Age: 18
High School: Millville High School
Hometown: Millville
Parents: Roger and Theresa Nolter
Community/school activities: Millville Marching Band; Tri M; swim team; track team; volunteers at local hospital; volunteer at Millville Army Museum
Post-high school plans: Trying to get into Naval Academy or plan to do NROTC training through Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for nuclear engineering and reapply for the Naval Academy
Career goals: Become a nuclear submarine officer
Zachary Nolter believes a leader should lead from the front. That means understanding and being able to do the work that you as a leader ask others to do. It’s something Zack has practiced throughout his life and in high school, where he’s been a leader on the athletic field and in the classroom.
You’re involved in so many school programs and activities, how has that shaped you as a leader?
Being involved has really taught me to prioritize things. I have learned to put my time and effort into doing things in a certain order. I have also learned how to make sacrifices. For example, I am trying to go to the Naval Academy and that requires higher SAT scores. Because of this, I had to sacrifice a band competition that I really wanted to go to in order to get the scores it took to get in. I believe that part of being a leader is learning how to make sacrifices and take responsibility.
How has your family — however you define that — shaped your experiences as a person?
I was born in California to a set of parents who could not take care of me, my sister and the rest of my biological siblings. We were then adopted after being in the foster care system, after going from family to family, by my mom and dad. They have taught me that, even though a person might have it tough or bad, there is always a way to come up on top of it all. For example, when I was in preschool, the school said that my sister and I were too far behind and that we would need to be in special classes. To this, my parents said no and worked with us to catch up, and we were able to attend school that year. The way my parents raised me made me strong and gave me the drive to work harder.
Who is or was a leader that has inspired you to be your own kind of leader? Why?
Definitely my dad. My dad taught me everything he knew about being a leader. My dad was a chief petty officer on a nuclear submarine in the Navy and has been a huge influence on my life. My dad taught me everything I know about leadership because of his own experiences. My father has led people, so my father knew what he was doing by leading by example. He has taken all of what he liked and didn’t like and has incorporated it into his own style. This has really helped me define my own leadership by doing the same.
— Paige Crain
