WKU News

Justin Edwards-Page has been on top of his future since arriving at WKU’s Department of Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences in the fall of 2008. He just didn’t realize it until 2011.

“I like to tell people I was one floor away,” said Edwards-Page, who will receive his bachelor’s degree in Advanced Manufacturing at WKU’s 176th Commencement on Saturday morning (Dec. 13). “I had no idea. I was in the same department and didn’t know. Now I’m flourishing.”

WKU senior Justin Edwards-Page works in the advanced manufacturing lab at the Environmental Sciences and Technology Building. (WKU photo by Clinton Lewis)

The 2008 graduate of Louisville’s Southern High School was far from flourishing in early 2010 when he was struggling academically in the architecture program and was faced with telling his father, Michael, that he was out of the program and moving back home.

“I remember telling him that I have to sit out for a year,” Edwards-Page said. “He said, ‘Really? Well you can come home for a year and after a year you can go back to school, which is what I would do, or you can go try and make your way in the world but you’re not going to sit here.’ And that was pretty good encouragement.”

After sitting out the fall 2010 and spring 2011 semesters, Edwards-Page returned to WKU.

“I think I was really fortunate because I was able to go home to my family,” Edwards-Page said. “There was never a point where I thought, ‘Well you know I’m just done and I’ve tried it.’ I was always encouraged to go back and that was the plan.”

After returning to the department, a visit to the Advanced Manufacturing lab on the first floor of WKU’s Environmental Sciences and Technology Building changed everything for Edwards-Page.

“I knew I was close but not quite where I needed to be,” he said of his first few semesters in the department. “I actually spoke to one of the architectural faculty about it and he was helpful enough to point me to another faculty member who ended up taking me down one floor.

“So that’s why I like to tell people I was one floor away. They took me downstairs to the lab and I saw all the machines and tools that I had been using throughout high school. I was pretty sure I was in the right program then.”

When Edwards-Page walks across the Diddle Arena floor and shakes WKU President Gary Ransdell’s hand during Commencement, it’ll be proud moment for everyone in his family – including his family in the Department of Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences.

“He’s just a joy to be around in the classroom. He’s always willing to help, always wanting to go the extra mile to help other students and help in any way,” said Dr. Greg Arbuckle, chair of WKU’s Department of Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences. “He’s a once-in-a-lifetime student.”

With encouragement from his family and from faculty members in the department, Edwards-Page was determined to succeed in his return to school.

“His uniqueness is wanting to help everyone,” Dr. Arbuckle said. “He’s always willing to assist in laboratories, assist students who are struggling, assist faculty in anything he can do. He’s always involved.”

Edwards-Page is a student worker in the departmental office, has conducted research and presented his project at a national conference, is featured on an Ogden College bookmark and is already working on his graduate degree as part of WKU’s Joint Undergraduate Masters Program. He’s also active in intramural basketball leagues and the Christian Student Fellowship.

“Justin is the type of student that makes me glad I am an advisor and work directly with students,” said Dr. Bryan Reaka, associate professor. “Justin has not only done well but has excelled to a level of performance that is high enough to put him in the top five students I have ever had the privilege of working with. I would like to say this is why I spend long hours at work — to see young people realize their potential and succeed.”

During departmental student recruitment events and high school visits, Edwards-Page he isn’t afraid to tell high school students about overcoming his failures.

“He talks about his struggle,” Dr. Arbuckle said. “He talks about making sure you find the right career path. Make sure you find the right educational path for you. That college is about finding yourself and what it is you really are passionate about. That makes a real difference for students.”

“They have helped me out so much that I would do anything for them,” Edwards-Page said of assisting the AMS department. “They were more interested in my success than their department numbers. When I told them I was struggling, they didn’t hesitate to point me to other programs and gauge my interests. I firmly believe that even if the department I was looking for wasn’t within AMS that they still would have provided me a way of getting into whatever college I needed to be in whether it was Ogden College of Science & Engineering or not.”

Other than completing his master’s degree, Edwards-Page isn’t quite sure what’s next in his career. He worked last summer as a project manager during an internship for Kingsford Charcoal. “So that’s something I could see myself doing,” he said.

While a career in industry is possible, Dr. Arbuckle expects Edwards-Page will complete his doctorate and find a career in education. “He’s taught me more than I’ve ever taught him,” Dr. Arbuckle said.

More: WKU News Commencement preview; Commencement website

Contact: Architectural & Manufacturing Sciences, (270) 745-4207