Student Profile
Wilson Josephson
When I first showed up at NMH, I was five foot ten and had 14 inches of hair. Now I’m six foot one and have a shaved head. But the changes in me since coming here completely transcend the physical.
I’ve been able to reach a deeper level of introspection and discover my own sense of spirituality and values. The religion courses are interesting for me because I don’t identify with a single religion. Each time I learn about new religions and philosophies, I take the bits that make sense to me and blend them together into my own spiritual milkshake.
I’ve expanded from caring solely about academics, with sports and the arts as afterthoughts, to having all three be equally prevalent. Steve Bathory-Peeler, my orchestra conductor, pushed me to learn how to play the bass clarinet in three months so I could play in the orchestra. I’m on the varsity water polo and swim teams, and my coach, Sneds (I call some teachers by nicknames; it’s all right with them as long as you understand that they deserve your respect just as you deserve theirs), has pushed me in the pool, literally and figuratively. When I need help, he’s there to provide advice and wisdom, which he has in excess.
Before I came to NMH, I was far and away at the top of my class without really having to put in effort. Here, effort is graded on a one-to-five scale, with one being “excellent” and five, “barely shows up.” When a teacher gives you a three for doing everything expected of you, you can be certain he means business. I’ve been asked to think so far out of the box that the box is no longer on my horizon, to ask questions even if they don’t have answers. NMH has allowed me to be all I can be, and then asked me to be a bit more.
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