Academic Standout Overcomes Life Challenge to Shine

Josh Kramer, BBA ’12, never let an early diagnosis of Crohn's Disease stop him from living each day to the fullest.

Since age 12, Kramer learned to cope with the chronic inflammatory intestinal disease that was "horrible and a blessing," he says. Though coping with the disease on a daily basis is trying, he learned that nothing could truly stop him from achieving his goals.

Nothing did stop Kramer, a Carl H. Lindner Honors-PLUS scholar with a near-perfect GPA of 3.935, from achieving a great deal.

He used his writing talent and love of sports to create TheSportsKraze.com, a sports blog that earned him a national reputation for his opinions and analysis and later landed him a highly competitive summer job at ESPN.

As an accounting major, he's been an academic standout and leader in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, as well as at the university level. His campus involvement and academic achievement earned him much recognition, including Lindner College of Business Undergraduate Student of the Year.  

As an active member of the Lindner College of Business Tribunal, he served as vice president and president. As president, he increased membership, led a career fair and helped organize a Lindner College of Business Week for students.  He also served as the undergraduate student representative when the college searched for a new dean.

He concluded a tax co-op experience at Deloitte & Touche and traveled with the Lindner Honors-PLUS scholars in a five-week study-abroad global business trip that took him to France, England, Germany, Brussels and Switzerland.

At the university, Kramer has been active in Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, holding several offices and earning scholarships and awards. He has been a part of the Bearcast radio broadcast team as a sports anchor.

Kramer is a member of Student Alumni Council and served on the Orange Bowl Committee.  He also was a Homecoming King runner-up in 2011.

One of Kramer’s biggest contributions has been to NightWalk Safety Board.  He joined as a freshman and has been a mainstay of their organization and a stalwart volunteer, eventually serving as president.  As Kramer became more aware of issues surrounding the UC neighborhood, he took the next leadership step to join the Heights Community Council—and eventually was elected to vice president, working to make a difference in a safer environment surrounding the UC campus. 

He also continues to make time for other volunteer work at the American Cancer Society’s Colleges Against Cancer and Relay for Life and Goodwill Industries.

Judy Magazine, assistant director of the Lindner Honors-PLUS program, says Josh truly embodies the successful attributes of the Lindner Honors-PLUS program.

“Josh rarely discusses his condition, and I’ve never heard him complain about his illness or use it as an excuse,” Magazine says.  “Instead, Josh chooses to present with a positive attitude and a smile on his face.”