Joshua Charles Woodard, from Chicago, Illinois, is an MIT senior majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in Mandarin Chinese. At Tsinghua, Woodard will earn a degree in politics, with a focus on comparative government. He plans a future career in diplomacy and public policy, with the goal of enacting effective strategies for social change.

Woodard’s dedication to social justice issues began prior to arriving at MIT. As a junior in high school, he applied for and was granted a Boeing Scholars Academy award to research Chicago’s gun violence and devise solutions. He then coordinated a city-wide brainstorming event between youth and government officials.

At MIT, Woodard has been a pivotal voice on issues of diversity and inclusion. As a student advisor on MIT President L. Rafael Reif’s Presidential Advisory Committee, he has provided guidance on important campus issues and policies ranging from diversity initiatives to the influence of the current political climate. Woodard has also demonstrated his leadership skills as co-chair of the student community and living group Chocolate City, and has been instrumental in increasing campus awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement and creating opportunities for dialogue.

Woodard participated in the Internationally Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) worldwide competition for synthetic biology, and he has interned in industrial design at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and HTC. He has also advocated to help local Boston high school students from underrepresented communities gain access to STEM experiences by co-founding the summer leadership program MIT BoSTEM Scholars Academy.

A talented artist and musician, Woodard has studied and performed Beijing Opera at the Shanghai Theater Academy in China, runs his own freelance photography business, JC Woodard Photography, and has performed on violin and viola with the MIT Jazz Band.

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