PSC Charter Academy graduating senior has been accepted to Harvard University

PSC Charter Academy graduating senior Daschle Nelson has been accepted to Harvard University along with a scholarship to receive Naval training at MIT this fall.

Daschle Nelson will participate in Naval training at MIT while attending Harvard

Daschle Nelson will graduate from Pensacola State College next week with both his high school diploma from the PSC Charter Academy and an Associate in Arts degree. He has been accepted to Harvard University and has received a crosstown agreement scholarship from the MIT Navy ROTC to participate in Naval training at MIT while attending Harvard.

“At Harvard, I’ll be concentrating in electrical engineering with a pre-med focus. With MIT NROTC, I’ll be able to pursue my goal of becoming a Navy anesthesiologist with tuition and medical school completely paid for by the United States Navy,” said Nelson.

From growing up in a military family, Nelson has made an informed decision to join the Navy. Both of his parents serve in the Air Force.

“I spent much of grade school in other states like Georgia and California, but my family always returns to this area whenever they get assigned to Hurlburt Field,” he said. The family currently lives in Navarre and learned about the PSC Charter Academy just weeks before his junior year of high school.

“Once I learned about some of the great opportunities associated with dual enrollment, I made a last-minute switch for academics,” said Nelson. “Being able to complete college for free while concurrently meeting high school requirements was simply a better deal than the AP classes I was accustomed to. I continue to attend Gulf Breeze High School for extracurriculars and sports.”

“PSC has given me the ability to take a greater variety of classes, many of which have given me a plethora of perspectives that would’ve been absent had I pursued a traditional high school education. Most high schoolers simply aren’t offered Introduction to Anthropology or Introduction to Ethics.”

Nelson credits PSC Assistant Professor Rick Dunn with playing an impactful role in his experience at PSC. “In both Human Growth and Development and Drugs and Behavior, Professor Dunn balanced rigorous coursework with thoughtful discussion to create two of the most interesting classes I’ve taken in my high school career,” he said.

With reciprocal regard, Dunn said, “Dash consistently demonstrated exemplary work in the courses that I had the privilege of facilitating. And, as a former administrator of Air Force ROTC Detachment 643 at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, I can attest with confidence that Daschle Nelson possesses the discipline, intellectual capacity and sophistication of thought essential of our nation’s next generation of military leadership.”

On top of school, Nelson works at Code Ninjas Gulf Breeze, where he instructs kids on coding skills, and he participates in the challenging niche sport of three-legged parasailing, in which one leg is tied to a teammate’s leg — another and fun testament to his readiness for the rigors awaiting him in Boston this fall.