CFNN Reporter: Sanaa House

When it comes to being a well rounded student, Josh Pirro checks all the boxes. Josh has been playing instruments for 7 years, plays lacrosse, and is currently the number one student in the senior class.

Josh was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida but moved when he was a toddler, to Stedman, North Carolina. Since he was a young kid, Josh has always been considered to be an amazing friend by many. He’s always been unapologetically himself, and makes it clear who he wants to be.

“My experience growing up was nice, it was kind of local, it wasn’t very urbanized, so I made a lot of strong connections that have carried me through my years,” said Pirro.

Josh has always had a lot on his plate. Between music, sports, and academics, he has a lot to think about. The pressure of being a top student, athlete, and musician has always been a lot on Josh, but the unwavering support from his family and friends has made him a big believer that he has a bright future ahead.

“My beliefs are just spreading hope and positivity, it hasn’t, I mean it’s been scary sometimes, because I feel life  I’ve has a lot of pressure sometimes and it feels like it weighs down on me, but I still just try to push through and look to god each day and that carries me through it,” said Pirro. 

We know Josh is a part of multiple extracurricular activities, but what are his interests? A better question would be, what isn’t he interested in? Ever since he was a kid, Josh has had a fascination with cars and his dad has taught him everything he knows. Josh even has his own silver BMW.

Josh also has a huge love for space, though he is not going into a field for it, he fell in love with the science behind it as a little kid, and the fact that we are little things in this big universe. 

“I hope that whether it’s through science or some other non-educational aspect, I can make an impact with my knowledge or discoveries to leave the world with something to remember me by,” said Pirro. 

Being at the top of your class, being a part of clubs, and doing a sport, can all give a student a lot of pressure to the point where they feel they are alone or being weighed down. From having late practices, to having loads of homework and assignments, to having to be at certain events, Josh has been battling these hardships with an iron fist. 

As far as academics go for Pirro, he has a 4.68 grade point average, making him number 1 in the class of 2025. He has been vigorously taking not 4, but 5 classes his senior year in order to become valedictorian. 

Last semester, he had AP Physics and AP Calculus, and band, but this is a light schedule for Josh. 

For this semester, he is taking Economics, AP chemistry, AP biology, AP literature, and AP physics. Most seniors take 2-3 easy classes to finish out their year, but Josh is determined to be valedictorian and go out with a bang.

From his freshman year to now, Josh has taken many different AP classes, juggling his time management with sports, school, and his extracurriculars, Pirro is making it to the end to prove that all these classes are worth it. 

“He typically leads his group, he’s also a really good critical thinker, so he  thinks differently than a lot of students in terms of, he really goes in depth on a topic and so he always brings a new perspective,” said Josh’s AP chemistry teacher, Ms. Roberts. 

After high school, Josh plans to go to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and study the field of biochemistry, putting his love for science into his passion for learning. 

“I’m really looking forward to it, I love the campus, I like the scenery, I like the history around the campus, I feel like my next four years will be really insightful and I’ll learn a lot and I’ll make a lot of friends and friendships, so I’m really looking forward to the next four years, plus I get to stay kind of close, I don’t have to travel far,” said Pirro. 

Other than his rigorous classes, Josh takes his effort to another level by doing a sport that is a great physical challenge, lacrosse. Pirro started as the manager for the boys lacrosse team his freshmen year, and found a love for the sport.

Pirro decided other than his busy schedule with academics, he wanted to change his outlook on lacrosse, by getting on the field. Josh soon joined his sophomore year, and has been playing, empowering younger students, and supporting the team ever since. 

“I think on the field, with us playing different positions and sometimes matching up against each other, because he plays offense and I play defense, he holds me accountable a lot and he helps me get better and work on small things that I don’t notice as a defender, but he does notice an attackman, so that’s always good,” said friend and teammate, Brandon Simpson.

When it comes to clubs in Josh’s high school career he has been through enough to label him as a flexible student, such as: freshmen mentoring, colts for christ, beta club, science academy, the Cape Fear band and ensembles and science olympiad. 

Josh Pirro has shown that his academics, his clubs, and his next goals after high school are in check.

He is an independent, hardworking student who has worked and produced a path for himself. He is an exceptional model student for anyone around him.