Josh is originally from California, but raised with his nine siblings primarily in Provo, Utah. Josh’s parents are both converts to the church who met at BYU. His father was from Guatemala, though he passed away when Josh was in high school. At home, the family spoke English, so it was not until Josh’s mission to Honduras and Belize that he learned Spanish, fell in love with the language, and eventually made the Spanish language central to his career as a linguist and teacher of Spanish. Josh has a PhD in Spanish linguistics and has taught Spanish language at all levels from high school Spanish to graduate courses in Spanish linguistics. Josh is currently teaching Spanish to high school aged heritage Spanish speakers (students who grew up speaking Spanish at home, but may not have studied Spanish at school), which is very rewarding.
Josh and his wife Laurie also met at BYU as musicians, both from musical families. They have three grown children: a straight daughter, a gay son, and the youngest non-binary. After much turmoil with the church arising from the conflict between LDS teaching and the reality of their LGBTQ children, Josh and Laurie felt compelled to distance themselves from the church. They have continued their spiritual journey and found a loving community in their local Reform Synagogue, where they are actively involved and contributing their love of music, scripture, and the Hebrew language. They currently live in Northern Illinois, about an hour from Chicago.