Joshua Sutton, the Robert Gates-Muller Family Outstanding Student Awardee, is recognized during commencement.
Joshua Sutton
After serving for six years in the U.S. Army as a crew chief and flight engineer on Chinook helicopters, Sutton enrolled as an undergraduate student at Texas A&M. When he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in food science and technology and a minor in business administration from Texas A&M, he joined two of his siblings as first-generation college graduates. His nominator described his “leadership, dedication and motivation to assist others” as a key to success for countless student veterans.
“Josh brought ‘real world’ perspective to college and has engaged in a multitude of opportunities to expand his horizons…his military experience served as a springboard for his success at Texas A&M,” his nominator noted. “He understands the time commitment to do a job first class.”
Sutton joined the Corps of Cadets’ Delta Company and, as an upperclassman, served as both the company’s first sergeant and commander. He was selected for the Ross Volunteer Company, the Corps’ oldest special unit, which acts as the honor guard for the governor of Texas, among other ceremonial and charitable services. As a staff member with the General O.R. Simpson Corps of Cadets Honor Society, Sutton also enjoyed coordinating academic support services for cadets.
The GI Bill, which provides educational assistance to service members, veterans and their dependents, was the reason Sutton joined the military. Consequently, as his military career wound down, he enthusiastically began exploring his academic options. Eventually, he narrowed his preferences to three universities: Texas A&M, Penn State and the University of Maryland. Both of his siblings earned degrees from Penn State, the university nearest his hometown, so it seemed this most likely choice—until he learned about the veteran benefits for Aggies.
“The veterans’ benefits set Texas A&M apart from the other universities…the ease of information about the GI Bill and other veterans’ benefits drew me here,” Sutton said. “And as it turned out, it was the right place for me.”
While Sutton had already learned to balance his work in the military with the joys of family life, he found the transition from his military mentality to an academic state of mind challenging. Although he did not initially plan to join the Corps of Cadets, he changed his mind with encouragement from his wife and others, and his decision proved beneficial. He established instant connections with several other married veterans in the Delta Company.
“We were in similar situations…we shared that familiarity, and we helped each other out,” Sutton said. “I thought I’d never wear a uniform again when I started college, and I ended up wearing one for another four years.”
Throughout the university’s history, especially after World War II, veterans have returned from service as representatives of their branches of the military and as resources for other cadets, Sutton explained. He described sharing knowledge gained during active military duty and mentoring other cadets and students through the Corps and the Ross Volunteer Co. as some of the most rewarding experiences during his time at Texas A&M.
“They can learn what to expect if they choose to continue careers in the military,” Sutton said. “I was proud to be part of the long history and tradition of the Corps…to help it continue so others could be proud cadets…and I liked that I was given more responsibility each year.”
Sutton’s campus involvement was not confined to the Corps or the classroom. He was an Aggie Fish Camp counselor, a project manager for the Big Event and a student ambassador for the Texas A&M Foundation Maroon Coats. He earned the Buck Weirus Spirit Award, the Texas A&M Foundation Board of Trustees Outstanding Student Award, and the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Senior Merit Award. He acquired several academic scholarships as well as internships with the Spoetzl Brewery and the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, which also helped him to weather the financial struggles of being a full-time student and husband.
“From observing Josh in class and conversations with him over the years, I have come to know him as a man who is courageous in setting high standards and tenacious in achieving them,” his nominator said. “Josh possesses a vibrant intellectual curiosity that leads him to explore a broad range of topics, and as a result, he is a stimulating conversationalist who presents his ideas forthrightly while remaining open to others’ points of view.”
Sutton finds inspiration in food, and he is beginning a position as an associate product development manager for H-E-B at the corporate headquarters in San Antonio. The $5,000 financial gift that accompanied his award is helping him to make the move.
“I love cooking and creating things…it combines the best of everything in life…chemistry, science and food, so it made sense that I pursued a food science degree,” Sutton said. “My interests are perfectly in line with my new product development job.”
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Media contact: Annabelle Aymond, Program Coordinator for LAUNCH: Undergraduate Research, (979) 458-0039 or annabelle.aymond@tamu.edu, or Elena Watts, Division of Marketing & Communications, at (979) 458-8412 or elenaw@tamu.edu.
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