CFNN Reporter: Brian Howington

The CFNN Student Of The Week is none other than Noureldeen Elhatto, or as his friends call him, Nour. Nour was an obvious pick because he is an exceptional student who does not allow difficult classes or the weight of life around him to slow down his pursuit for academic greatness. This semester alone he is taking AP Calculus, AP Art, Spanish II, and AP Literature.

“I choose such difficult classes because I am good at them; I just like doing things I’m good at. Put in effort; be better than everyone, simple as that,” said Nour.

This competitive attitude has driven Nour not only to take the most rigorous classes at Cape Fear, but also to join the Chess Club at the school.

Nour is very involved in the Chess club at Cape Fear. His ELO (measure for skill in a competitive game like chess) is a solid 1500, making him one of the best players in the club. He is also very focused on his academics and setting himself up for a successful future. These are just a couple of reasons he was chosen for student of the week. 

“I would like to have an international master title in chess, hopefully in the next 3-4 years. I really enjoy playing with friends and I encourage others to come out, especially younger students,”

Nour has lived in Cumberland County for about 2 years. He is originally from Jordan, and moved to North Carolina because his father needed medical treatment that could not be provided in his home country. Despite only being in the country for a short time, he has adapted to his new surroundings extremely well, already having a heavy influence on those around him.

I asked Nour what advice he would give to the soon to be freshman. “Find a good outlet. Find something you’re good at, and get better and better at it. There is no better feeling like being the best at something you love,” said Nour.

Nour is passionate about computer science and coding, and would like to get into the industry very early. He already knows a few coding languages and plans to learn even more in order to be a very powerful force in an industry that is constantly changing and progressing. 

“For me, I find the industry to be very fun and very easy to understand; it all just kind of clicked,” said Nour.

Despite only being at Cape fear for a little over 2 years, Nour is generally well liked by his fellow students and his teachers. “Nour is very bright and is a joy to teach, sometimes we just have to bring him up to speed on the cultural differences he is unaware of,” said Mrs. Hancock.

One of Nour’s biggest academic role models is Hikaru Nakamura, a chess grandmaster. 

“He has achieved an unmatchable level of skill; he is always 20 moves ahead,” said Nour. 

Nour looks up to this person because of his insane skill. Nour believes that Nakamura is the best of all time, and his statistics show this to be true as well. 

Outside of school Nour looks up to Daniel Maxwell Culbreth, as that is the friend that helped encourage him to get into the gym. He enjoys lifting with friends, and the overall environment. 

Nour uses the gym and physical activity to de-stress after long days at school. Nour believes that it is important to work on bettering yourself mentally as well as physically. He can frequently be found working out at J’s Fit Happens. He enjoys the environment at the gym, and that keeps him coming back.

“It’s important to have something that you can use to take your mind off of the stuff going on around you,” said Nour.

Nour has applied and been accepted to multiple colleges including ECU, UNCW, and App State. His first choice however is UNC Charlotte. 

When asked where Nour saw himself in 5 to 10 years, Nour replied, “In 5 to 10 years, I see myself with a computer engineering degree, working for a large tech company helping to engineer new languages and electronic devices. I will also bench 315 and have a 2000 elo in chess,” said Nour. 

Congratulations to our newest student of the week, thank you for your hard work Nour!