Young Alumni Newsmaker: Joe Evans

Joe Evans graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering in the spring of 1999 and has since attained many of the goals that a lot of young Lehigh grads set. He bought a house (in Black River, N.Y.). He started a family (wife Natasha and son Matthew, born August 2001). He’s traveled the world (Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece, Germany, France, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq). He began pursuing advanced education (currently working toward a M.S. in aerospace engineering through a distance program at the University of Alabama).
Wait, did I write “Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq”?
Joe has accomplished many of the things that make for a proud alma mater; but he’s also accomplished many of the things that make for a proud country.
Since leaving South Mountain, Joe has quickly climbed in the ranks of the U.S. Army while constructing an impressive story. He graduated Army Ranger School in early 2000 and was soon deployed for a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. In Afghanistan, he trained and mentored soldiers from the Afghan National Army in combat. Soon after, he led his U.S. soldiers in combat in Iraq, earning the Army Bronze Star.
Lehigh has always enjoyed a strong military tradition, and even today, its Army ROTC program ranks among the top in the nation. Of Lehigh and of ROTC, Joe said, “My mechanical engineering degree and Lehigh’s ROTC program shaped who I am today as a person, a leader and a decision maker. They taught me the basics and developed the traits I have used successfully in training soldiers and fighting in the global war on terror.”
Lehigh is extremely proud of all of our service men and women. Drive-on Joe!