When COVID-19 reached the United States in early 2020, many first-line responders found themselves without proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Noah Stewart ’17, a marketing development manager at the data-driven freight forwarding company Flexport, rose to the challenge of strategizing, mobilizing and managing a PPE delivery program and fund to assist those on the frontlines of the crisis. He credits Berry experiences and mentors with training and preparing him for his responsibilities in this unprecedented time.
Noah came to Berry as a Gate of Opportunity Scholar, a position that provides year-round work experiences and meaningful opportunities on campus, with the costs of attendance reduced by the college and a donor. Working as a research and office assistant in Berry’s office of enrollment management, he learned to deliver data reports to key stakeholders and develop strategies for improving yield and retention rates of students and graduates. Noah moved up to the position of student manager of the market research team, leading four students and coordinating with the college president, director of marketing and other college personnel to help achieve college enrollment goals. These experiences led to a marketing internship with Harbin Clinic and a data structure and analytics internship with Peach State Labs in Rome.
Noah says skills cultivated at Berry were foundational to building his career: “The connections I made, practical work lessons I learned, business plans I created and basic life skills that I employed all proved immensely valuable after leaving Berry. I can’t thank my mentors and leaders enough. Their constant willingness to pour into my life was such an honor, and I continue to reap the blessings of those relationships.”
Noah has consistently demonstrated adaptability and openness when working with others. Professor of German Christine Anton, who guided Noah when he chose to major in religion and philosophy and minor in German, recalls his sense of humor and outgoing personality as well as his respect for and openness to the opinions and perspectives of his peers. She says, “I very much appreciated that, at least in my classes, Noah was definitely that one student who added the most to a very friendly class atmosphere.”
While managing a team of four at Flexport to handle the influx of daily pandemic-related assistance requests, Noah places high value on his college experiences. “My time at Berry truly helped me work effectively in teams to get things done,” he says. “That basic skill set has carried me a long way in the midst of the chaos of COVID-19. It’s been long, rewarding hours, and I’ve been blessed to be a part of it!”
