Oklahoma City. The Shocker City Partnership made WSU an easy pick. 
• Lots of amenities and campus innovations:WSU’s campus amenities are pretty much unmatched. The flats and suites are definitely some of the nicest campus housing around. The new Woolsey Hall, engineering building, and Innovation Campus are huge developments. I spent a lot of time at the new Steve Clark YMCA, the creative media labs over at Shocker Studios, and grabbing food at Shocker Dining, the RSC, or the Groundhouse.  

I’m feeling confident and excited for the future! I believe my time at WSU has enabled me to build a dynamic skillset and strong foundation to be successful in my career path.  

My biggest challenge was finding a good school-work-life balance. Thankfully I had a lot of help from the different campus resources and student success teams.  

What has been your most helpful learning experience at Wichita State? 

Working with the Office of Career and Professional Development was extremely helpful in my time here at WSU. They provided so many resources, workshops, networking opportunities, internships, and jobs. I’m extremely thankful for the Shocker Career Accelerator and Professional Edge Program. 

I plan to continue developing my business Watt-age working as an independent contractor for live events and in logistics and business development and consulting.

The pandemic really tested my abilities to battle adversity and be resilient. Facing challenges such as switching from classrooms to Zoom calls, entire industries of work coming to a complete stop, moving multiple times, and mental and physical health. 

There will always be an excuse for you to keep waiting for the perfect set of circumstances to appear in your life. If you are going to be a dream-chaser, start chasing your dreams now.