By Allie Harrison
Ward Melville High School
Noah Eichenholtz has a wide variety of interests: working out, pop culture, history, and, of course, journalism.
The rising junior at Hendrick Hudson High School in Westchester was eager to join this year’s Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists.
Noah said that not only would the program be good preparation for college, but more importantly, he was excited about “getting to work with real journalists and seeing their views on the world.”
His passion for journalism is evident in his work for his school’s newspaper, The Anchor, where he is both managing editor and arts and entertainment editor. Noah said he enjoys writing about popular culture, from album reviews of “God Does Like Ugly” by JID and “MUSIC” by Playboi Carti to video game and movie recommendations. He also is involved in his school’s music culture club, where he discusses music with other students.
In addition to Noah’s commitment to journalism, he said he’s committed to exercise. The 16-year-old lives with his parents and 19-year-old twin brothers Simon and Miles, as well as a pet cat and a pet turtle.
He started working out seriously two years ago, and his family has always held similar values of health and fitness. “My father has been very big into working out and body building my whole life,” he explained, “and my mom also likes to work out, so my whole life, I’ve been surrounded by it. In high school, both my brothers began to get into it, and it became sort of a family thing.”
He said he enjoys the activity not only for the physical benefits but also for the mental and social aspects. “It’s somewhat therapeutic and allows me to work through emotions,” he said. “Besides that, it’s a fun activity I do with my friends and allows me to be in control of my body and health.”
Nonetheless, Noah does not plan to pursue either journalism or health and fitness as a career. Instead, he wants to be a history teacher. History is his favorite subject in school, and he’s very interested in politics.
He recently got to debate John A. Sarcone III, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York, who was visiting his school for an assembly. Noah said it was “a lot of fun.” He added that he enjoys talking to people about politics “if they’re willing to actually think about it.”
Noah said he couldn’t wait to live on the Stony Brook University campus for the Greene Team.
“Noah is really passionate about a lot of things,” said his school friend Matthew Smith, “and with how much effort he puts into The Anchor, I can tell that journalism is something he really cares about. This program seems like a great opportunity for him to delve into that interest and learn more about it.”
As they say, journalism is the first draft of history — Noah is eager to help write it.