U.S. Congressman Derek Schmidt (R-KS; left) and Josh Young (right) when he was awarded the Kosovo Campaign Medal.  (Photo provided by: Josh Young)

Josh Young served 14 years as military police in the Air Force. When he retired in 2012 due to PTSD, he used his Veterans Affairs (VA) educational benefits to go into higher education for the first time.

“I’m from Kansas City originally. I’m like a fifth generation KC, Kansas. So even growing up, I knew about JCCC,” Young said. “I went away in the service from 1998 to 2012. Then I got out. And came back home and I didn’t know what to do, so I took like a whole year off. But then I had, you know, educational benefits just sitting there waiting to be used. So I figured, I lived in the Overland Park area at the time, so I said, well, I’ll just start going to school at JCCC.”

Going to college for the first time at 35 was a little daunting, but Young credits the JCCC Veteran and Military Student Resource Center for helping him through the process.

“The Veteran’s Office, they were phenomenal then, and I’m sure they’re just even better now, but they helped me out with the process because I had never enrolled in college,” Young declared. “I took classes when I was in the military, but they were like military classes. But I’ve never taken civilian classes at all. So it was kind of intimidating even for a combat vet who’s been through a lot. Trying to go to college, it was very intimidating to me, but they helped me out.” 

Young started taking college credits at JCCC in 2013, without really knowing which field he wanted to go into.

“I could have started at the University of Kansas straight away, but I thought I’ll start small, knock out all the general electives,” Young said. “And then once I started getting a few classes, I took the Introduction to Social Work class, that’s what got me thinking about going to KU for social work.” 

He credits a very special teacher for helping him discover his interest for social work.

“I’ve always been a helpful person,” Young declared. “I always liked helping people. Being a cop in the military, I consider that a helpful position. But when I met, her name is Carla Vause, she was a licensed clinical social worker. She just came in and had the Intro to Social Work class for those of us that were even interested in it or thinking about it. She would tell us all about it. She sent us on, like, field trips and real-world experiences. And she was just an awesome lady. Unfortunately, I found out she passed away a year or two ago. But yeah, Carla Vause, she was the main factor.” 

Young graduated from JCCC in 2016, and transferred to KU, where he got his Bachelor’s degree in social work in 2018. In 2020, he got his Master’s in social work from Park University. Today he is getting his Doctorate of Education with a concentration in organizational leadership at Rockhurst University.

“The VA, they realized they made a mistake because I used the VR and E, Veteran’s Readiness and Employment, program while I was here [at JCCC], which is because I’m ‘disabled’,” Young said. “So that opens you up to the VR and E. The VA said they used the wrong set of money. So they reinstated all my benefits. So a couple of years ago I got the notice that I had four years worth of benefits left. So I didn’t want them to go to waste. So I decided to go to Rockhurst and get my Doctorate in Education.”

Between his degrees, Young worked at a veterans’ hotline. 

“I went to work for the Veterans crisis line, which was a telework job at my house and the intellectual side of me said ‘Well, I can help fellow vets with their PTSD issues while not being affected myself,’” Young said. “But after six months of doing that job, I realized it was starting to affect me even though I tried not to have it affect me, so I stopped that job.”

Even though this experience affected him, Young, who calls himself a “professional student” still wants to help his fellow veterans after he graduates. 

“My ultimate goal is to help veterans. When you’re in social work and you get your Bachelor’s and your Master’s, you do practicing, like an internship and both of mine were with veterans organizations,” Young declared. “And that’s when I found that I really love helping fellow vets, and that’s where I get my most joy. And I think that’s my life calling. So hopefully when I get my Doctorate of Education, I’m hoping I can use that and get into a career with the VA or  like the Department of Air Force, because I miss being around veterans. And I just miss helping fellow veterans. That’s the end goal, is to get a job where I can help veterans.” 

Young has a message to share with others. 

“Mainly just let people know that no matter where you start out, you can start out being dirt poor,” Young said. “As long as you make the proper life choices and have a positive attitude and just stay focused and do whatever [it takes]. This is a great country and a lot of times it takes people from other countries to come here to realize it. So just let people know that America is a good country and take advantage while you can. You can accomplish whatever you want in this world as long as you stay focused and make great choices.” 

Young will graduate with his Doctorate of Education in May 2026.