Josh Atcher

Director of Academic Advising & Student Support, Engineering Student Success Team
Biography

As a first-gen student myself, I really enjoy supporting other first-gen students as they navigate their own college journeys. I graduated from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa in 2012. Until my senior year at Cornell, I never really understood that I was a first-generation college student - neither of my parents went to college. My dad enlisted in the Air Force after graduation and my mom joined the workforce. We all were navigating new territory as I embarked on the college search process. There were so many things I didn't understand and therefore found myself tagging along on the coat-tails of my friends who had a little bit more knowledge. That is how I ended up going to Cornell - my best friend decided that is where she was going and I followed her there. I started as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major because I wanted go to medical school. My only basis for choosing that major was that I was going to be able to make good money and I enjoyed my Chemistry teacher in high school. During the first semester, I changed my major to Music Education because I really enjoyed my first formal music theory course and I loved to sing. Music had always been a major passion of mine. It wasn't until my junior year that I really had an in-depth conversation with a supportive staff member on campus about my interests and strengths. As I began student teaching, I realized that I really enjoyed performing but didn't feel passionate about teaching music. During my second year on campus, I served as a resident assistant in the residence halls. I really enjoyed building community and serving as a resource for residents on my floor. This is where I found my interests in working with college students. After becoming more involved with student life in my junior and senior year, I made the decision to pursue a masters degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Iowa. I completed that degree in 2014. Throughout my entire undergraduate experience, I was surrounded by friends who always seemed to know more than me or have their life together more than I did. They knew who to talk to and took advantage of resources that I didn't even know existed. There were so many days that I felt like an imposter - how did I even deserve to go to Cornell? How did everyone know what resources to use? How did others figure out how to navigate the system? Although any student can have these feelings, it is very common for first-generation students to find themselves asking the same questions I asked myself all those years ago. This is why I am passionate about supporting first-gen students on our campus - I want to be that supportive staff member that helped me find direction in my life and get connected to the next steps in my journey! Today, I serve as the Director of Academic Advising and Student Support in the College of Engineering. I have worked in the College of Engineering since I graduated with my masters degree in 2014. I enjoy the community in Engineering as it reminds me of the small college feel of Cornell. I married my husband, Mark, in 2016 and we adopted our son, Grayson, in February 2022. We have our hand full as Grayson enters toddler years! We have 3 pets - Zoey (15 year old shih-tsu), Lucy (5 year old cat), and our newest addition, Maggie (12 week old bernadoodle). We live in North Liberty, but find ourselves frequently traveling to spend time with my family in Marshalltown, Iowa or Mark's family in Winfield, Iowa. I love to sing, travel, binge-watch TV, and decorate for different seasons and holidays. Please reach out! I would love to connect!

Proud to be First-Gen Emblem
Unit
  • Engineering