Every morning at NC, the president and vice president conclude their announcements with a simple phrase: “Inspire excellence.” Truly, NC students embody excellence across a variety of interests: academics, athletics and scholarship; however, only once in a lifetime does the NC student body contain a student that serves as the epitome of excellence, and inspires it through each action he or she takes.
Nonetheless, NC’s senior Samuel White encapsulates excellence in the classroom, in the college decision process and in the realm of friendship and mentorship. As a young, intelligent aspiring dentist, White has served as a leader with an impressive resume of extracurriculars and a perfect GPA. Through his years at NC, he has gained the skills needed to excel as an intellectually curious college student and a successful dentist.
In mid-April, White’s four years of diligence paid off. Nearly two weeks after receiving acceptance to the prestigious and selective — 17.7 acceptance rate — University of Michigan, White received Michigan’s Dean’s Scholarship, which will cover the full cost of his attendance.
“It feels surreal. One year ago, if you told me I would’ve attended UMich, I wouldn’t have believed you since I never really knew what school I truly wanted to go to. Although I was leaning toward Emory at the start of the school year, in the end, I could tell that I would grow at UMich and that the school really wanted me,” White said.
After taking a visit to Michigan a week ago, White fell in love with Ann Arbor and the culture of the school. Ranked as the number one school for dentistry according to various news ranking sites, White will attend the best university in the country for his major, without paying a dollar.
In the midst of much success, scholarship and achievement, White still holds the values true to him. He identifies the utmost important aspect in his life as personal fulfillment. Entering his freshman year of high school, White established various goals for himself, including earning a 4.0 unweighted GPA and taking on a leadership position. To nobody’s surprise, White has indeed earned a 4.0 unweighted GPA. Fortunately, he has received various other awards and honors for his sharp academics such as his membership in North Cobb’s chapter of the National Honors Society and Beta Club — two merit-based clubs that require an invitation. Additionally, White also serves as a current National Merit Scholarship finalist, he earned first place in the school writing fair last year and earned the principal’s award for the last two consecutive years.
In terms of his leadership and extracurriculars, White has established his place around NC and fulfilled the dreams that his freshman self envisioned. As the SkillsUSA president and a member of Health Occupations Students of America—Future Health Professionals (HOSA), White embraced himself and honed his Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) abilities. Outside of the classroom, White has taken the opportunity to shadow a dentist to learn the ins and outs of his future profession.
When not earning awards and crafting his resume, one can find White lost deeply in the pages of books. As a fiction lover, White can envision the story in his head, creating the perfect place to wind down in the wake of life’s stresses.
“I would say my love for books is really part of what makes me who I am. Even today, my mom still laughs about how I used to read children’s dictionaries for fun as a kid. [I would look] at the words’ definitions and the accompanying pictures,” White said.
Looking ahead to his future in Ann Arbor, White expects to make friends, study frequently, Go Blue at sports games, join school organizations and spend time in the Michigan Learning Community (MLC) that he chooses. 
As White prepares to head up to Michigan in the fall, The Chant wishes him all the best on his journey to dentistry and during his four years as a Wolverine. Congratulations Samuel and Go Blue!!
