A proud senior from ILTexas Keller-Saginaw High School, Lacey Nyaata is headed to Dartmouth College this fall! Proof that hard work, leadership, and taking full advantage of the opportunities at ILTexas can take you anywhere.

When Lacey first arrived at ILTexas Saginaw Middle School after transferring from a private school, she remembers being overwhelmed. “I was super scared,” she shared.

“I’m learning Chinese and Spanish. I’m doing all these different classes. I have 10 classes a day. Like, I was extremely scared.”

But even when the pandemic presented her with the opportunity to switch to another high school, she made a bold decision to stay. “I actually think I’m going to stick with ILTexas,” she said. “Comparing it to other high schools around my area, I was like, this one would give me the most opportunities and open the most doors for me in the future. So even if, like, right now I don’t want to do it, I know it’ll definitely pay off in the long run.”

This fall, she’ll be attending Dartmouth College, an Ivy League university she felt an immediate connection with. “Dartmouth was the only one that I actually really connected with,” she explained. “It’s more secluded, in a small area, and not too much attention on it. I liked the idea of that. I saw how close the community is and how people who graduated years ago still stay in touch. I was like, I definitely want to see myself there.”

Opening Doors Beyond the Classroom

When asked how ILTexas helped prepare her for such a prestigious opportunity, her answer was clear: it was all about the unique experiences.

“I feel like one of the biggest things it did is just the different opportunities it has,” she said. “No other school has, like, a Chinese or Spanish, Art Society that I know of. And also being able to go on summer trips, I’ve gone on all three ILTexas had to offer me.”

ILTexas' Exceptional Leadership Opportunities

“The Taiwan trip, that was probably the biggest thing on my application that stood out. How many high school students travel abroad to Taiwan and actually learn Chinese there?” she said.

“Dartmouth is known for having study abroad programs, like 90% of its students end up going abroad at one point, so obviously they love to see people who already try to get outside of campus.”

She continued, “That’s something only ILTexas could have done. No other school would have ever paid for a trip to another country outside of the continent in return for nothing.”

Finding Her Voice Through JROTC

While travel abroad broadened her worldview, a program on campus helped her find her voice: JROTC.

“I joined freshman year, and I’ve always been a really quiet person. You would never hear me yelling out commands or anything,” she laughed. “But one of my friends convinced me to join, and I ended up staying all four years.”

JROTC helped her grow into a confident leader, one who would go on to hold leadership roles in nearly every club she joined. “If you told middle school me that I would do that, I would be like, ‘There’s absolutely no way.’”

Mentorship Beyond the Grade Level

One of her most influential mentors wasn’t a teacher or instructor, but a peer.

“She graduated two years ago and a year early,” she said. “If I never met her, I would never be where I am today. She pushed me to be better, not just settle with ‘okay.’ She was like, ‘Why are you settling with a 90? Push for a 98 or 100.’ And I started pushing myself to do stuff I would probably never do.”

Thanks to ILTexas’ mixed-grade schedules, she was able to form those connections with upperclassmen, seeing them not just as classmates, but as mentors.

“It allowed me to see these people as mentors instead of just my classmates, just because they were able to experience stuff that I haven’t yet experienced. And that really helped me.”

Looking Ahead to Dartmouth

As she prepares for life in New Hampshire, trading Texas heat for snowy winters she’s excited for more than just the academic challenge.

“They have a really big Greek life, so I really hope on joining a sorority,” she said. “And just going to a completely new climate, it’s going to be a completely new experience.”

She plans to major in biochemistry on the pre-med track, a decision inspired by a teacher at ILTexas.

“My sophomore year chemistry teacher, she made it so easy to understand. Everyone said chemistry is hard and no one likes it, but she made me fall in love with it. She ended up leaving, sadly, but I really do wish she stayed. She's the one that made me want to keep going.”

Her ILTexas Journey in a Sentence

“It’s a straight road where you could choose different paths, and that’s completely up to you. There’s no one telling you ‘You have to do this.’ It’s all by choice.”

At ILTexas, we believe in opening doors, not just to classrooms, but to life-changing experiences. We’re proud to celebrate scholars like Lacey, students who take full advantage of every fork in the road, every leadership role, and every global opportunity. Their stories aren’t just about where they’re going, they’re about who they’ve become.