As a swimmer and triathlete, he strives to surmount the challenges of the water and land. As a student, he eyes the sky and the stars beyond with wonder. With success in all venues already under his belt, the reality is becoming quite clear: there is nothing that can ground Jerod Schwandt. “My dream job is to design rockets and spacecraft for NASA or a company like SpaceX,” he says. At just the age of 18, he’s well on his way. Home schooled since the first grade, it was a little more than two years ago that Schwandt enrolled at Davidson County Community College and overcame the academic challenge of acclimating to the environment of higher education. While entering a classroom of 40 people might seem staggering to a teenager previously educated alone by his mother, Schwandt handled the experience with ease. “I was really nervous for the first few weeks, but then I started to get used to it,” he says. “The biggest difference is that at home school I was learning from a parent. In college, I’m being taught by professors with master’s degrees.” The challenge was one of many the teen has overcome. Interested in rocketry since the age of 7, Schwandt was in his early teens when he learned of a competition called the Team America Rocketry Challenge and decided to enter. He needed teammates, so he recruited two friends. The group needed sponsorship, so they worked through 4-H to formally become the Triad Rocketeers. The Rocketeers needed Jerod Schwandt North Carolina State University money for materials, so they raised nearly $3,000. The teens moved into national competition and were invited to the U.S. Capitol Building, where they received a guided tour from Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina. Ultimately, the Rocketeers placed 23rd out of 725 teams from across the country. Schwandt’s experience with rocketry is paralleled elsewhere in his life. A triathlete who placed fifth at the USA Triathlon High School National Championships at the age of 17, he’s spent the past few years swimming for at least three hours a day, six days a week and hopes to one day compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team. Regardless of where he’s competing, the teen stresses the importance of giving 100 percent effort. That attitude is one he’s learned from his parents, Piedmont District Field Services Team Leader Eric Schwandt and Manju Schwandt. “My mother always made sure I worked hard,” he says. “She’d show me my grades and if I ever got below a 90, I had to make that mark up. Swimming is similar. My coach is not the type of person to baby us. He wants us to be self-motivated.” While entering North Carolina State University this fall, Schwandt says his Martin Marietta scholarship is providing him with a great opportunity. “Hopefully, it’ll help me avoid having to get a part-time job during the school year,” he says. “That means I’ll have more time for academic activities like joining the Aerial Robotics Club at NC State.” ▼ Jerod Schwandt with his parents, Eric and Manju Schwandt. Just the Facts: Jerod Schwandt High School: Lake View Academy home school (Jamestown, North Carolina) Unweighted GPA: 4.0 Taking while he’s Giving: Jerod volunteers with a local food bank, coaches children and has led free workshops on electricity, rocketry and public speaking. While he’s given much back to the community, he’s taken a few lessons to heart as well. “Volunteering doesn’t simply help others,” he says. “It has helped transform me from a shy young boy into a confident leader.” www.martinmarietta.com | September/October 2017 The Conveyor 17
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