Joshua Sprung
Intended Majors: Psychology and Political Science
Hometown: San Diego, California
What were you involved in during high school, and what did those experiences mean to you?
KEN, a Mexican Jewish youth movement, was the center of my growth throughout high school. Getting to design the curriculum for 300+ kids and lead weekly Sikkum reflections meant a lot to me because of the kids and the community we were building together. Beyond KEN, I played varsity baseball, worked at Shake Shack and Jersey Mike’s, volunteered at food drives and soup kitchens, competed in an international Jewish ethics debate program called Moot Beit Din, and spent a year tracing 12 generations of my Mexican Jewish genealogy for the Shorashim project. That last one was unexpectedly moving. I discovered a history I hadn’t fully known I was part of. Across all of it, I just kept finding myself drawn to things that connected me to people, whether that was my community, my teammates, my family’s past, or kids who needed someone to show up for them.
How did you know Butler was the right place for you?
Honestly, I knew pretty quickly. During my visit, something felt different than every other school I toured. I couldn’t fully explain it, but it was there. Even though it was rainy and grey out, the campus was beautiful and everyone around me seemed genuinely happy to be there, talking and laughing with each other like the weather didn’t matter. That stuck with me. I’ve always been drawn to tight-knit communities, and Butler felt like that from the moment I walked in. It felt like home.
What are you most excited to get involved with on campus?
I’m really excited about the sports culture at Butler. I’ve always been a college sports fan, and there’s something special about a school with that kind of energy and school spirit. Getting to be part of that is something I’ve looked forward to for a long time. Beyond that, I was drawn to the many clubs and community involvement opportunities Butler offers. A big part of who I am comes from how involved I was in high school, and I don’t want to lose that. Butler feels like a place where I can keep building that same kind of meaningful connection to the people and community around me.
What are you looking forward to most while being a student at Butler?
What excites me most about being a student at Butler is the classroom itself. The smaller class setting means I’ll actually get to know my professors and the people sitting next to me, not just as classmates but as real connections. That kind of environment is where I do my best and feel like myself.
How do you think Butler will help you grow as a person or student?
Leaving California for Indiana is probably the biggest step I’ve taken in my life so far. Being far from home will push me to be more self-sufficient in ways I haven’t before, and I think that’s a good thing. In high school, a lot of my involvement came naturally through the community I grew up in, but at Butler, I’ll get to choose what I care about without anyone guiding me. I think this is going to teach me a lot about who I actually am and want to become.
What are you planning to study, and what sparked your interest in that area?
I’m planning to study psychology and political science on the pre-law track. Law, debate, and politics have genuinely fascinated me for as long as I can remember, and the Moot Beit Din program solidified that. Arguing a case on an international stage using evidence and reasoning made me realize that’s the kind of work I want to do. A sense of fairness and justice has always been important to me, and I see law as the place where I can actually act on that. Psychology came from taking AP Psychology in high school and loving it more than I expected. Understanding the way people think and behave feels as important as knowing the law itself. The two feel connected in a way that makes sense to me.
What advice would you give to other students starting their college search?
Don’t make up your mind before you’ve done the work. I started my college search with ideas about where I wanted to go and what I wanted, and almost all of it changed by the end. That’s not a bad thing; it’s the process working. Universities that weren’t on my radar became serious options, and places I thought I would love didn’t feel right when I visited. My biggest piece of advice is to stay open and let yourself be surprised. Visit if you can, do the research, and don’t let an early gut feeling lock you into something before you’ve seen the full picture. The right place will make itself known, but only if you give it the chance to do so.