Cadet 1st Lt. Noah Mansoor is all smiles following the spring commencement at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Now armed with his second college degree, the 17-year-old Hawaii Wing cadet is already looking for a job in cybersecurity, thanks in part to Civil Air Patrol and his college degrees.
Two College Degrees as a Teen
Civil Air Patrol Cadet 1st Lt. Noah Mansoor has taken academic accomplishment to a new level, completing his undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies from Liberty University at 16 years of age and his master’s in cybersecurity from the same Lynchburg, Virginia school at 17.
In CAP, he is a recipient of the Gen. Billy Mitchell Award, following in the footsteps of his family. From his dad, Peter, a former Mitchell recipient when he was young, to his brother, Marcus, who is now a cadet major. His mom, DeAnna, is a CAP first lieutenant and the Hawaii Wing’s director of aerospace education.
At first, Mansoor saw CAP as an extracurricular event while a young homeschooler, dragged to meetings by his mom. But something changed.
“Being there and being part of the CAP community and growing in leadership through them was something I really liked.”
He is a member of Wheeler Composite Squadron at Wheeler Army Airfield on Oahu.
‘I Just Kept [Doing the Work]’
When it comes to his degrees, how did he do it?
“The Monday after I graduated eighth grade, my mom just gave me a lot of dual credit classes that count for high school and college credit and I just kept knocking those out, until I had enough credits to transfer to Liberty Online,” Mansoor said.
He was able to become an online student after only a year.
For his last semester, he became an on-campus residential student and the youngest member of Liberty’s Class of 2025.
“I loved it so much, I wanted to come back for a master’s.”
Then Cadet Tech. Sgt. Noah Mansoor says attending NCSAs, like this one at Joint Base San Antonio in 2023, prepared him for his recent pursuit of two college degrees. Here, Mansoor (third from right) discovered more about the career he is pursuing — cybersecurity.
A Keen Interest in Cybersecurity
The speed of cybersecurity sparked his interest in the high-demand field. It fits Mansoor, who seems to be a young man in a hurry.
“I like how fast the industry moves,” he said. “There are always new upgrades. If you don’t stay on track, you can fall behind. If you don’t keep things up to date, malfunctions and vulnerabilities become a big problem. And the future is cyber.”
As an indicator of just how motivated this CAP cadet is, the day after receiving his graduate degree, a time when most newly minted grads would be headed for the beach, Mansoor was job hunting. He hopes to return to the Lynchburg area to work in cybersecurity.
“There are expectations, not only from other people, but from myself,” he said. “After graduation, before even getting home we flew to Denver to visit my family. I started looking for jobs then. I just wanted to get out there and put my accomplishments to work and see what I could do.”
Then Tech. Sgt. Noah Mansoor works on computer cabling during the 2023 cyber academy at Joint Base San Antonio.
Coping with the Challenges of College
Along with overcoming the academic challenges of graduate school, Mansoor and his family dealt with the 4,700-mile distance between Oahu and Lynchburg.
“It was a little bit daunting when I first went out,” he said. “But I was confident in myself, and I’ve been in situations like this before, even in CAP when I went off to an NCSA [National Cadet Special Activity] or an encampment … a whole different world, different people, different culture. But I was used to it because of traveling, camps, and NCSAs in CAP that helped prepare me.
Peter Mansoor gave his son simple advice before he left for Lynchburg: “Do the right thing, even when no one’s watching. Be determined but be humble.”
Noah Mansoor said his CAP service had “a huge impact” on his academic success. “The discipline and leadership and communication skills I learned through Civil Air Patrol correlated to how it was in college and in education in general,” he said.
Spiritual Strength Fuels His Success
And in keeping with CAP’s Five Pillars of Wellness and Resilience, Mansoor’s spiritual strength, grounded in his Christian faith, also fuels his success.
An online post features a Mansoor quote: “You can do all this hard work, but if you’re not right with God, nothing matters.”
Asked to elaborate regarding his faith, he said, “Just having the fear of the Lord — not fear as in being afraid, but respecting Him and following His word, He gives us the Ten Commandments and tells us to work hard and toil, that pushed me a lot because the Lord commanded us to do that."
All in the Mansoor Family
Mansoor has flight hours as a glider pilot and in powered flight. His dad, Peter, served in the U.S. Army for 30 years and was a OH-58 Kiowa helicopter pilot.
The father of six said all his kids are special.
“I think I knew he was special when he kicked me in the head when he was a baby,” Peter Mansoor said with a laugh. “They’re all special. God gives them the abilities and DeAnna helps them find all these programs and things and they run with it.”
First Lt. DeAnna Mansoor said Noah, the youngest of six, followed his siblings’ lead.
“He always wanted to do what they were doing,” she said. “He always wanted to be part of that.”
As for future goals, it’s about job, a house, and a wife and kids. He may want a job in Virginia, but “I want to raise my kids in Hawaii.”
‘Push Yourself to a Higher Standard’
Noah Mansoor has a message for his fellow cadets about achievement and moving forward:
“It’s all up to them,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s your hands and your mind that are going to do what you make them do. Push yourself to a higher standard than those around you have. If you approach your work as service to the Lord and to those around you, you can accomplish great things."
Jumpstart Your Career in CAP
Civil Air Patrol offers youth — starting at age 12 — to learn more about aviation, cyber, STEM, and military careers at National Cadet Special Activities (NCSAs) across the nation.
Noah Mansoor got his start that way, attending CAP cyber activities as a cadet. You can too. With more than 1,400 squadrons nationwide and a cadet corps of about 34,000, there’s an opportunity near you.
