Noah Steinbuch Receives Folds of Honor Military Scholarship
The Podiatric Medical Student Reflects on His Parents’ Marine Corps Service and the Military Childhood That Shaped Him
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Noah Steinbuch grew up moving from place to place. Born at Camp Pendleton in California to two active-duty Marines, he lived in Japan for three years, spent time in Northern California and stayed with his grandparents in Montana when his parents were deployed.
Now a podiatric medical student, Steinbuch has received a Folds of Honor Higher Education Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to the spouses and children of military service members who have died or become disabled.
His father enlisted at 18 and served for 10 years, including as an infantryman during a combat deployment. His mother joined at 19 and spent 15 years in the Marines, working primarily in logistics and accounting. His father later underwent multiple back surgeries after suffering a serious fall from a cliff while stationed in Okinawa.
“They were just kids going into the military,” Steinbuch said. “I think they wanted to contribute to something. They didn’t come from wealthy families, and it was a great opportunity for them.”
Frequent moves meant repeatedly starting over in new schools and communities.
“I got a lot better at making friends because of it,” he said.
Barbara Thompson, a veteran services contact, encouraged Steinbuch to apply for the Folds of Honor scholarship. The organization offers higher education scholarships of up to $5,000 to eligible military families. Steinbuch’s younger sister has also received assistance through the organization’s Children’s Fund.
In his scholarship application, Steinbuch wrote about growing up with two parents in the Marines.
“The military was definitely an integral part of my childhood,” he said. “It affected how I grew up and how I am as an adult. It made me admire my parents and the other service members who have sacrificed so much.”
Steinbuch also draws a connection between military service and medicine.
“It’s being able to put something bigger ahead of your own individual wants,” he said of military service. “We all want safety, but in that line of work, if you get deployed, safety isn’t guaranteed. But you’re doing it for something bigger than you.”
“If you want to be a doctor, you’re not doing it just for you,” he said. “You’re doing it for the people around you.”
Steinbuch took an unconventional route to medical school. A biology major at the University of California, Riverside, he worked in a biomechanics lab studying subjects that included gecko feet and gait abnormalities in children.
After college, he spent six years working as a model and commercial actor, appearing in campaigns for brands including Adidas and Meta.
“I got into modeling to challenge my social anxiety,” Steinbuch said. “You have to walk into auditions, meet people, and constantly put yourself out there.”
By 2025, he was ready to return to science.
“I’d done everything I wanted in that world,” he said. “I missed learning.”
After shadowing a podiatrist, Steinbuch found a field that brought together several of the subjects that had interested him as an undergraduate.
“I loved seeing how movement and healing connect,” he said. “Podiatry combines orthopedics, biomechanics, and patient care. It’s exactly where I want to be.”
The Folds of Honor scholarship will help support Steinbuch as he continues his podiatric medical education.
“That chapter was super influential in their lives and in my life,” he said of his parents’ military service. “It’s been a sacrifice.”
