Following outstanding high school career, Whitehouse’s Josh Green heads to Air Force academy

Published 3:45 pm Friday, May 24, 2024

Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of stories highlighting graduating high school seniors in Smith County.

WHITEHOUSE — Graduation not only represents the end of high school but it also marks the beginning of newfound freedom.

“It’s going to be a big change,” said Whitehouse senior Josh Green. “I’m excited and nervous because I’m going to be on my own for the first time … but I’m ready to be an adult and venture out.”

Green said it is bittersweet to be graduating.

“I had a lot of fun at Whitehouse,” he said. “But I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Green, who is graduating third in his class, will be heading to the United States Air Force Academy in the fall.

“My brother went to West Point … and I applied to both places and I had a decision to make between the two,” Green said. “I wanted to set my own path, it’s a great school to go to and I wanted to do my own thing and not copy my brother.”

Green often looks up to his older brother, who is four years older.

“I’ve looked up to him since I was born,” he said. “Everything he’s done, I’m usually right behind him.”

Whether it was in the classrooms or on the football field, the mat, or the track, the standard of excellence has been instilled through his family.

“I think it probably starts really just growing up and watching my brother and sister go through high school and seeing what they did and then having like a goal and what I needed to do and what the expectation was growing up and then getting into high school,” he said.

“Athletically, I had a lot of things go well for me,” he said. “Highlights … would be getting to play football in a bunch of games, getting to wrestle a bunch and win a bunch of matches and kind of running on the track team … which I did all right in.”

In 2023, Green received the Best Preps Tyler award for football, then again in the wrestling category this year. The annual Tyler Morning Telegraph awards program recognizes the best and brightest student-athletes across East Texas who also contribute to their community through service.

Toward the end of his sophomore year, Green’s plans were set back when he tore his ACL. Still, he remained optimistic.

“It kind of set me off in a different trajectory than I had in mind,” he said. “But it taught me that I’m not always going to know what’s going to happen. So, I have to appreciate what I do and also at the same time, keep in mind that I can’t control what happens … so, I control what I can and do my best.”

On top of being athletically gifted, he also took some of the hardest classes he could.

“It was just standard in my house, to be honest,” Green said. “My brother and sister did it … so, it was kind of expected among my parents but I had the ability to do it. It was the standard to not just be focused on one thing but to be well rounded and do more.”

Through his advanced courses, he found an interest in chemistry.

“It was definitely my favorite subject. It’s probably a big part of my teacher, Miss Sarah,” Green said. “She’s such a huge help and really got me interested in chemistry and it’s actually going to be my major in college. I hope to go into the medical field but I’m not 100 percent sure right now. But I know God has a plan for me.”

While he isn’t sure of what his path will take him, he hopes to find the one that will lead him to orthopedic surgery.

“It’s … super competitive but to be able to be kind of close to sports — because you get a lot of athletes in orthopedic surgery — I think it would be a cool field to get into,” Green said. “I shadowed it through school and it was definitely my favorite thing to watch.”

Between his rigorous schedule of studying and sports, Green still makes time for his friends.

“Honestly, (hanging out with friends) is the No. 1 thing I do,” he said. “I like to be around people so I really like hanging out with my friends and just talking to people.”

While he sees his older brother and sister as role models for helping him set the pathways in high school, he credits his parents for giving him the push when he needed it most.

“I have to give a shoutout to my mom,” he said. “She’s always been there for me. She makes me do things that aren’t easy … same with my dad, he pushed me to do a lot of things but they were always beneficial … and I’m grateful to them.”

As a top-ranked student and athlete, Green looks for opportunities to not only be a leader but pushing himself to be better.

“Having to do all the homework, going to practices, matches and games and trying not to get behind … it was a challenge to not give in at times,” he said. “But having that determination and mental toughness to keep going, even when I didn’t want to at times, it’s all been worth it.”

Whitehouse’s graduation was moved to 7 p.m. Friday night but couldn’t continue past 20 minutes due to severe weather. It was rescheduled to 9 a.m. Saturday at the stadium.