Senior Lyle Jacobs wins full-ride scholarship to Duke University

posted on April 24, 2012

When Lyle Jacobs woke up yesterday, he didn’t know that he would receive life-changing news.

The day was uneventful, another Monday that could have easily blended into a dozen-plus years of school Mondays. But then Jacobs checked his email. In his inbox was a message from the Native American student advisor at Duke University, casually telling Jacobs that he might want to log on and look at his financial aid information.

Jacobs did so, and what he read was mind-blowing: Duke had awarded him a Trinity Scholarship worth $54,000 per year, enough to pay for nearly his full tuition.

The array of other colleges that Jacobs applied to – Marquette, Regis, Augustana, the University of Minnesota, and others – may have flashed through his mind, but they did not linger long. He knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the decision practically made itself.

An inveterate basketball player, Jacobs has been a huge Blue Devils fan for most of his life, “since I was one year old,” in his words. When the Duke basketball team plays their first home game next season, Jacobs may well be down there at Cameron Indoor Stadium, watching live as his idols run out onto the court. Perhaps he will even lend his (famously loud) voice to the raucous cheers and jeers of the “Cameron Crazies”.

Jacobs knows that he is a trail-blazer, as he will be the first Red Cloud student to attend Duke. He plans to major in journalism, and become a sports writer and editor.

Congratulations, Lyle!