A Cowboy, Without Question
Searching for life on other planets, bettering life on this one.
Meet Josh Anadu.
Being a D1 track athlete, maintaining a near perfect GPA while majoring in environmental science and minoring in chemistry and geology is a tall order, but Honors College senior Josh Anadu stands above. When he’s not on the track or in the lab, he’s pushing to promote science literacy, as well as inclusivity in field research and recreational outdoor activities.
He creates accessible climate models to help people better understand climate change, has a YouTube channel dedicated to science education and is highly a sought after speaker. In 2020, he published an article about his own experiences dealing with racial discrimination from strangers while working an out-of-state field site. It caught the attention of university leaders across the country, and Josh continues to shed light on how barriers to inclusivity hamper educational opportunities for people of color.
“I knew these experiences were real for people of color working in the field,” he said. “Genuinely the number of people who told me that it resonated with them or that they enjoyed it shocked me. It was tough to hear, but I was also happy that things are being done so this happens to fewer people in the future. All I really want is for people to have an equal opportunity to do what they want to do in life.”
Josh immigrated as a child with his parents who left accomplished professional lives in Nigeria to open educational opportunities for their son in the United States. He credits them for instilling a strong work ethic in him, and at Oklahoma State University, he seized every opportunity he could. He has been named an OSU Senior of Significance and has been accepted into every grad program he’s applied to. Josh believes his motor has more to do with his success than anything, that and the support he found at OSU.
“I’ve had amazing advisors and opportunities coming here,” he said. “A lot of people invested in helping me do well and giving me the chance to push as hard as I want to. If I wanted to try something, they’d be there to help me out.”
After being named a 2020 Goldwater Scholar, Josh is looking to take his education to the next level, pursuing a Ph.D. with his heart set on studying the origins of terrestrial life and life on other planets, all while working to make our world a better place.
That’s how we build Cowboys.
WE ARE ALL COWBOYSHailing from all 50 states and 98 countries, we are united by the Cowboy Code.
- We end the day knowing we gave it everything we had
- We dream only as big as the sky
- We know challenges come with pain, but pain will not win
- We have a passion to do what's right, even when it's hard
- We stand for what matters, even if we stand alone
- We finish what we start
- Being a Cowboy isn't in our clothes, it's in our character