County resident earns spot on college honors list

MADISON, S.D. — Bonners Ferry resident Joshua Frederico achieved recognition on the President’s Academic Honors List for the 2020 fall semester at Dakota State University (DSU).

Frederico achieved a GPA greater than 3.5 and was the only Idaho student at DSU to achieve the honor out of 572 full-time students who qualified for the President’s Honor’s list.

A challenge Frederico faced was constantly moving during his upbringing, but he's always felt Bonners Ferry is a special place.

"I can say Bonners Ferry is probably the nicest town I know of, and I wish I would have spent more time here when I was younger.” Frederico said.

Frederico often encountered many young people who were eager to leave Bonners Ferry, but stated that many people would wish to live in a place as beautiful as Bonners Ferry.

“To each their own and there are valid reasons to move on, but there’s really a lot to miss when you leave a place like this [Bonners Ferry]” Frederico optimistically said.

According to Frederico, he was homeschooled and that presented many obstacles to getting involved in sports and extra-curricular activities.

Just like many young adults, Frederico struggled in finding a clear-cut path for himself but once he figured out what he wanted to pursue academically, he made it happen.

“I’m very confident and excited about what I’m doing,” Frederico said.

Frederico currently works in construction and enjoys the rewarding work but acknowledged that the profession isn’t what he plans to pursue; he’s majoring in Cyber Operations with a minor in Information Systems.

One of the obstacles for Frederico was how challenging being homeschooled was, which became a driving force in Frederico working diligently to achieve academic success in college.

“I would say a big part of it [success] was the work ethic I was taught by my parents when I was growing up,” Frederico said. “Being discontent with less than excellence and being committed to working hard are convictions that drive me.”

Frederico doesn’t know exactly where he will work after college but has his eyes in the field of offensive cybersecurity; potential organizations Frederico is interested in include government agencies that have a need for these fields.

According to Frederico, anyone working hard toward a goal should keep at it and expect there to be hard times that try you as a person.

“The things that are most valuable in life take the most effort to achieve, so don’t quit when achieving your goal requires more of you thank you want to give,” Frederico said.

Last year saw hardships for Frederico, who fell off a 20-foot roof and crushed his left wrist at his construction job. Finals were taking place during that same week.

Frederico advises anyone going through a tough time to not give up, “I’d say hard is OK, but quitting is not, so when hard times come just keep going and you’ll be surprised what you can do.”

"Whatever I do, the glory is to God alone, and no matter how hard I work ultimately I rely on Him." Frederico stated.