Noah Folks, in red, gave a fist bump to Blake Wilson at The Bridge last summer as Jacob Porter Scarborough putted and Matt Gaughan looked on.
Noah Folks, a sophomore who will turn 16 in April, lives in the Bronx with his parents and two older sisters. He recently fielded some questions from Charlie Hanger, the digital content manager for our Foundation and Learning Center.
CH: Who are some of the most important people in your life?
Noah Folks at The Bridge Golf Foundation’s 2016 outing at The Bridge.
NF: My parents. Even though they’re not the richest people, they still provide for me and always do the best for me.
CH: What’s your favorite subject in school?
NF: Right now my favorite class is about how to be an entrepreneur. It’s teaching us how to create our own business. I like it because when I grow up I want to own a variety of businesses and be very successful.
We’ve learned about making a business plan. My friend Jarell and I have a plan for a sneaker store that would start in Harlem and then expand to other locations in the city. We’d call it CZ Kicks in honor of Jarell’s uncle Courtney, who passed away from cancer, and my grandmother Zurlee, who also passed from cancer in 2001, before I was born.
CH: What other business ideas do you have?
NF: I’ve also thought about restaurants and real estate, or maybe a store like Home Depot. When I was little, I used to watch a TV show on Saturdays that showed house tours. I was big on art and painting, and when my mom used to go to Home Depot, I used to go with her so I could see the paint colors. I’d like to have a store like that.
CH: What’s your favorite part of what we do at The Bridge Golf Foundation?
NF: Character education. I relate to the topics a lot, mostly about current events and what’s happening in the world. What stands out in my memory is when we were reading All American Boys at the same time that similar shootings were happening around the country. People of color were being killed by the police in real life, just like in the book, and that really made an impact on me.
CH: Who is your Bigger Pie mentor, and what are you working on together?
NF: His name is Paul Ferraro. We’ve been emailing about when we should meet and talking about our goals. My personal goal is to do 100 pushups every day. Sometimes I’m too busy, but most days I’ve met this goal, doing five sets of 20. My academic goal is to maintain at least a 90 percent average and make the principal’s honor roll. January 31 is end of the semester. So far I’ve been on the principal’s honor roll, and I feel good about making it again this time. My career goal is to finish reading The Profit is Purpose, a book about entrepreneurship. Paul knows the author and recommended the book to me.
CH: What are some of your other interests and hobbies?
NF: I like video games, especially Call of Duty WWII and NBA 2k18. Oh, and that reminds me, I also want to start a gaming company when I grow up.
CH: How’s your golf game?
NF: I’m a little rusty after the holidays and some snow days, but I made a lot of progress over the summer. Driving and fairway shots are the strongest part of my game. When I was at The Bridge this summer, I was playing phenomenal. I played 18 holes, and it was tiring! Afterward, I went into the clubhouse and took a nap.