Noah Prophet is a 2020 freshman at Independence Community College.
Interviewed Saturday October 24, 2020
Noah you and I have had a lot of conversations about food. Where did you get your love of food? What about cooking?
That’s a very easy question. Ever since I was young, we were a single mother household. We moved in with my grandparents at a young age. They were always cooking, always doing something. I always wanted to be like that. My second grade Noah was, in the kitchen, in just awe of everything. I started off cooking oatmeal. Then, I started cooking eggs, you know the basics. Then it got more complicated and I learned more things, crock pot, rouxs, Indian food, chicken, Asian, Middle Eastern… I love spices. After that, I loved making food.
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
It is a spinoff of Chicken Masala but wrapped in like a crepe with a special paste I make.
It sounds delicious. Where did you grow up?
Houston Texas. Born and raised.
Where were you before you came to ICC?
I was technically at home. I did one semester at LSU, first. I came back home. Then, the whole Covid stuff happened, and that left me stuck there. Then, I got a job at Home Depot, and I quit right before I came here.
How did you find out about ICC and why did you come to ICC?
I found out about ICC through Google, basically. I really wanted to continue college. That was my main goal. I can’t just be stagnant. I have to keep going. I Googled community colleges and to see if I could get a scholarship anywhere. I was emailing coaches and different people and ICC responded. We had very long conversations between me and the coaches and me and my mom. It’s not the closest to home. With all that, I thought it would be the best option for me and what I am going to do in the future.
What is it that you want to do in the future?
The future, it is complicated, at the moment. I want to do two things in the future. One is I want to continue pursuing Chemical Engineering. And two, I want to make something of myself, so that I can look back on my life and be proud of it.
You have a football scholarship. Describe what you do with the football team. Do you have a history with football?
Here, I am the student football manager, that is my job title. I film football practices. Also, I’m in charge of uploading the video to Huddle and on-line, so the players and coaches can see it. And, actually, I just finished washing the jerseys and etc. And, I have a history of football. I started back in seventh grade. I played football in my seventh and eighth-grade year as an offensive lineman. Then, I played in my junior and senior year of high school as a defensive lineman.
Where did you get your technological experience to film and upload the practices?
I filmed theatre back in high school, a lot for different theatre productions. I helped some of my friends to submit videos for competitions and stuff.
You mentioned theatre. Let’s talk about theatre.
In my senior year in high school, I did Fiddler on the Roof. I got that by accident. I helped direct student plays. I think it started back in fifth grade. I did A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was amazing.
What part did you play in Midsummer?
I was the dad. I can’t get away from playing the dad. Any play I ever did I played the dad.
You are a wise soul. What was your favorite production in theatre?
It has to be Fiddler on the Roof because I got to dance. And I loved it. That’s why I loved it so much, and I got to lift tables. I loved it.
What are you doing with ICC Theatre department?
I started off with the Anna Plays. In The Last Blacksmith (written by ICC student Dylan Waterman), I played the blacksmith. With the production of A 1940s Christmas Carol, (a new radio/stage play written by Page Petrucka). I helped build the stage. I started helping build the flats. Ever since then I was there most days, every day, or every other day. I was helping to build things, make props, I was there. I helped Ken (Kenneth Tate, the technical director) to do lighting, a bit. I worked with lighting at my old school, with tech (technical theatre). I helped with sound. I edited the song cues. And, I made the “sting” for the radio station. Now, I am working sound.
You mentioned you had made the sting for the radio play. Can you describe what that is?
When the radio show comes on, there is always a little jingle that the radio station has. That’s what I created for KFLG, the radio station in the play.
You wrote, played, and recorded the music? Let’s talk about music.
Yes. That was the earliest thing I have done. I started in fourth grade. I started playing tuba at a very young age, I think I liked it because it was big. Since then, I have kept up with it because I love it. In fifth grade, I was in the All-City and All-State bands. I was second chair that year. I was in the advanced band in sixth grade, I was one of two students. I played all through middle school. I love music. I chose not to go to a fine arts high school because I didn’t think it was going to be the right path for me. I do love music, but I don’t want to major in it. I don’t want that to be the main thing I do in my life.
