Senior Spotlight: Josiah Chapman, Penn State Mont Alto
Welcome to our Senior (and Sophomore) Spotlight series. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the PSUAC had to cancel its fall and winter sport seasons. This prevented several student-athletes from receiving a proper senior day and minimized opportunities for Player of the Week awards. In its place, we will highlight seniors from around the conference throughout the remainder of the semester.
See more Senior Spotlight highlights on our Twitter (@psuac) and Instagram (psuac)!
Name: Josiah Chapman
Campus: Mont Alto
Primary Sport: Men's Soccer
Primary Position(s): Midfield
Hometown: Harrisburg, PA
High School: Homeschooled
Major: Forestry
Academic Achievements: Two Dean's list recognitions, high academic achievement in forestry, PSUAC All-Academic
How did your Penn State education prepare you for life after graduation? Penn state Mont Alto was the perfect place for me to learn and grow. My professors were very knowledgeable, and my fellow students were smart and eager to learn. My education from PSU MA has put me on a path to fulfil my career goals.
How do you hope to be remembered by teammates and coaches? I hope that I will always be remembered as the guy who was always upbeat, ready to encourage his teammates; but could be counted on to play at a high level, game after game.
What is your favorite memory from playing your sport at Penn State? My favorite memory was scoring my first goal for PSU MA, my celebration will go down in the history of our team
What is the best advice you ever received from a coach or teammate that you would share with other student-athletes? The advice that sticks out to me was from one of my teammates. One day, I asked him how I completed a special move, and his reply really made me think. He smirked and said, "I'm built different.". Sometimes you have to just work so hard and so long, that you feel you're built different then everyone on the field.
What are you most looking forward to post graduation? Or in your transition to University Park (or other campus) to finish your degree? I'm looking forward to getting married to my fiance, and finding an amazing job!
What are some of the tools or skills that you learned through all the years of playing your sport that you plan to instill once you enter the workforce? Dogged determination, hard work and the taste of success. These things will always help me meet my goals.
What impact did athletics have on your experience as a college student? What is your favorite memory outside of athletics during your time as a student-athlete? Having games and practices every week forced me to become a good scheduler of my time. This helped me finish projects early, instead of procrastinating. My favorite memory is not specific. Instead, it is all the time spent with my fellow forestry guys. Whether we were working on a project, or trying not to run over each other with heavy machinery, we always had a great time.
Please use this space to thank anyone you wish to acknowledge for their support during your academic and athletic career. First, I would like to thank my fiance, Kaylin. She helped me study, ran with me to train for soccer, and constantly encouraged me. If you're reading this babe, I love you. Next, my parents and brother were always there for me. I drove home every weekend to work, but more importantly, to hang out with my family. No matter what I was going through, my parents were always looking out for my best interest.