Joshua Dontigney grew up in Wallingford where school never really clicked for him. After he graduated from Lyman Hall High School in 2019, college wasn’t on his radar, at least not seriously. He worked to save some money and see where life took him. In 2020, though impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Joshua enrolled at the former Gateway Community College in New Haven. He didn’t do well at first.

While trying to figure out if college was even the right place for him, Josh found himself watching documentaries and TV shows about prisons and police. What stuck with him was the question: Why do people struggle and end up here?

That question instilled something in him. Josh realized he had a thirst for understanding. He wanted to know more about systems, about justice, and maybe learn how to help fix the problems he saw on screen. He didn’t have a clear career path in mind, but he started setting goals.

Josh credits his mom for helping him believe he could achieve more. She offered support even when he didn’t know how to ask for it. His family doesn’t have much of a college background, and Josh wanted to help break that cycle. Education, he thought, could be the way forward.

By Fall 2023, after taking math and English prerequisites over the summer and inspired by the shows he used to watch, Josh began to focus on criminal justice while at CT State Middlesex. His first course was Intro to Criminal Justice, taught by Professor Rebecca Rist-Brown—a former police officer who didn’t sugarcoat the subject. Josh appreciated her honesty and found that refreshing.

However, just weeks into the semester, Josh faced a major setback. His car was stolen from right in front of his house, with all his textbooks inside. Frustrated, he wasn’t sure what to do. But when Professor Brown heard what happened, she immediately helped him apply for an emergency grant, ensuring he could replace his books and continue his studies. That small but significant act reminded Josh that people believed in him—even when things went wrong.

Each semester, Josh set new goals. One of the first was simple but ambitious: get all A’s. He pushed himself academically and looked for ways to get more involved. That’s when he learned about the Connecticut General Assembly’s legislative internship program, a competitive opportunity available to community colleges and university students in the state. Josh was hesitant—he wasn’t sure if he was ready for something that big—but political science professor Tad Lincoln, the program’s campus liaison, encouraged him to apply. With his support, he did, and Josh was accepted.

To receive academic credits from the internship, students enroll in two political science courses, Connecticut Legislature Studies and Connecticut Legislative Internship, each carrying three credits. These internship courses provide students with an intensive introduction to workings of the Connecticut General Assembly for two days each week, covering the legislative process, research methods, legislative monitoring techniques and constituent casework. They are assigned to legislators to assist in bill analysis and tracking, drafting news releases and speeches, among other duties.

From January to May 2025, Josh worked with State Senator Eric Berthel who represents Connecticut’s 32nd district.

“Josh is so down-to-earth, so curious, so open-minded and willing to learn, as well as someone who naturally encourages people to work together to improve things and make the world a better place. I knew he would get as much out of the legislative internship program as is possible,” said Professor Lincoln. “I was not surprised that he interviewed so well and was placed with a state senator, rather than a state representative, which is rare for a community college student.”

Josh lists his favorite class as American Government, an online course that helped him better understand the system he hopes to one day shape. He also enjoyed Criminal Procedures and Evidence and Forensics, both taught by Professor Rist-Brown. Her straightforward, no-nonsense approach helped Josh see law enforcement through a more balanced lens.

“There are times I dread grading writing assignments, so I avoid looking at names to stay objective. While grading my Intro to Criminal Justice class, one paper stood out—it was an exceptional analysis of whether the criminal justice system is broken. In 11 years of teaching this course, I hadn’t seen anything like it. The student author was Josh. I told him he was a fabulous writer, though he seemed surprised and felt he wrote too much. I told him to keep writing. From then on, I read his work first—his writing set the standard for the class and those that followed. I know that Josh is going to change politics through his writing,” said Professor Rist-Brown.

In May 2025, Josh graduated from Middlesex with dual associate degrees in criminology studies and political science studies. This fall, he’ll transfer to Quinnipiac University to major in political science, with his sights set on law school. His goal now? To become a lawyer specializing in civil rights and constitutional law.

This summer, Josh will be interning at the Department of Consumer Protection in the investigations division—another step forward in a journey he never imagined back in 2019.

Outside the classroom, Josh continues to challenge himself. He’s training for the Hartford Half Marathon this October and has taken up playing guitar. He’s even reading books for pleasure now—something he rarely did before college.

Reflecting on the journey so far, Josh is grateful to those who supported him—especially his mother, Professor Rist-Brown and Professor Lincoln. He’s also proud of himself. As a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and a student who made the dean’s list every semester, Josh has come a long way from the unsure teenager who barely made it through high school.

“I only have one life to live,” said Josh. “And I want to make the most of it.”

May 2025