When graduating senior Joshua Copeland transferred to CSUSM from Saddleback College, he longed to leave his alma mater with the reputation of a runner, but to his surprise, he found a new love along the way.

As a freshman, Copeland attended Saddleback College for a year before transferring to Palomar College for two years, earning his associate’s degree in Communication.

It was at Palomar that Copeland found his passion for writing. After his time at Palomar, he has attended CSUSM for the past two years.

In terms of immediate plans after graduation, Copeland plans on attending graduate school and earning a Master’s degree in either Communications or Journalism. After that, he wants to get his Ph.D. in Cultural Studies.

His long term career goals include owning his own copywriting business and writing sales letters and marketing campaigns. Ultimately, Copeland said he “wishes to write books, articles and journals that are going to improve my community and help lead others to better lives.”

When first attending CSUSM, Copeland came across the campus wide quote, “leave your mark,” and he has aspired to do just that during his time here as a Cougar. Initially, Copeland said he planned on leaving his mark by running track until he realized that it was through writing that he would best leave a lasting impression.

Copeland has been writing for The Cougar Chronicle since January 2014. He moved up quickly from staff writer to Opinion Editor due to his passion for equality, social justice and inclusive dialogue.

Copeland said his experience being the Opinion Editor has helped him discover opportunities he never thought were possible.

“Now I can say that I left more marks than one,” Copeland said. “I just hope that I’ve encouraged others to do the same.”
Through his leadership he has inspired many staff writers to step outside of their comfort zones and achieve successes in their writing that seemed unattainable.

His passion to always push the boundaries of writing comes across in his concise, thought provoking and powerful writing. He is always open to new ideas and anything that will help the Opinion section reach its fullest potential.

During his time at CSUSM and at The Cougar Chronicle, Copeland has left a lasting mark with his dedication, passion and talent. He will be saying his final goodbyes this month.

Congratulations, Josh! We are so proud of all of your achievements and look forward to seeing how you and your writing take the world by storm in the future.