Meet Noah Smith, Stamps Scholar

Name: Noah Smith
Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.
Major: Chemical Engineering
Graduation Year: 2021

Why did you choose to attend LSU?
I thoroughly enjoy the culture in Louisiana, and I have many opportunities to grow as an adult living this far from home. The distance was another factor in my decision; I wanted to live somewhere that I could be my own person, far away from my life before college.

What extracurricular programs are you involved in?
I am a brother of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. I am a member of the Programming, Support and Initiatives Fund board; University College for Freshman Year; and Freshman Leadership Council. Additionally, I participate in the Engineering without Borders at LSU, and I work in a chemical engineering research lab with a focus on microfluidics. I play Intramural soccer, and I am a retreat director at my fraternity for the Kairos retreat. 

What is your proudest accomplishment at LSU so far, and what goals do you have for the remainder of your time at LSU?
My proudest accomplishment thus far is that I have successfully began the Kairos retreat here at the university level. I hope to accomplish much more, especially in research and language fluency, while here at LSU.

What does receiving the Stamps Scholarship mean to you and your family?
It means my parents no longer have to stress about putting two kids through college at the same time; additionally, I now have the opportunity for a life time to travel the world and learn about new culture. 

How have you used, or how do you intend to use, your Stamps Scholar enrichment funds?
I plan to go to Oxford this summer to study with the Honors College. I also plan to study abroad New Zealand for a semester in spring 2019. Both of these opportunities would never have been a thought without my Stamps Scholarship. I am now able to live out my dream of traveling the world, and in New Zealand I can concentrate on environmental implications of chemical engineering, which is what I would like to develop into a career at some point. 

How has your enrollment in the Honors College enhanced your LSU experience?
I have met many students here that I can have educated and enthralling conversations with. I seriously doubt I would be as happy as I am today without having met the students I know through the Honors College.

What are your future career aspirations?
My dream right now is to get a master’s degree or a doctorate in the field of chemical engineering, in addition to that I would like to get a master’s degree in business administration. I would like to use these degrees to advance my career to an international level, specifically in the realm of water purification or environmental improvement of chemical engineering processes. Eventually after having worked in industry, I would like to teach as a professor at the university level. When it comes to advancements in my field, I would like to see more focus on the environment and on sustainable chemical processes. I believe that I may play a role not only in the research of this area but in the implication of improved processes into industry and business today. 

What would you say to the donors of LSU, specifically the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation?
Thank you for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, and I look forward to using the opportunities I have been presented with to give back to the world around me.

Tell me how you have offered mentorship and guidance to a fellow Stamps Scholar.
I have come into contact with many new people at LSU, however, I have yet to meet someone so positive and supportive as Taylor Goss. Taylor is a Stamps Scholar in my class of 2021, and he has provided positive feedback and level-headed guidance to me and many other Honors college students. Taylor is able to manage himself as well as provide insight and support to those around him. I know that he has helped me in making tough decisions about extracurricular activities and how to spend my time here at LSU. Taylor may or may not be the model Stamps Scholar with his involvement on campus, in the community and in the lives of others. 

What is your favorite memory as an LSU Stamps Scholar?
My favorite memory so far is probably playing on an intramural soccer team with two fellow Stamps Scholars. We made it to the semifinals of indoor soccer and had a great time bonding while doing so.

Meet more Stamps Scholars.

 

 

Originally posted by the LSU Foundation at https://www.lsufoundation.org/s/1585/17/interior.aspx?sid=1585&gid=1&pgid=2762.