2 weeks Ago
Jack Dale can crush it on the football field, make plays on the baseball diamond and tackle any math problem thrown his way. And now, the junior at Lincoln Southeast High School can add national security whiz to his resume, too. This summer, Dale participated in the National Youth Leadership Forum's National Security program at the University of Maryland, where he was able to learn about the latest intelligence and national security strategies.
He first heard about the program last March when he received an email informing him he had been nominated for his high academic achievement and participation in football and baseball, although Dale still isn't sure who nominated him. Then, he went through an application process and was eventually formally invited to attend the program this summer. While he had previously been unfamiliar with the program, he instantly knew it was something he was interested in experiencing.
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"I kind of was really just curious to know more. I love learning. Learning is one of my favorite things to do," Dale said.
"And when I saw it, I was like, 'Oh, this would be really cool and prestigious to learn about.'" Students selected for the program were invited to stay on the university's campus, which is about 10 miles from the heart of Washington, D.C.
, for eight days to learn about diplomacy, intelligence and defense and complete a simulation that mimicked a real-life national security crisis. The program, which is run through Envision by WorldStrides, also offers opportunities for students interested in topics like health care, business, law, engineering and aviation. Dale and the hundreds of other participants spent several days reviewing how the U.
S. government operates, what national security is and some of the tactics the country uses to keep people safe. They also had the opportunity to tour Washington and visit some of the places they had learned about.
Then, on the final day, students were able to finally put their newfound knowledge to the test in a simulation that presented participants with a national security crisis to solve. The students then claimed roles to play, some choosing to act as members of the FBI or military officials. But Dale decided to go big.
He wanted to be the president, which was the only position that required a vote. The night before the election and artificial crisis, Dale stayed up all night working on a speech worthy of earning himself a mock presidency. In it, he discussed the importance of leaving the power to the people and how leaders are strong, confident and cool under pressure.
Then, he left everyone with a final message: "You will prevail if you vote for Dale." He won the vote by a landslide and led his team through the simulation to safety. Dale left the program this summer with more confidence and confirmation that national security might be a path he'd be interested in following after graduation next school year.
Plus, he came home with some new friends, too. "It was really fun. But out of everything that happened there, it was literally the friends that I made during that whole time.
I made lifelong connections with some buddies. That's really just what I'm grateful for is the connections I made during the trip," he said. Dale's success so far in life comes as no surprise to his third grade teacher, Kate Leonard-Barr, who currently teaches at Pound Middle School.
As a young student, Dale was already showing signs that he would be a great academic achiever as he continued through school. He was quick to pick things up, especially in math, and rarely needed to see an example more than once to understand how to solve a problem, she said. To now see Dale continue to succeed at school and beyond is exactly what Leonard-Barr hopes for all of her students.
"It just makes me happy because this is what teachers want for our students, right? We want to give them the foundation in the early grades so that they can go on and they can choose their path and be successful at whatever they want to do," she said. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
