South Lenoir senior a state nominee for U.S. Presidential Scholars honor
Natalie Dail is an artist at heart, but as a top student at South Lenoir High School, she can do the math. Out of approximate 3.6 million high school seniors expected to graduate nationwide this year, only 5,000 are candidates in the 2022 United States Presidential Scholars Program. And Natalie Dail is among that one-tenth of 1 percent.
“I’m just really excited about it. It’s such a big honor,” Natalie said. “I was very surprised.”
Natalie Dail, a senior at South Lenoir High School, is a state nominee for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
So surprised, in fact, that she doubted the legitimacy of the email she received from the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars – the email that grouped her, as it said, “with some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors.”
“Honestly, I thought it was spam. Then they sent me something in the mail, then I got something from the State Board of Education congratulating me,” she said. “My counselor at school told me it was real, and that’s what it was.”
To get to this point, Natalie was chosen as an LCPS nominee from students selected at each high school. She is one of about 150 graduating seniors chosen as a state nominee.
Amy Jones, the district’s director of high school education and CTE, had a role in moving Natalie’s nomination to the state level. She’s not surprised LCPS now has its first national nominee.
“Natalie stood out because she’s a strong student and she’s so driven. She’s involved in a lot of things in the community,” Jones said. “She really proved she’s a student who’s willing to work hard to get it done. She has grit.”
Natalie is the daughter of Candice and Rob Dail of Seven Springs. “I think that being selected for the Presidential Scholars program,” she said, “was just a big boost of confidence for me.”
On track to graduate this spring with a diploma from South Lenoir and an associate degree from Lenoir Community College, Natalie is an Honors College candidate at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, with plans to double major in English education and psychology. She hopes to teach in high school.
Outside the classroom, she’s a member of the South Lenoir women’s golf team, teaches and competes in dance, works an after-school job “nearly full time” and keeps her hand in as an artist. Recently, she won a contest sponsored by the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretative Center to create a design for the Kinston museum’s new T-shirt.
“I love the arts,” Natalie said. “I try to do everything I can in it.” Through the All About Art Club she organized, she worked with students on the weekends, directing their projects and serving as a mentor.
“Natalie is an exceptionally talented and special young lady,” South Lenoir school counselor Candice Tyndall said. “It is hard to overstate the meaningful contributions she has made to our school and the surrounding community. I look forward to watching her future success and all that she will accomplish.”
The Presidential Scholars Program was conceived in 1964 to recognize exceptional academic success among high school seniors, then expanded in 1978 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields.
Based on lengthy applications and a series of essays that national candidates complete, the program expects to name semi-finalists in mid-April and announce the 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars in May.
People who know Natalie Dail are not waiting to celebrate.
“To be picked from the entire state of North Carolina to go forward in this competition, that’s a huge honor,” Jones said.
