Noah Bauler Moving from the Appalachian Mountains to the Nuba Mountains

To Move Mountains, headquartered in Boone, North Carolina, carries out impactful work that extends all the way to the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Their mission is to “equip, instill, and restore” education programs, rebuild communities, and support children through conflict. Photo Cred: To Move Mountains Website

Sofia Carmichael, Community Desk Lead for The Powderhorn

As high schoolers, most WHS students are preparing for the traditional journey of attending college, joining the military, or entering the workforce. However, some students decide to delay and take some time off to travel or go on unique adventures. Noah Bauler, a senior, has decided to go on his own untraditional adventure and graduate early to take an internship in Sudan.

Bauler spent a small but formative part of his life living in Africa. From birth until he was 4, he was able to see the natural beauty it had to offer and experience all of the culture, which cultivated a passion that stuck with him. 

“I lived in Ethiopia,” Bauler said, “and it was mainly my parents who were working, but I would go with them to a lot of places, and we would travel all around the countryside.”

Bauler has had an affinity for continent of Africa from a very young age, so the specific location of his internship didn’t really impact his choice, but ultimately, Sudan had some of the best opportunities. 

“The people who run the organization are family friends of ours, and my parents used to work in Africa, and that’s where I used to live when I was really young, so it just felt right. I was thinking about doing work similar to this,” said Bauler.

Traveling far from home can be difficult, but Sudan has been in an ongoing civil war since 2023, so tensions are high. Ryan Boyette and his wife Jazira started their organization, To Move Mountains, in order to help communities in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, which is the main area of conflict in the current Sudanese civil wars. Their work is faith-based, and their goals are to continue to provide education and unite communities despite the intense conflicts that are occurring. 

“The war is why they need help, and that’s part of the reason I am going,” said Bauler. “They have a school in Sudan, so I will be working somehow with the school, and a little side job that I am going to have is starting a tilapia farm, so they can farm fish for food.” 

From getting a work visa to receiving travel vaccinations, preparing for a trip like this is an involved process. However, for Bauler, he additionally has to do a lot of preparatory research to figure out how to make a reliable and efficient food source for the Sudanese people.

“I have to figure out how to keep the tilapia alive on the bush plain, which is my job right now, " said Bauler. “I fish a ton, but I don’t have any experience with fish farming. They are going to provide and get all of the tilapia for me, and they are going to have the ponds set up. My job is to figure out how to keep them alive from point A to point B.”

Making the decision to graduate early is a significant choice. Students who choose to do so miss out on graduation and all of the festivities that come along with senior year, but for Bauler, it was a no-brainer. He knew that he was making a difference and getting an experience that would shape his future. 

“Going to work in Sudan is an incredible opportunity, and to me it seemed like it would have a large impact on my future,” said Bauler. “I hope to gain insight into the possibilities of what my future career may look like, and I hope that the tilapia farm takes off and doubles in size by next year.”