Viking Reflections: Ohio National Guard member John Henry Posey ’16

It has always amazed me how we, as human beings, often seek to make our lives easier while at the same time enabling ourselves to do the work of God. I have come to realize that we live in a world where our cell phones are engineered to be smarter than the people that use them, and our political leaders have abandoned their duties to the people and cast aspersions on one another. When I saw angry mobs storming into our halls of policy and democracy, I felt that we were living in fear of those who share different political opinions and become unable to discern between radicals and docile followers. Times of divisiveness plague our society, and the feeling of animosity toward our fellow humans seems to be perpetuated by the very news outlets that are supposed to give us proper information about our world. 

It is times like this when I must remember that even when our lives are full of fear and ambiguity, we must listen closely to what God is trying to tell us. This is where my high school education plays a pivotal role.

I remember sitting in Mr. Raddell’s religion class my senior year as he explained to us how profoundly important it was to keep God close after we graduated high school and began our lives. I think about how Mr. Minadeo would tell us to always be prepared for tough times and to stay faithful. I think about how adamant Ms. Joseph was that we learn the history of our world to better understand our present. My education at VASJ was more than just learning to apply the skills needed to go to college or get a job; rather, it laid the foundation that one must have if one genuinely wants to live a life dedicated to doing the will of God. I think about the Kairos retreat, in which I was honored to be a participant and later a leader. I am reminded that there are moments when we must take some quiet time and listen to what God is trying to tell us.

This pandemic is a prime example of how unexpected life is. When I was a high school student, not once was I told that life was going to be easy because to walk with Jesus was never meant to be. Rather, it is far more rewarding than we can imagine to be Christlike and help our fellow man. Even after graduating college, I still feel like a Viking. In many ways, I never left.

Villa Angela-St. Joseph is a high school centered on Christian education, and it produces agents of change for this world. My high school education has equipped me not to conquer the world but rather embrace it as Jesus would have and leave it a little better than I found it. When I am asked if I miss high school, I always answer, “What’s not to miss?”

Upon graduating from Otterbein University in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, John Henry Posey ’16 served on state active duty orders with the National Guard in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then in September, he accepted the position of human resources and logistics technician for the Ohio National Guard. This is a dual status position with the military based out of Columbus, Ohio. With his studies that centered around ethics and communication, he plans to take his skills to the federal level, serving as an agent with the FBI or Secret Service as well as completing graduate studies.