Teen overcomes peer pressure to succeed in life

Sometimes success is as simple as being a positive light in a friend's life - encouraging them to withstand the peer pressure of gang involvement and to stay in school.

It's not defined by the amount of AP courses taken in a semester or the number of academic clubs one participates in after school.

I was out on assignment last week to interview two kids at West Mecklenburg High when I was introduced to Noah Propst, 16, a sophomore at the school.

For Noah, success is just that, he told me - being a positive influence in high school.

He says he began high school on the wrong foot. His freshman year he started to see the new amount of peer pressure that came along with high school and he wasn't focused on making good grades.

"A lot of times I felt like dropping out, but I didn't want to give up on myself," Noah said.

That all changed when he realized how negative behavior would cripple his future and limit his abilities to go to college and find a stable career.

Noah said he shifted his focus completely his sophomore year, began doing his homework right after school and enrolling in a technology club at school called "Our Voices."

"Noah is a great example of a student who stands out quietly," said Stephen Gibson, "Our Voices" advisor. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for him."

Now a sophomore, Noah turns in all of his work on time and makes all A's, Gibson said.

While in school, Noah said his favorite class is biology because he enjoys learning about different molecules. It is his goal to attend college and to possibly study about the automotive industry.

He says he is now trying to be an encouraging example to others in school who are involved in gang activity and may not have dreams of a better future.