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First Year Students Receive Prestigious Goodnight Scholarship

Every semester, we are lucky to welcome incredible, impressive new students into our PSE program.  While we might be slightly biased, our students stand out among the NC State community and represent the PSE program well across the entire campus.  Killian Smith and Austin Brown are both recipients of the Goodnight Scholarship, and majoring in Paper Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering.  I reached out to them to learn a little more about who they are and how they ended up here with us at State.

Killian Smith

Pronouns: He/Him/His

High school & hometown: I grew up in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, but I have lived in Nashville, NC, for around 10 years. I graduated from Northern Nash, which I credit to a handful of excellent teachers.

Activities & clubs during high school: I participated in the Nash Community D&D Club, where I served as the vice president and a regular GM. I loved being a member because of my great enthusiasm for D&D and the wonderful friendships that came from my addiction to D&D and Magic: The Gathering.

Why NCSU?: I chose NCSU for a number of reasons. Primarily, I researched a great deal of chemical engineering programs and NCSU had a wonderful and well-reviewed program. Additionally, a favorite teacher of mine, Ms. Rebecca Williams, at Nash Community recommended the PSE/Chemical Engineering Program, which she herself has completed.

Why paper science?: I chose paper science because I want to have a reliable job that I genuinely find to be interesting.

What are you most excited for at NCSU?: I am super excited to be living on my own while I attend NCSU. I’m also very excited to be a Goodnight Scholar and participate in the NCSU community.

What are you going to miss the most from home?: I am going to miss my family and my dog, Lily.

Austin Brown

Pronouns: He/Him/His

High school & hometown: Kings Mountain, NC; Kings Mountain High School

Activities & clubs during high school: Beta Club, Debate Club, FFA, Interact Club, Volunteer at Kings Mountain Women’s Club. Volunteering at the women’s club was my favorite because I was able to participate in community outreach and make a difference in the community.

Why NCSU?: NCSU has been my dream school ever since I was little; I always planned to attend NCSU if given the chance. Through various trips to Raleigh I fell in love with campus and confirmed that NCSU was where I wanted to attend.

Why paper science?: I chose paper science because of my rural background. Working on a family farm I saw no shortage of single use plastics and paper products that were not as efficient. I saw this major as an opportunity to improve and create products that could aid those in the community that I grew up in.

What are you most excited for at NCSU?: I am most excited for the opportunity to meet new people and build a network of reliable people and resources.

What are you going to miss the most from home?: As I head to NCSU the thing I will miss the most is my friends from back home. It’ll be an adjustment not hanging out or interacting with them practically every day.

Hopefully you are just as excited to see these two in action over the next couple years as we are.  We know that they, along with all of our new students this semester, are going to do amazing things!

by guest blogger Gracelyn Woods