Student Profiles
Josh Van Goey
Josh Van Goey
Campus: IUPUI
SOAR a ‘Good Fit’
“It brought me out of my shell,” says sophomore Josh Van Goey about joining IUPUI’s Student Organization for Alumni Relations in January 2011 during his freshman year.
The South Bend, Ind., native heard about SOAR soon after arriving on the Indianapolis campus. Josh knew a few people on the executive board, and a good friend encouraged him to join.
“When I joined SOAR, I felt comfortable,” says Josh, who recalls being a quiet, shy high school student. “This is a good fit for me.”
Josh soon moved into more of a leadership role. He joined the marketing committee and helped with the IUPUI Top 100 dinner, an awards banquet that honors the top academic students.
That dinner — which featured plenty of interaction with alumni — led him to become SOAR’s vice president for alumni relations, a role he will serve in this school year.
“[The alumni] were really nice and interested in what the students had to say. I thought it was cool to sit down at dinner with the alumni.”
Josh is also part of the leadership putting on the IUPUI Regatta, a signature event for the campus.
“This will probably be the biggest mark I’ll make at IUPUI,” he says.
“SOAR is teaching me leadership and how to work with other students and alumni,” says Josh. “It’s like a big workshop.”
SOAR, Josh says, has propelled him into further campus involvement. He is the Honors College representative in the Undergraduate Student Government and the vice president of membership for both Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma.
Even though he is active in other organizations, he says, “[SOAR] is a great opportunity and one of the best organizations on campus.”
Just like his good friend recommended SOAR to him, Josh encourages students to get involved.
“Even if you are shy, try it. More than likely you will like it.”
