Foster Spotlight: Josh Anderson
Meet Josh! Born and raised in Las Vegas, Josh Anderson is what we affectionately refer to as a “Double Dawg,” having attended UW for both undergraduate and graduate school. Before Foster, he worked in quality assurance as a test engineer for Emulex Corporation and Fluke Corporation. Josh is the 2016-17 Foster MBAA president, and when he’s not busy with those duties or class, you can find him walking the streets of Ballard with his dog, Bowler.
Why did you decide to go to business school? Working in factories made me really curious about how much we charge for products, how much it costs to build products, and how complex the manufacturing process has become because of globalization, outsourcing, etc. I realized that I loved talking about the companies and their strategies more than about the products that they were making. I enjoyed being an engineer, but I enjoyed it more as a hobby than a day-to-day job. That’s when I realized I should get an MBA.
What’s your favorite thing about living in Seattle? Originally it was the local music scene, but now it’s more than that. The laid-back yet really intelligent atmosphere vibes well with me, and it’s grown to be home over the past 12 years. I actually had to move away for two years because of a job, and it killed me. On a whim, I just quit my job and moved back here because I just missed the town so much.
Why did you choose Foster? I have a friend who is a year above me, and I learned about the program from her. Foster seemed to be a “roll up your sleeves” and “get to work” program with really great people which is what I wanted. And, I’m happy to say, I have found that all to be true. The people in our class are amazing: friendly, happy to help out, and eager to work hard. I’m just thrilled with the school and will be sad the day I graduate.
What’s the MBAA? The Foster MBA Association manages and monitors the issues that matter most to our student body –diversity, international student affairs, career services, academic affairs, etc.—as well as coordinates large scale social events such as graduation. We have 12 vice presidents who focus on a specific interest, and 3 senior VPs, with myself, who manage and coordinate the 22 clubs, the budget, etc.
Why did you decide to get involved? When I joined the program, I knew that I wanted to throw myself into it and get really involved. I decided to run for a first year representative position, which is a voting member of the MBAA. This exposed me to a bit of everything and was a great opportunity to be a spokesperson for the class. I loved this experience, so I decided to run for president to continue working for the class in this capacity.
Favorite class at Foster? Finance. Professor Gilbert is a very serious guy who takes his work very seriously, but at the same time, he has no qualms about having a great time while doing it. I really appreciate that. He holds people to a high standard.
Favorite activity so far? The Whistler trip! (Every year after Fall Quarter finals, students take a group trip to Whistler, B.C. to celebrate the end of the quarter and kick off the winter break.) I spearheaded a trip to a Scandinavian bathhouse while there, and I found myself at this amazing spa, sitting in the middle of the woods, snow falling all around, in complete silence. They actually made you sign a no-talking agreement! It was an amazing way to decompress from the Quarter, and the whole trip was a great experience with my classmates.
If Foster had a school song, what would it be? “Walkabout” by Atlas Sound. The opening lyrics of “What did you want to see? What did you want to be when you grew up?” really speak to the opportunities at Foster, and that the door is wide open for you to do something totally different. You just need to work for it. The rest of the lyrics talk of taking a leap and not looking back, “To go ahead and change your life without regard to what is said”. When you walk into Foster you are making a decision to change your life and dedicate yourself to becoming a better leader.
