By Jillian Baker
Noah R. Frankel, 19, balances being a full time student at KU, his involvement in the Marines and his volunteer work.
Frankel, a junior environmental science major, decided to attend KU because his sister is an alumni. “It was an incentive for me to come,” said Frankel.
He loves being a KU student because of the great professors, students and opportunities available.
After his fall semester as a freshman ended, he decided to leave school to become a Marine. Noah said the transition from a college student to a Marine was difficult at first, but it was easy to return back to campus for fall semester of 2015.
Frankel attended boot camp in Paris Island, South Carolina for three months. He said boot camp was a “gigantic mental game” and he was able to get through it by “sucking it up and staying strong” because he knew he had to finish.
After boot camp ended, he went to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for training to become an infantry rifleman for two months. Noah has dedicated six years in total to the reserves.
Noah’s father, Larry Frankel, inspired him to become a Marine because he was also an infantry rifleman in the Marines. Noah said his dad has had the greatest impact on his life because he gives good life advice.
His biggest achievement is becoming a Marine. Noah said becoming a Marine has taught him to realize the little things people complain about aren’t important. The
Marines has taught him to be resilient, strong and responsible.
Noah is unsure of what he wants to do in his future. His dream job would be a quarterback in the National Football League.
Noah plays flag football and hopes to get more involved on campus. Currently, he is thinking about becoming a RISE Student Leader for the CASA mentor program to volunteer his help for incoming freshmen to transition smoothly to the college experience.
Noah volunteered at the North Hampton fire department for two years. He decided to become a volunteer firefighter because he “thought it would be something good to do for my community.” He has thought about volunteering for the Kutztown fire department, but right now he is too occupied with school. He hopes to become a member soon.