Josh Gonzalez

“Army leader and MBA candidate combining curiosity, creativity, and character to drive meaningful impact”

Hometown: Fullerton, CA

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’ve traveled to 38 countries across 4 continents during 12 years of military service. Experiencing new cultures and connecting with amazing people has truly shaped my worldview.

Undergraduate School and Major: California State University, Fullerton: BA Criminal Justice

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: U.S. Army, Cyber Electromagnetic Warfare Officer (I am still on active duty)

What makes Seattle such a great place to earn an MBA?

Seattle blends world-class career opportunities with top-tier outdoor access. The city’s deep University of Washington Foster alumni network and major employers such as Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, REI, and more create an ideal professional environment. Outside the classroom, three national parks, year-round mountain sports, and a vibrant food scene make Seattle an incredible place to live and learn.

Aside from your location and classmates, what was the one key part of Washington Foster’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?

The small class size was critical for me. With a cohort of close to 100 students in the full-time class of 2027, I knew I’d have a great learning experience with consistent opportunities to engage with professors, teammates, and faculty in an enjoyable and responsive way. The Autumn quarter proved this to be true, with our core faculty being exceptionally engaging and responsive, both in the classroom and virtually, as we navigated challenging assignments.

What course, club or activity have you enjoyed the most so far at Washington Foster?

I truly enjoyed our Corporate Finance course in the first quarter. In my initial period in the MBA program, finance was a completely new language for me. Net Present Value, Free Cash Flows, and the Weighted Average Cost of Capital were foreign concepts. However, Professor Thomas Gilbert demonstrated an expert approach to teaching these critical concepts to the entire cohort while making our classes, especially case discussion days, fun. We all knew we had to come prepared with our A-Game every day, and while this was one of the most challenging ventures in my academic career, I learned an immense amount that I will undoubtedly carry forward.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

Leading over 100 Soldiers in critical missions throughout the world (Europe, South America, Asia, and the United States). Notably, in my last assignment, I had the honor of leading a top-1% globally ranked U.S. Army Recruiting Company in Southern California during a very challenging time, alongside some of the most talented and committed Officers and Noncommissioned Officers in the Army.

Describe your biggest achievement in the MBA program so far:

I’d consider serving on a phenomenal team that placed runner-up in the Full-time Class of 2027’s final integrated case competition to be my biggest achievement in the MBA program so far. Four months of team building, problem-solving, and having fun together prepared us to think outside the box with a unique perspective and present our case with confidence and enthusiasm to the professors, alumni judges, and our entire class. The final case competition offered no shortage of challenging work, and our cohort is full of exceptionally bright students, so it was an honor for our team to be considered among the best. Additionally, it was a significant honor to be voted as the leader of the quarter for Autumn 2025.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far?

My best memories as an MBA so far are centered around an amazing group of people at the Foster School of Business. From the day after I received an acceptance to the program, Max Getler (President of the Foster Veterans Association and Class of 2026) emailed, texted, and FaceTimed me to answer all my questions. I immediately felt like I belonged at Foster and vowed to pay it forward to continue to help others.

That opportunity came quickly in the first few weeks of school, when several of my international classmates looked to me for help moving into their apartments and navigating driving, U-Haul rentals, and package pickups. I truly appreciated the opportunity to help and make my classmates feel supported and comfortable in a new environment. Throughout the duration of the quarter, whether it was helping my teammates accomplish their goals, running to Gas Works Park, clearing obstacles at a Spartan Race, celebrating Diwali, cheering for the University of Washington Huskies at a “Sail-Gate” game, traveling to Atlanta with my Veteran classmates, walking through the Seattle Christmas market, or working through dynamic cases together, the people at Foster made the entire experience unforgettable.

DON’T MISS MEET THE WASHINGTON FOSTER MBA CLASS OF 2027

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