Joseph’s hometown felt like a “bubble” he was trapped in.

HCC helped him break free.

“It's like a whole different world there,” Joseph Clark said of his rural hometown. “I was afraid to leave. I didn’t know what life would look like for me outside of that bubble.”

Joseph grew up in Oak Hill, W.V., a small Appalachian town where the borders felt sealed in and people rarely dared to leave. His high school English teacher was also his manager at Dairy Queen. Although he excelled in school, he saw few examples of life beyond its borders.

“We weren't pushed to excel,” he recalled. “The majority of people just accepted that education was unaffordable and worthless.”

Even his family discouraged him from dreaming beyond the county line. Under his father’s influence, Joseph went into law enforcement at the age of 18. But even in uniform, he felt a lack of purpose. “I took a hard look at my surroundings. I knew deep down that this wasn't where I was going to thrive.”

Restless for something more, he spent every free moment researching his next move. “I would literally get on the treadmill, pull up YouTube on my phone, and search ‘How to move to a new city and be successful.’” He was prepared to live in his car if it came to that.

His exit plan took shape when he and Sydney, a close friend whom he would later marry, moved to Richmond together. While Sydney launched her career in finance, Joseph took on tedious, low-paying jobs like package handling at Staples. “It was physically and emotionally draining. It was destroying my mental health.”

After another move, this time to Sydney’s hometown of Frederick, the pressure finally boiled over. One night at dinner, Joseph admitted he needed a different kind of change. He shared a dream he’d buried for years – to go to college.

“I told her I wanted to challenge myself and make something of myself. I knew I had what it takes.”

She was on board from the first conversation. Her belief lit the spark, and two scholarships from the HCC Foundation fueled the flame. With both emotional and financial support, Joseph was finally able to step away from exhausting jobs to focus on his education and pursue a life that fulfills him.

As he studies fine arts at HCC, Joseph is charting a new path full of possibility. He hopes to help others find healing through art, and one day give back to students who face the same challenges he has.

Joseph thought the limits set by his hometown would define him. But with support from a community that invests in his future, he's proving just how far he can go.

Education changes lives.

Be the reason someone steps into their future.