Josh Mack may be new to his role as the Pride Resource Center’s assistant director, but he is not new to Colorado State University.
Formerly advising students in the Community for Excellence program, Mack is passionate about helping students find their voice and taking student input to let them mold the systems that assist them.
“I’m passionate about centering the student voice,” Mack said. “We’re making a lot of decisions and leading students and guiding them, but we really want to ensure that their voice and their perspectives are at the forefront of everything that we’re doing.”
Originally studying audiology, thinking he would be assisting people with their hearing aids, Mack took a major career change when he entered the field of mentorship and higher education.
He changed focus and graduated with a degree in communication sciences and disorders from Baylor University as well as earning a Master of Science in educational administration from Texas A&M University. It was in this grad program that Mack fell in love with student work.
“While I was in grad school, I got to do a lot of research and writing and support for LGBTQ+ students,” Mack said. “I was working with the pride center there, doing some mentoring work, and that’s kind of when I really fell in love with student work.”
Since day one, Mack’s new role as assistant director has been fast-paced, attending events like Denver Pride and learning the ins and outs of his new position.
“I actually got to start my first day in the role on June 1,” Mack said. “It was on the first day of Pride Month, so that felt super poetic to be able to kick off Pride Month in a new position with the Pride Center.”
“I realized in that moment that coming out is not just a one-time thing. You don’t just come out and it’s fireworks and rainbows everywhere; it’s still an ongoing journey.” -Josh Mack, Pride Resource Center assistant director
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Mack is also familiar with how complex and unique each person’s journey with identity can be.
“I came out towards the end of my college journey,” Mack said. “(I) definitely know what it’s like to navigate the college experience trying to figure out and still develop your sense of self and your identity.”
Mack’s familiarity with all of the questions and experiences that go with coming to terms with your identity in college has made him more equipped for the job.
“I realized in that moment that coming out is not just a one-time thing,” Mack said. “You don’t just come out and it’s fireworks and rainbows everywhere; it’s still an ongoing journey.”
“I think that’s something that I brought into this position is knowing that with queerness and with our community, we kind of have to meet students where they are,” Mack said.
The Pride Center celebrates Coming into Queerness Day as their version of National Coming Out Day to reflect how different identity can be for individuals. Some never feel the need to come out — they are themselves first and foremost — while for others, the coming out process is a pinnacle part of stepping into their queerness.
“We’re going to have students here that are ready to fully embrace their queerness and ready to do all the things, and we still have students that aren’t quite sure yet,” Mack said.
Beyond being well prepared to serve the queer community at CSU, Mack is a nature lover who is incredibly excited to take to Colorado’s great outdoors, hiking and kayaking his way through the state.
Being from the incredibly diverse city of Houston, Mack loves trying new cuisines and considers himself a foodie.
“I really appreciate diversity and trying out new foods and new cultures,” Mack said. “ So I’m always trying to find new restaurants and try out different places to eat and different types of food.”
A foodie, a nature lover and an advocate, Mack hopes he can help students realize that they do have support on campus — people who will have their backs and take their feedback as well as support them.
“You don’t have to be fully into your queerness to come into our center,” Mack said. “You don’t have to be queer at all to come into our center; our space is really just a spot for students to come and learn and grow and be themselves.”
Reach Ivy Secrest at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @IvySecrest.