CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLENOW) – It didn’t matter if his back was against the wall or on top of the wrestling mats at Northwest High School, De’Shaun Dail never shied away from a challenge.
Dail recently graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in physics. And he did so without acquiring any student loans.
The odds were stacked against him and his mother, Janice, since she gave birth at the age of 15. Despite the difficulties that come with being raised in a single-parent household – and the academic rigor of one of the country’s most prestigious schools – the Clarksville native never wavered on his path to success.
“I kind of saw myself as a bracket-breaker,” he said. “Even though the odds are against me, I can still break those odds because it’s not set in stone yet.”
Janice faced tribulations of her own during her son’s upbringing, but sports kept their family connected from a young age. Her early pregnancy didn’t limit Janice from having a successful sports career of her own, playing basketball at Fort Campbell, Northeast and Hopkinsville high schools. But, following a single season at Berea College, Janice gave up on athletics to raise De’Shaun.
Underdog mentality
De’Shaun wouldn’t have as much luck with a prep career on the court – he failed to make Northwest’s basketball team during tryouts – but he became a standout wrestler at NWHS. He was a part of a program that notched back-to-back district titles, and he individually appeared in three consecutive Class AAA state tournaments.
According to Dail, head coach Ben Smitherman’s determination for his team’s success sparked his underdog mentality.
“I feel like he kind of made my mental toughness what it is today,” he said. “To always keep grinding, stay on top of school, stay on top of studies (and) still be a good person in the community. I think when I got to college that mental toughness just stayed with me. I was like, if I can do wrestling, I can definitely do this.”
De’Shaun was accepted to Vanderbilt in the first early acceptance period and began taking classes the following fall. The freedom and opportunities that came with college courses and a full-ride scholarship proved to be daunting at first. Combine that with the academic competition of some better-equipped students in Nashville, and De’Shaun quickly became overwhelmed.
He conquered his freshman struggles, though, and obtained a diploma in May. The mother and son still see the achievement as a collaborative effort, because of his mother’s resolve to see him succeed.
“I just loved how, after he graduated, he said ‘We did it,’ because we did it,” Janice said. “He did everything he was supposed to do, I would say, (in) being a successful member of society at this point, and he’s not done yet. He’s still striving, and I’m just so proud of him.”
Tackling all obstacles
De’Shaun will take part in biophysics research at Vanderbilt while awaiting an acceptance letter into New York University’s medical school. Most recent figures from NYU’s admission decisions show that only 12.8 percent of applicants get in.
But those odds are nothing new for the Dail family.
No matter what’s next, De’Shaun and Janice will continue to overcome the obstacles.
“I had one best friend, his brother died from gun violence growing up. I had another friend who had suicidal ideation and because my mom worked in foster care, I took her (there) immediately and we saved him. Last summer, I had another friend die of a heroin overdose. … Another time, my mom was telling me how there (were) drive-bys on our street,” De’Shaun said.
“Realizing how difficult it is to come from a community like this and to graduate with a degree in physics from Vanderbilt; I think it’s pretty bracket breaking, I would say.”