Josh Umland

Josh came to the University of Colorado Boulder from Denver, Colorado. Josh earned a major in Jewish Studies and was not only the valedictorian of his graduating 2013 class but also graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Department of History.

Josh's degree in Jewish Studies culminated in a Capstone project which focused on a close reading of 19th century thinker Max Nordau's Degeneration and the relation between Nordau's thought and his Zionist roots. Josh states, "Working in both the History and Jewish Studies departments on my honors thesis for history was absolutely fantastic, allowing for my project to take a larger scope than a capstone in Jewish Studies or honors thesis in History would allow for."

Beyond his coursework, Josh was highly involved on campus. In addition to being a member of the Jewish Studies Undergraduate Student Advisory Board, Josh served as the president of the Chabad Student Boardand also worked with Students for Israel.

While still a student at CU, Josh stated, "Coming from a very small Jewish high school, I felt really lost in a school the size of CU. Jewish Studies classes have offered smaller classes with what I believe to be some of the best faculty on campus. This has allowed for a real relationship to develop between the teachers and students that creates an even better classroom environment."

Josh recently received his EMT certification and is applying to medical school in order to become a physician. He has been coaching soccer and basketball at his former high school, Denver Jewish Day School.