“Becoming Mariner Strong in More Ways Than One”

When College of Coastal Georgia senior Noah Johns first stepped onto campus, he never imaged how much his college journey would challenge him to grow. From serving as a club president, to working with student-athletes and running for homecoming king, each experience shaped him into a more confident, resilient, and well-rounded person. Through unexpected opportunities, he discovered strengths he didn’t know he had—and became a better version of himself along the way.

Johns will graduate this fall with a bachelor’s degree in health science with a concentration in exercise science. The Brantley County native aspires to be a physical therapist, an occupation he was first introduced to while recovering from an injury in high school.

“Originally, I didn’t know what to do. I thought that I could do nursing because that’s what my sister does, but once I saw the therapy side of things and what it was about, I was more interested in that,” Johns said.

While in physical therapy, he realized that he could have a career instructing people on how to improve their body through movement. When he had to go to physical therapy a second time, it truly hit home that one of the best ways to prevent future injuries is to exercise and stay strong.

“That’s been instilled into me,” he said. “I think that the stronger you are and the more you take care of yourself, the younger you’ll feel in the long run. Exercise is a big preventive care that many people don’t realize or get prescribed.”

Many students may recognize Johns as a student worker for recreation and wellness, president of the Weightlifting Club, their freshman orientation leader, and, most recently, as the newly crowned homecoming king. However, it wasn’t always like this. When Johns first started at the College, he was very quiet and kept to himself, but he continued to work out and lift weights. This eventually put him on the radar of Steven Pancoast, coordinator of recreation and wellness. Pancoast not only became Johns’ boss, but also a mentor who continually encouraged Johns to step out of his comfort zone.

“My first semester here, I tried to spend more time on The Helm floor to help students. Transitioning from the military into fitness, I have always worked in areas where the average client was a beginner,” Pancoast said. “Because of this, I learned how to spot and help people just beginning their fitness journey. Noah was not one of these people. Noah is one of the strongest students on campus. I noticed a few pointers that would push his bench further.”

When Pancoast approaches people in the gym to offer help or advice, he does so with the understanding that some people are already uncomfortable and terrified of doing something wrong or being perceived as incompetent. Johns was like many students who visit the gym, with headphones on and wearing a hood pulled low, Pancoast said. He would do his workout without talking to anyone. Pancoast complimented Johns on his bench routine and asked to give him a few pointers. Johns was very receptive, and that began their informal, mentor-mentee relationship. Pancoast went on to help create and be the advisor for the Weightlifting Club with then-student, now alum, Lauren Cooper. Johns was one of the first members of the club and one the few students knowledgeable enough in the gym to create workouts and help teach others.

“I have always lifted weights since middle school, and was into lifting in high school. I wanted to continue that in college. My first two years here, I was just doing my own thing. Then Steven came here, and he convinced me to find a program, stick to it, and it helped me a lot,” Johns said.

At Pancoast’s encouragement, Johns entered into the strongman competition of the 2024 Sandbag Games, where he placed first in multiple events.

“As a retired athlete, it’s something to do and gives you motivation to go to the gym and try something new,” Johns said. “It reignited that competitiveness.”

Noah Johns won first place in the novice men’s category for his weight class in the strongman competition of the 2024 Sandbag Games.

After the first president of the Weightlifting Club graduated, Johns was selected to take the reins due to his consistency and growing interest. Being selected as the next club president was a surprise to Johns, but he decided to give it his best shot.

“I enjoy it, and I enjoy the people I lift with,” he said. “Sometimes, people don’t realize that the gym is not that scary. It’s not hard to start.”

In December 2024, several members of the Weightlifting Club travelled to Savannah for the Reindeer Games hosted by Empire Gym Savannah, where they competed in events such as pulling a firetruck. Several students placed first for their weight class, including Johns.

Johns has also been a summer orientation leader, introducing new Mariners to life at the College. It was a great opportunity to grow his leadership and social skills, and get comfortable speaking in front of large groups. During that summer, he became a student worker in recreation and wellness. Johns’ duties include the upkeep of the gym, signing students in, enforcing rules, answering fitness questions, and being someone’s spotter if necessary. Pancoast has passed down his techniques for helping people get comfortable in the gym and offering them advice.

The summer 2024 orientation leaders getting excited to welcome new Mariners to the College.

“Noah became one of the best workers I had that year. What set Noah apart was his gym knowledge and his patience,” Pancoast said. “Because Noah was always in the gym, students started coming to him with questions. I would watch, impressed, as he thoroughly helped and answered their questions. Upon reflection, I should not be surprised with how he treated students, because it was how I treated him.”

Pancoast is the strength coach for Mariner softball, and Johns is his assistant, helping to teach the softball players how to get stronger for better game performance. This gives Johns the opportunity to further develop his social interaction skills and put his classroom and gym knowledge to more use.

“When I started volunteering as the strength coach for the softball team, Noah was with me. I would have him design the program, demo the lifts, and he would help me in the gym, correcting the teams’ form,” Pancoast said. “That first year, Noah acted in such a professional manner that they didn’t think he was even a student.”

Mariner softball players cheer on their teammate attempting her max squat.

Along with strength exercises and weightlifting, Pancoast and Johns incorporate fun into the workouts, such as playing dodgeball as a warm-up. They’ve also done tug of war and challenges at the end of the workouts, like a grip challenge. Johns said the athletes have been enjoying themselves, and they always cheer for each other’s progress.

