When Noah Bryant enrolled at the University of North Georgia's Cumming Campus, he did not want to just attend classes and go home. He wanted to immerse himself in the college experience.
"I thought it would be good to get involved in and be part of something on campus," said Bryant, who earned a bachelor's degree in history in May 2021.
Bryant was named a finalist for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in spring 2021 and through Fulbright will pursue a master's degree in archaeology at Bangor University in Wales, United Kingdom.
He joined the Student Government Association (SGA) when it was founded on the Cumming Campus. The student-led group organizes events for students, including the new tradition of a field day with Rec Sports.
"We've tried to see what the students wanted, and a lot of them were interested in starting their own groups," the Cumming, Georgia, native said.
In fact, Bryant admitted by becoming an SGA member, he and others helped solidify the club in its first year. The next semester, Bryant ran for treasurer and won, becoming a member of the cabinet.
During Bryant's time as treasurer, the SGA president encouraged Bryant to run for the organization's highest office the following semester because she would transfer to the Dahlonega Campus.
"She said she wanted someone who knew about the organization in the position and encouraged me to run," Bryant said.
He did and became the newest president. He did the same thing as his former leader. He encouraged others to get involved by finding their niche group or starting one in Cumming.
"We provided information on how students could start their own organization to build an environment and not just be on campus but be part of campus," Bryant said.
As SGA president, Bryant worked to help the groups find footing and function.
"I tell them, 'If you start a group, I will come to your meetings,'" he said. "I will go and support them and help out."
Bryant and the SGA saw small successes. A video game club launched its group while others lined up founders to start other interest-oriented groups.
Helping students get involved wasn't the only way Bryant gave back on campus. He worked for Supplemental Instruction (SI) as a facilitator for world history classes. As an SI facilitator, Bryant held weekly study sessions with students in class.
"I worked with students who may not have fully understood the lecture," he said. "I broke down the information and gave them techniques to break it down with other students."
By guiding his fellow students through the coursework in a study-group style session, Bryant learned how to teach. And that was his ultimate goal.
"I plan to teach college-level students," he said. "And I would like to teach at UNG."
