Growing up was sometimes hard for Josh Crocker ’22.
His dad worked in the Colorado coal mines. But, when Josh was 11 years old, the mines shut down, and his family had to move.
Josh and his parents tried moving to Arizona with family, but when that didn’t work out, they travelled to Maine to stay with friends. That also didn’t pan out.
So, Josh moved in with his grandmother in Monmouth, Maine. That wasn’t great, so he went back with his parents.
Josh and his parents were homeless for a couple of months until they were able to stay at the Ellsworth Homeless Shelter. Finally, they got a house in Franklin, Maine, and things start looking up.
Josh graduated from Sumner Memorial High School last year.
He’s always wanted to be a police officer, and he never thought about going to college until his high school teacher encouraged him to look into it. He chose Thomas College.
“I could have attended the University of Maine at Presque Isle for free, but I loved Thomas too much,” said Josh. “When I came to visit Thomas, I saw the community and knew it was for me.”
So far during his first semester at Thomas, Josh has participated in EDGE, has become part of the Cross Country team, and has made some great friends living in residence.
Josh is glad to have already had so much support at Thomas, especially since affording college is tough.
“Last year during my senior year of high school, my parents split up. My mom was not living here anymore – she was living in Tennessee, and my dad was living in Southwest Harbor,” he said. “My dad can’t financially pay for it, so it will be really hard for me to afford college.”
That’s why Josh was especially excited when the College provided him with a free laptop.
Each year, the College gives away four-year-old (replaced) laptops to students who do not have a working computer and who qualify for financial aid – starting with the entering class. This year, five new students received a laptop, including Josh.
“I very much appreciated it. It was such a great feeling,” said Josh. “One less thing to worry about.”