“They’re actually, in my opinion, one of the strongest, powerful sports teams on our campus,” Johns said. “It’s awesome to see the progress they’re making, how much it makes an impact, and how they feel. When we first started, you could tell that they’re athletic, but now, their muscle definition is showing through, and they’re getting really strong.”

Club President Crowned King

Along with donning a cap and gown for graduation, Johns can boast about wearing a crown. He was crowned this year’s homecoming king—another feat he never thought he could accomplish. Once again, at the encouragement of Pancoast, along with some friends, Johns entered the competition. His friends appointed themselves as his public relations managers and campaigned for him to get votes. Each candidate went through an interview process.

“The interview process was a little nerve-wracking, but you answer the questions honestly, show how you’re different, and who you are,” he said.

Alfe Rolle and Noah Johns were crowned homecoming queen and king for the 2025-2026 year.

The crowning of the homecoming court, which included the titles of king, queen, prince, and princess, took place during halftime of the Mariner men’s basketball game during homecoming weekend. Coffin Gymnasium was packed, and Johns, along with the other candidates, stood in anticipation of the winners. When Johns’ name was called, he remembers hearing his PR team yelling and cheering loudly. His duties as homecoming king include being involved on campus, interacting with students, and being a good overall representative of the College. Pancoast encouraged Johns to run for homecoming king so that he could see the impact he’s made on campus.

“He was an orientation leader, a club president, recreation and wellness student worker, strength and conditioning coach intern, and one of the few seniors we have on campus. I wanted him to see that he is not that shy kid benching by himself anymore,” Pancoast said. “I wasn’t the only one who pushed him to run. It was his fellow student workers, the softball team, and Weightlifting Club. He refused to run until he heard the swell of support behind him.”

On top of all the work he does, Johns has two other internships. One is at the Southeast Georgia Health System in the inpatient physical therapy office. There, he observes physical therapists and sees the daily progress of patients as they work towards outpatient therapy.

“There are times where you’re working with someone and you can see it helps them a lot by looking at their faces,” he said.

His second internship is at Advance Rehabilitation in Brunswick, which he really enjoys.

“I really like that place. Everyone there is fun to be around and observe,” Johns said. “I’m able to help people with their exercise, and it’s a fun working environment. Being able to talk with patients there is nice and helps build social skills. In my opinion, it’s one of the best physical therapy places around.”

Pushed Towards Success

Johns never thought his time at Coastal Georgia would include becoming homecoming king, helping to train student-athletes, or being a club president. His time at the College proved to him that he has what it takes be a leader and positively impact others.

“I thought I would come here, work out, do my classes, and go home—but that didn’t happen. Thankfully, that didn’t happen,” he said. “My first two years, I didn’t know a lot of people and I didn’t go out much. Going through all of these experiences, I’ve made more connections and met a lot of people. I didn’t think I would be doing all of this.”

Because Johns knew early on what he wanted to do as a career, Pancoast pushed him to get involved in different ways to develop the skills needed for a successful career as a physical therapist. He hopes that Johns learned that in order to improve yourself, you have to get uncomfortable. Coastal Georgia alum Denise Dees, former vice president of the Weightlifting Club, would joke that Pancoast unleased Johns on them. Pancoasts insists that what they experienced was Johns growing and coming into his own.

“Noah is shy, quiet, and very stoic. So, I pushed him in ways to challenge that. I firmly believe that talking to people or groups of people is a skill that can be improved, just like lifting weights. You just need to put in the reps,” Pancoast said. “I first pushed Noah into becoming an orientation leader because I knew that it would give him a great opportunity to get better. It is still crazy to think that Noah, who was so quiet and reserved when I first met him, became many students’ first interaction and impression of the College.”

Johns advice for other students is to meet with their advisors to make sure they are on the right track, especially if they are considering graduate school. He also encourages students to go out and make some fun memories.

“Be sociable and interact with people instead of just keeping to yourself,” he said. “Overall, going to the gym can be the best thing ever, because that’s where you can make lifelong friends, like I did.”

Johns considers the gym to be one of Coastal Georgia’s best-kept secrets.

“For me, Coastal has the best gym for a college, even though it’s small. I’ve seen other gyms at bigger schools, and they are not as good in quality. I think a lot of people should realize that it’s nice, and we have all this cool stuff,” he said. “And we have a recreation and wellness coordinator that’s very motivated and brings in things to help student engagement and make things better. I also like that the community here is small and tight-knit. There’s also a lot more to do here than just go to college and visit the beach.”

Like many seniors, Johns is looking forward to graduation. He wants to further his education and is currently looking into different physical therapy graduate programs. Johns aspires to one day become a doctor of physical therapy.

Johns has been one of the few students Pancoast has truly connected with, and it will be hard to see him leave. He said that Johns has made The Helm feel like home for many students.

“I am faced with dread when those students move on to bigger and better things. I know The Helm will continue on, but it will never be the same without them,” Pancoast said. “Noah demonstrates what it means to be Mariner Strong. He has represented the College through the Weightlifting Club, and has been on the podium multiple times. He has lifted cars, pulled firetrucks, but he truly shows his strength when he uplifts and encourages those around him.”

Outside of the gym, Johns enjoys line dancing, hanging out with friends, playing video games, watching movies, and spending time with his beloved dog, Murphy.