Pulled from class under the guise of showing a new student around, Binghamton High School senior Josiah Sierra instead found family, coaches, and administrators awaiting him in the school’s guidance office.
“I thought ‘something’s up, something’s up,’” Josiah said. “My brother asked me if I was going to school Friday, my coach kept looking at me weird, I got pulled into my guidance counselor’s office and she asked if I could help a student, I asked my teacher for a pass and he said ‘wait until 10:00.’ Then I got here and I wasn’t expecting this.”
The group had gathered to share some special news with Josiah: he had been selected as the recipient of the prestigious Patriot Scholarship. For more than 30 years, an anonymous family has funded the $10,000 award which is given to a graduating senior who is ranked in the top 100 students in their class, demonstrates good attendance, and has made positive contributions to their school. Josiah credits his success to a philosophy he established for himself.
“I am who I surround myself with. When I was in middle school and even early on in high school, I didn’t surround myself with people who were good for me. I’ve just been surrounding myself with others who do good and have a more positive attitude because I believe that it reflects directly on to you. I just try to live by that and it’s something that works for me,” Josiah added.
Josiah is a high honor roll student at Binghamton High School, enrolled in several IB and AP courses, and is a member of Key Club. He is also a varsity runner on the cross country and track and field teams which he says has helped him grow as a person.
“I used to run away from my problems mentally, and joining a sport helped me deal with my problems,” Josiah said. “When you’re running and there’s no one near you it’s a purely mental game; the thoughts in the back of your head start to rise to the surface and you’re forced to have those hard conversations with yourself. I think running alone has helped me reflect a lot and helped me pick apart my problems and find a solution for them.”
(Josiah with his track coaches)
His attitude and work ethic are evident, according to both his guidance counselor and coach. They say these traits are what helped him win this year’s Patriot Scholarship and will help him find success in his future as well.
“He is self-motivated; he reaches out to adults and asks a lot of questions about things so he can make the best decisions to prepare to reach his goals. He takes responsibility for his own future,” said Andrea Kramarczyk, Josiah’s guidance counselor.
“There’s the talent, the physical talent, then there’s also his drive that puts him in the top 1%, maybe less, that I’ve coached,” said Binghamton track coach David Cody. “His skills as a communicator, his resilience, his drive, he’s smart, how he’s dealt with adversity, the positive impact he has on those around him – he’s absolutely determined to do his best.”
Josiah hopes to continue his athletic career at the University at Albany where he wants to focus on a health-related major.