Noah Cathey

Position
2024 - DALLAS
Bio/Description

Noah Cathey, a senior at St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas, is co-chair and founding member of the school's Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council (IDLC). Inspired by George Floyd's death and the racism experienced by fellow students, Noah, then a new ninth-grader, was invited by other upper school classes to help formally address the school's inclusion issues. The following year, they founded the IDLC. At a school with no affinity groups or culturally based organizations, the council serves as the sole entity in charge of promoting diversity and belonging on campus. Now the only remaining member of the original group, Noah has been involved in pioneering the council's wide range of programming. Marksmen Multicultural Night, the IDLC's premier event, showcases the unique backgrounds of students through an evening of activities, performances and food. Noah has also developed a series of unfiltered, student-only discussions known as Lions' Table and a partnership program where seniors meet with middle school students monthly to talk about the importance of community. Outside of school, Noah serves as the south-central regional teen foundation chair for Jack and Jill of America. In light of the Texas Education Agency's takeover of the Houston Independent School District and the decision to remove 28 libraries, Noah led his passion project titled "Noah Knows Literacy: Bring Back the Books," which raised $31,000 to purchase and distribute books to more than a thousand kids in the Greater Houston area. Other "Noah Knows" projects have addressed food insecurity and financial literacy.