Joshua Curran’s friends and family lovingly call him a “combat ballerina.” Not familiar with the term? Don’t worry, senior Josh will humbly explain his passions: he’s a member of the N.H. Army National Guard, an EMT and is also a professional ballet dancer and actor in musical theater productions.
Josh’s love for theater began in high school when he participated in his school’s productions. One summer, Josh had his own landscaping business and one of his clients was The Peterborough Players. He asked if he could watch the rehearsals as he worked, eventually auditioned, and participated in Saturday night Cabarets. When someone asked him why he was not pursuing acting as a career, he told them he was afraid of failing. He recalls it was in that moment he realized, “What’s the worst that could happen? Worst-case scenario, I change directions, best-case scenario, I do it!” Josh explains. “I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t jump into it.”
One of the required classes for Musical Theater majors, Josh’s major, is ballet. While taking the class, Josh discovered another passion that has led him to be a professional ballet dancer. He has worked for many companies in the New England area including, The Seacoast Repertory Theatre, Northeastern Ballet Theater, and Great Bay Academy of Dance.
In addition to his artistic pursuits, Josh is dedicated to helping others — something inspired by a high school wrestling coach who could often be heard reminding himself that, “It’s not about me” when mentoring his athletes. This mantra showed Josh how important it is to do things for others or “pay it forward,” he says. When asked what service means to him, Josh explained “Everybody has something going on in their life. No one should be looked down on because of it. With that understanding comes the idea of being able to embrace that and work together to accomplish the goals we want done. It’s the idea that it’s not about any of us individually, but if we pay it forward, we’ll all get it back.”
Working as an EMT was an easy step after becoming a certified medic in the National Guard. Josh got his EMT license in March of 2017 and began working at Peterborough Fire and Rescue. Not long after, he began picking up shifts with Lifeline Ambulance Co. This led to Josh taking on an EMT role at Durham’s McGregor Memorial EMS, which helped perpetuate his passion for giving back to his community.
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to infiltrate the U.S., and the UNH campus, Josh wasted no time in helping the local community. When UNH students were sent home in March 2020, Josh opted to stay on campus and pick up shifts with McGregor to help them as COVID-19 protocols were put in place and staffing became sporadic. UNH worked closely with McGregor to provide safety to those students staying on campus.
Josh continued in his role as a resident assistant on campus in the spring of 2020 after most students had returned home by volunteering to be one of two community assistants for UNH Housing, using the experience he had gained from being a resident assistant for two years prior. He helped coordinate housing, meals and other needs for those students who found themselves in quarantine or isolation. He also helped to plan logistics of students going to and from those quarantine and isolation dorms, making it as pleasant of an experience as possible for all involved.
During the summer, the National Guard began looking for members to help with COVID testing in southern New Hampshire. Once again, Josh jumped at the opportunity to help, but not before ensuring McGregor and the University had enough staff in place for him to take a step back.
His dedication to pursuing opportunities continues into the classroom where he has taken more classes than necessary for graduation, just to go after his interests with exuberance. As his nominator Raina Ames wrote, “I believe this is testament to how Josh is not just out to tick all the boxes, but he pursues all of his interests with zeal and focus.”
Balancing the variety of involvements while continuing to do well in his academic endeavors is thanks to the unwavering support of professors, supervisors, family, and friends. When asked how he balances it all, Josh’s response was “Understanding managers and communication”. Building those strong interpersonal connections with those around him is what helps Josh succeed in what he does.
Post-graduation plans pose a bit of an unknown; however, Josh hopes to move to New York City to continue his passions in theater and dance. Though he is leaving behind his roles in both the National Guard and as an EMT, Josh says, “I am very grateful for my time there. I am saying bye to two beloved careers but also I am moving on to things I like.”
