Featured Student: Joseph Mickley

• Year: Junior
• Major/Minor: History/Social Studies Certification
• Quirky Fact: I have lived in 9 states.
• Favorite Food/Drink to Get on Campus: Granola bar from the Blackburn vending machine
• Favorite Book/Movie/Podcast/TV Series: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
• Favorite Campus Event: Constitution Day

Q&A

Why did you choose Murray State? 

I spent my last few years of high school at Fort Campbell High, which is half an hour down the road. I knew for a long time that I wanted to be a history teacher, so when I started looking at universities in the area that had the programs I wanted, I found Murray State. They had the exact program I needed, as well as an ROTC program. It had everything. One of the main factors was the affordability of the university. Their motto was “Opportunity Afforded,” and that turned out to be true. I chose Murray State because, when I took the campus tours, it had a very small-town vibe. Growing up a military child, I lived exclusively in small towns my whole life, so something here just felt right. There’s one theater in town, there was a cute little roller skating rink (though it’s not open anymore), all my favorite restaurants, and extremely friendly people. Also, blue is my favorite color. 

Why did you choose your major?

Before I decided to be a history major, I wanted to be a police officer.  When I was a young kid, a police officer helped me, and I wanted to make other people feel the way I felt then: safe and cared about and helped. I liked helping people so I thought it would be a good way to do that. But the idea of majoring in history really came to me in eighth grade history class. We had this really big project to complete, and I was very familiar with the content because I was a lonely teenager with nothing better to do in his free time but study the material. There were other people who weren’t as strong in the area, so I tutored them after school and during school, just helping them piece together the material they needed. We all got good grades on our projects, and that was the first time I realized I really loved teaching history to other people. Throughout high school, anytime we would have to give a presentation in history, I would go all out — do all the extra stuff, spend all the extra time on it. It was fun to me. I genuinely enjoyed it. I’ve always enjoyed the topic of history itself, even without the teaching attached to it. The only thing I could ever see myself doing in the professional world is being a history instructor of some sort, so I guess it’s always been there.

Who have been your mentors?

Most of the professors I’ve had! I always strive to not disappoint them. I see them as professionals in their field by every stretch, and I try to work under their guidance. They know what it takes to succeed because they’ve succeeded in their field tremendously. I know that if there’s anything that they ask of me, it’s usually for a good reason because of that. They’re good mentor figures. 

My cadre in the ROTC program are also huge mentors for me. They show me what right looks like in the uniform and what goes into building a professional soldier and a good leader. 

My close friends don’t know it because I don’t ever tell them, but they’re mentors to me as well in certain ways. They bring out the best and worst in me at the same time, so I keep them around. 

Tell us about a few accomplishments relating to your time as a student at Murray State.

For the teaching aspect, a couple of years ago I was a water safety instructor which I coupled with my lifeguard job. A lot of that was teaching young children how to swim, how to not fear the water, teaching people how to improve their strokes, and working closely with people who were scared of the water. There were former water trauma victims who participated, and it was on me to teach them that there’s nothing to be afraid of, that they can take back that kind of control. That was the first real teaching breakthrough I really had. 

In terms of my work in the Department of History, I’m really proud of maintaining a 4.0 for all but one semester. I’ve taken my studies as seriously as I could. It wasn’t always easy, but I am proud of myself for working as hard as I have and being able to maintain that GPA because sometimes you can get lucky, but it takes work to maintain that consistency. 

As for teaching in the history ed program, I’ve gone on a handful of observations so far, during one of which I got to work with the students by leading a small tutor group. Seeing the looks on the students’ faces when something was clicking with them was a really cool feeling. Just kind of warms your insides and makes you feel a little bit happier. 

I also consider being a Featured Student as a big achievement! 

How have you balanced your time with your academics and the ROTC program?

It gets crazy at times, especially when I’m having to be a hundred different places all at once and managing a handful of different things. I’m not even the one in charge, but there’s still a lot to take care of. Like last night, for example. I didn’t get to start my schoolwork until 2:00am, and I had to be up by 5:00am today. It’s a lot of that, but it really helps having my friends and mentors around me. I look at them and know that they’re going through the same thing. We build off each other by knowing that we all can do this. It’s just about waking up and putting on your big boy pants and realizing that, if you don’t do it, nobody else is going to do it. That’s what I tell myself to keep myself moving forward and, at the end of the day, it’s not impossible, just tough. 

What are your plans after graduation?

I have two real courses of action after graduating, and my plans in part depend on how I do at summer training, which is a 31-day course at Fort Knox. If it goes very well, I’ll commission into the active duty component of the US Army. That is my hope and dream. I want to serve at least six years on the active side, full-time professional soldier. After that, I want to resign and then teach until I die. 

If I don’t commission active duty, I get to skip the professional soldier part and serve as an officer in the National Guard or the reserves, which will still be satisfying, but I’d rather do it full-time as much as I can. In addition to my National Guard work, I’d be teaching, once again, until I die. So either way, I’ll be putting this well-earned education to good use. I’d like to teach grades 9-12 United States history. 

What advice would you give a new student at Murray State?

It’s gonna get rough. If you care, it’s undoubtedly going to get hard. If you don’t care, it won’t make a difference to you. You came here for a reason, though. You obviously have aspirations and dreams, so don’t lose sight of them because the moment you do, your results are going to plummet and that’s not good for anybody. Just remember, ultimately, what your end goal is and that every day you can do something as little as reading a few pages out of your book or going to class when you don’t want to. Remember that what you’re doing is important. If you do fail at something, take it on the chin, learn from it, and carry on. 

“Joseph Mickley is a superb student and a great person.  He has taken several of my classes, and he has always been hard-working, respectful, and reliable.  He will be an outstanding officer when he completes the ROTC program at Murray State.”

-Dr. James Humphreys, Department of History faculty