A consummate student, Noah Carter seems to have the world at his fingertips as he pursues higher education at the University of Georgia.
Eastside High School graduate Noah Carter wants to use his past experience and academic acumen to further his studies at the University of Georgia this year and beyond. The college freshman already has post-secondary credits and workplace exposure under his belt to help in his engineering pursuits and wherever else his interests take him.
“My parents have been working in engineering-related fields my entire life,” Carter said. “I grew up with my dad looking at blueprints, and I thought it was interesting.”
Carter was a part of the STEM Institute—which focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—at the Newton College and Career Academy for all four years of high school. While there, he followed the engineering and computer science pathway.
“They came to my school and held a presentation,” Carter said, “and it definitely felt like a higher level of learning and more rigor.”
Those enrolled in the STEM Institute can follow an engineering or biotechnology pathway. Students take classes like drafting and design, 3-D modeling and analytics and various sciences, as well as typical high school courses like English, mathematics, social studies and world languages. At the NCCA, kids also can participate in various student-led organizations. “It’s different from a club,” Carter said. He chose to join the Technology Student Association, or TSA, where he held a local office each year as second vice president, vice president, president and treasurer. Furthermore, he also was a state-level officer as treasurer for one year.
“Noah is exceptional, and his peers will look up to his legacy for years to come.”
Ryan Allred
“We worked on projects throughout the year that culminated at five conferences,” Carter said. “I really enjoyed all of the personal interaction I received at the conferences.”
Students enter projects and make presentations to state and national conferences in areas like board game design, CAD architecture and leadership, just to name a few. They present them to state delegates and participate in various workshops to develop leadership and presentation skills, communication and technical readiness.
“Noah’s tenacity and dedication to the success of the Technology Student Association shows how passionate he is about the career and technical student organizations and the type of product students can become if you are willing to put in the work,” said Ryan Allred, engineering trainer at the NCCA. “Noah is exceptional, and his peers will look up to his legacy for years to come.”
While in high school, Carter also played soccer, joined the Future Business Leaders of America student organization and worked at City Pharmacy on The Square in downtown Covington.
“While participating in the Work-Based Learning program at NCCA, he demonstrated exceptional performance both in the classroom and at work. His dedication and outstanding contributions earned him the prestigious NCCA Associate of the Month award,” said Debra Lary, coordinator of Work-Based Learning for Newton County Schools. “Noah truly embodies the qualities of a well-rounded WBL student, constantly striving to improve himself through his inquisitive nature and relentless pursuit of excellence. He consistently sought out opportunities for growth, which fueled his continued success. In addition to his individual achievements, Noah was also a committed mentor to his peers, always eager to lend a hand and support others whenever possible.”
One of Carter’s primary focuses was being part of an information technology co-op at Nisshinbo Automotive Manufacturing in Covington through a WBL program. There, he worked on coding, presentations and communication software.
“It really taught me a lot of what boots on the ground looks like, working with software and processes for the factory, keeping track of devices and auditing and keeping things updated,” Carter said. “Security was important because they are an international company and have trade secrets and protections.”
Nisshinbo IT technician Noah Coady participated in the same program while he was in high school from 2016 to 2020 and helped supervise Carter during his tenure.
“He was very easy to work with. He was intuitive, and he took a lot of things into his own hands,” Coady said. “He managed to figure out a lot on his own and come up with his own methods for things.” Coady recommends students participate in real on-the-job learning so they can acquire soft skills and get ahead in the workforce before graduating high school. “It’s kind of nice being able to jump straight into work environments since you’ve built a lot of knowledge,” Coady said. “It’s nice to be able to do it from an early age so it gets ingrained in your head.”
Carter now studies at the University of Georgia, where he majors in management information systems and minors in computer science, so he can focus on business administration, computer science and data analysis. He does not yet know what career he wants, but he currently holds interests in technology sales, data analysis and cyber security. The 18-year-old hopes to discover other fields of study along the way.
“It’s all new to me,” Carter said. He also participated in college dual enrollment in high school through Georgia State University’s Newton County satellite and through Point University, which offered a professor at the NCCA. He works part-time at UGA but has no plans to take on any professional employment this year. “Everyone keeps telling me to enjoy your freshman summer. Then look at getting a real internship your sophomore summer. Then look at job offers your junior year.”
Carter enjoys the walkable lifestyle and local concerts Athens provides. While he originally wanted to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, he believes he found the right place for him.
“I came in with intent to transfer, but with new goals I’ve set for myself, I decided I want to stay,” he said. “Meeting new people has been really fun.”
Click here to read more stories by Michelle Floyd.
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