Are you currently playing with the college? And what instruments do you play?
Yes, I am. Trombone in the Jazz Band and Tuba in the Concert Band.
You said that you wanted to major in Chemical Engineering. Can you tell me about that?
I think it would be an interesting major. Not too many people know what it is. I knew I wanted to be an Engineer; I thought I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. I’ve always been interested in robotics. But, my senior year before I applied to college, I started looking into engineering. There are so many aspects of it, I didn’t know which I wanted to do. Searching in engineering, I decided mechanical wouldn’t be the best option for myself. I am more chemistry driven. With chemical engineering, the degree that you get with that, you can use it in so many aspects. The Chemical Engineers are the leaders of the situation. With this degree, you can help other businesses and go into the medical field. What is cool about the degree is that you can also go into the medical field if you want to. Since the basics of biomedical and chemical engineering are interwoven. That’s why chemical engineering.
Great. What courses are you taking at ICC?
I am taking standard Gen Ed classes. I want to get them out the way. Next year, I will focus heavy on every one of the sciences and prerequisites for chemical engineering. Get it out of the way.
How has Covid-19 affected your studies and your life?
My studies? Not that much. My classes go on-line. My life? A lot. We got the news when I was back home. It made it difficult because we were living with my grandparents. Since they are at a higher risk, we had to be careful. My mom still had to go to work. We had to sanitize everything, self-isolate when we could, and be careful. That led to isolation, which isn’t very fun when you are in your own house. That basically led me to think about what do I want to do. What am I going to do through this? I had self-reflection during that time. Sadly, I had nothing else to do. I played video games, normal kid stuff, but there was this emptiness. It was messing with my head. Covid put me into self-reflection. What am I going to do? How can I make myself better? It made my goals more clear.
How do you adapt when facing tough situations?
The most important thing is you have to breathe. You have to take time and look at the situation as a whole. Because, in dealing with a tough situation, if you rush in the situation without looking at the situation as a whole, you can run in and not know what to look for. Most difficult situations have a solution, but you have to take time and find that solution. Tough situations are never easy, but you have to get through it. Once you get through it, you will know more information about yourself. If it happens again, you know how you started and how it finished. You can get through anything with the right game plan and the right mindset.
Who are your role models and Why?
My first role model is my mom, easily. She was a single mom. I have learned everything that I know from her. She was and is always there for me when I needed her, even if I messed up sometime. She was there to help me through and to understand. That is how I am the person I am today. I wouldn’t be this way without her. She knows how to be strong in the weakest times. Staying strong is an important thing, even in tough times.
My second role model, this is going to sound weird, was my middle school dance teacher. He made me realize myself when I didn’t know who I was. He made me realize there is an importance in learning about yourself. Know yourself. Don’t just focus on others and others’opinions when you have your own opinions that deserve to be heard. You are a person that deserves to be heard. You deserve chances that anyone else is given. When you are pushed with your back against the wall, you have to know how to take that first step to get off that wall.
If you were going to leave a future student a message what would that be?
Don’t limit yourself to one thing. Also, don’t put yourself into a stereotype that you don’t fit into. Take the time to explore what you want to do. If you don’t explore all your options, you will never know where they will take you. If I never took my options, I would never be here. I would never have done theatre, cheer, anything like that. I would have been too scared.
Wait, so you are in cheer also? Anything else you think I should know about you?
I am in cheer. I just started two weeks ago. People have been trying to get me to do cheer for years. In middle school and high school, I thought about it, but football won. I was talking to the cheer coach in high school, just making conversation, a week or two later I got an email from Iola College asking me to audition for our cheer team. I said no. Three times I said no. I was asked this time and I said, why not.
This is so great! Thank You for your time, Noah.
Thank You.