Fouzia Noor was always pretty certain she wanted to become an engineer, but it wasn’t until she took the introductory class in the Engineering program at College of The Albemarle (COA), that she was sure of it.

As part of a Engineering program group project, she helped create a tiny robot for class. She still remembers watching it in class that day, as it delivered an object as directed and came back to its starting point.

“It was the first time I made any robot or took part in it,” said Noor, who attended COA’s Elizabeth City Campus for two years, from 2011 to 2013. In January 2014, she transferred her credits to East Carolina University (ECU) where she is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in engineering.

“When I took that class, I was sure that, yes, this is what I want to do,” Noor said. “It was pretty satisfying.”

For Noor, starting her college studies at a smaller school like COA was a perfect decision. The native of Pakistan had just moved to the U.S. in 2011. She and her family settled in Elizabeth City where she had relatives. Knowing that Noor wanted to start her college studies, they suggested she go to COA for her first two years. It was, Noor said, excellent advice.

“My relatives told me it’s cheaper to go to a community college and then transfer, so I chose COA,” she said. “It was a good experience. I could talk to my professors easily and that helped me a lot.”

Noor often had many questions for her instructors at COA and usually stayed behind after class to find out more. Even now, after taking specialized courses in biomechanics engineering at ECU, Noor still has high regard for her COA instructors.

“Some of my best professors were there,” she said. “They really helped me understand all the concepts and it really helped me in the learning process. It really did put me on the right track.”