Creativity, hard work pay off with full scholarship to University of Illinois
By Vikki Ortiz | Tribune reporter
May 3, 2009
Chicago Tribune 2009 All-State Academic Team member David Dresier of Downers Grove North High School has a 4.68 GPA, is number one in his class and is involved in many extra-curriculars including helping the homeless and running the the DGN track team. (Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune / April 22, 2009)
After struggling for days to find an essay topic for his All-State Academic scholarship application, David A. Dreiser decided on a tale in which his father's eyebrows come to life, pop off his face and spin into an alternative universe known as "the infinite forehead."
"I thought it was a little bit off the wall, but then I thought, 'That's David,' " said his father, Dan, whose eyebrows are really quite average.
His 18-year-old son's creativity, however, is not -- and it's just one of many characteristics that helped the Downers Grove North senior achieve the No. 1 ranking in his class, an ACT score of 35 and a full scholarship to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study biomedical engineering.
Dreiser was shy growing up but blossomed after receiving a J. Kyle Braid Leadership Award his sophomore year. The national award sends students to Villa Grove, Colo., for a week of leadership training.
After that, Dreiser beefed up his advanced-placement course load and pushed himself through homework that often kept him up until 2 a.m.
"I just had a whole lot more confidence," Dreiser said. "You've got to keep pushing yourself and thinking all your hard work is going to pay off."
Dreiser pushed himself outside the classroom too. He's an avid runner on his school's cross-country and track teams. And each Tuesday, hours before school, he and friends visit a homeless shelter where they clean mats, mop floors, fold blankets and clean bathrooms.
Dreiser is undecided on a specific career path, but his honors English teacher, Linda Augustyn, has a clue.
"There will always be an inventive, creative aspect to his work," she said. "That's really is who he is."
vortiz@tribune.com
