Novian XO is a young man with a purpose. Novian and his three siblings have been completely homeschooled by their parents, and to make sure their kids were involved in the community, Novian’s parents enrolled all four children in the Project Discovery program of the WJCC Community Action Agency.
Novian was 12 years old when he joined the program, attending meetings at Berkeley Middle School. He began to learn leadership and college preparation skills and to explore career choices. Then came Novian’s first college visit: a trip to Virginia Commonwealth University, the trip that, as Novian says, “made my sister Iyanla fall in love with the college”. Setting foot on a university campus for the first time is the turning point for many Project Discovery students: it’s about picturing yourself as a part of a college community, and realizing for the first time that this is a path open to you. Iyanla is now a rising sophomore at VCU studying Communications and working at the college radio station.
Novian’s Project Discovery career exploration led to his interviewing of golfers at a Youth Aeronautics Educational Foundation (YAEF) fundraiser and from there the world of aviation opened up to him. Novian began to follow his passion. He attended the YAEF Ground School on Saturday mornings and passed the FAA written knowledge exam. He moved up into the air and recently completed his first solo flight at the age of 17!
Novian received a $1,000 scholarship from Project Discovery, and a $500 scholarship from the Williamsburg Moose Lodge 757 to help towards tuition and college expenses. He will be attending Elizabeth City State University, an HBCU in North Carolina, located near the largest US Coast Guard aviation base. He’ll be in the Honors Program, studying Aviation Science, and plans to become a Coast Guard pilot. His first classes will include Aviation, Physics, and Calculus or Pre-Calculus.
Novian may be focused on his career, but he remembers something different when he thinks back on his Project Discovery experience. Volunteering! “That’s my favorite part,” he says. “Participating in ‘Feed the Need’, when everybody’s working together in the auditorium to pack up the food. And giving away the turkeys. I like that holiday spirit.”
