• Current Scholars
• Alumni
• Scholar Travels
• Scholar Art & Music
• Scholar Stories
• The Scholar Experience

Scholars in the News

Reshma Tharani, 21, is part of a new breed of community college student

Read More

Scholars in the Arts

"I am fascinated by the breadth of Art History and by how painting teaches a culture about itself."

View Paintings

Nathaniel A Marshall

“Over the summer I worked with youth in the South End of Boston volunteering with a friend who was teaching a class of 10-12 year old boys. It made me realize the value of education in helping minority youth like myself and has encouraged me to center my career goals around literacy, education, and youth development.”

• Program: 2008 College Scholarship Recipient

• Resides: Chicago, IL
• Hometown: Chicago, IL
• Age: 19

• Four-year College or University: Vanderbilt University

• Academic/Career Pursuits: English, African American Studies

Biography

HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUNG SCHOLAR EXPERIENCE: As a Young Scholar, Nate was able to explore journalism and foreign policy. He took a journalism class at the Harvard Summer School Secondary School Program and a foreign policy class at the Junior Statesman Summer School. His most inspiring moments as a Young Scholar came during Scholars Week: “I met some of the most gifted, driven, inspired and inspiring people I had ever encountered in the form of my fellow scholars.”
PROFILE: The third of five children, Nate was raised on the South Side of Chicago by his mother and grandmother. He was eventually tested into one of the city’s top gifted schools, where he first discovered his gift for the written word. “In grammar school I also began to write poetry. After winning a school competition with a book of poetry, my English teacher invited me to join the poetry slam team. I have continued writing to this day.” A timid basketball player as a child, Nate pursued his passion for the sport once he began attending the Whitney Young Magnet High School. In addition to writing and performing slam poetry, Nate enjoys songwriting and playing the piano.
INSPIRATION: Nate is deeply inspired by his grandmother. “She sparked an infatuation with words that has been omnipresent in my life. Conviction, sacrifice and scholarship are the cornerstones of the character she built in me.”
ASPIRATION: Nate plans to pursue a career as a college professor or a writer.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Nate has started a year-long, project-based mentorship in creative writing. He also took part in the Foundation’s CivicWeek and Civic Leadership Institute, completing 40 hours of community service and team building exercises.
ACCOLADES: Nate is a National Achievement Scholar, placing in the top one percent of African-American students in Illinois who took the PSAT. He is also on the Principal’s Scholar Honor Roll. He placed as the top individual teen poet in Chicago’s Louder Than a Bomb Teen Poetry Festival. His work was published in the anthology “The Spoken Word Revolution: Redux” and his poem, “Wilting,” was selected as a top submission of 2007 to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s annual creative writing festival.
INTERESTING FACT: Nate’s rap group, Daily Lyrical Product, has released two independent albums.

Other Scholars Like Nathaniel

Jason Joo
College Scholar
University of Pennsylvania

Seth Swingle
College Scholar
University of Chicago

Miles Goldman
College Scholar
Brown University

Jessica
Young Scholar
Illinois Math and Science Academy