Strickland awarded Daniels Fund Scholarship

One Newcastle High School Class of 2024 graduate has $100,000 coming his way to help with college over four years after being selected for the 2024 class of Daniels Scholarship Program recipients.

According to a press release from the Daniels Fund, senior Nate Strickland was one of 23 Wyoming students to receive the scholarship, with 209 students total receiving the scholarship across Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

“I still can’t process that it really happened. I am absolutely thrilled to have gotten it, and it really makes me find value in the things I worked through in school,” Strickland told the News Letter Journal. “I expect that the reality of my situation will truly set in when I actually go to college.”

According to Nicholas Peterson, an NHS science instructor, Strickland not only has been an amazing student and athlete but has balanced both while also working as a certified nursing assistant for Weston County Health Services. He said that the student has “done nothing short of amazing in all that he has done.”

Specifically, Peterson highlighted Strickland’s work ethic in class and willingness to enter any new field.

“Nate has put full effort in and has taken on students in the computer sciences as a game designer ‘overseer,’” Peterson said. “Along with learning any new material, he has gone beyond the normal expectation of any students to learn and expand his knowledge to a point that (he) even can stump me in my own lessons.”

He noted that Strickland pushes himself as a competitor to always improve and achieve any task at hand.

On top of Strickland’s hard-working nature, Peterson acknowledges the student’s heart, as someone who is always willing to go out of his way to check in with and help others.

“I have no doubts that he is going to achieve such great things as he attends School of Mines next year,” he said.

As for his future, Strickland said he plans to use the Daniels Fund Scholarship to earn his undergraduate degree.

“I have decided to major in biomedical engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology,” Strickland said. “After this, I will attempt to pursue medical school and become a psychiatrist or pediatrician. I have not decided on either yet.”

This money to kick-start his college education is especially important to him because of the expense associated with the education path he has chosen.

“This money is helpful as it makes sure I will be able to pursue my goals with no limitations; nothing is holding me back now. I plan on taking full advantage of the money and my education, making the most of every lecture and class I take,” Strickland said.

Strickland will graduate with the rest of the class of 2024 on May 19 in Crouch Auditorium at Newcastle High School. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m.

About the Daniels Fund

The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative.

Source: Daniels Fund press release