Harvard woman

By Cathy Spaulding
Times Staff Writer

April 08, 2008 01:10 pm

— Fort Gibson High School senior Darcie Michelle Dieman says she likes leaving her options open.
In fact she has seven of them waiting for her when she graduates, first in her class, in May. She already has scholarship offers from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma State University, University of Arkansas, a trustee’s scholarship offer from Lyon College in Arkansas and a Barbara Jordan Scholarship offer from Rice University in Houston. She has an offer from Wellesley (Mass.) College. Her latest offer came last week from Harvard University.
Fort Gibson High School Principal Gary Sparks said Dieman is the first FGHS student to be accepted at Harvard right out of high school, though 2002 FGHS graduate Patrick Meyers has been accepted to Harvard Law School after attending the University of Kansas.
Sparks said Dieman is “just outstanding, a great student.”
“She’s always diligent in making sure she has all her papers for college,” he said.
Dieman said she hasn’t decided which of the seven colleges she plans to attend, though Harvard is her “number one option now.”
“It’s just the power of the name,” she said. “Plus it’s got a good chemical engineering program and offers a good strong base for pre-medicine, pre-law and management. Harvard had 27,000 students apply this year and there were only 1,600 spots available, so the fact that I got in was an accomplishment.
“I just didn’t want to set limits for myself,” she said. “For the next few years of my life, and the extra hours I put in for school work, I really want to challenge myself.”
Dieman is no stranger to challenge. She has earned top student awards for advanced placement calculus, pre-AP chemistry, pre-AP English III, honors English and other subjects. She is an Oklahoma Academic Scholar and was named one of 10 Best of the Best of the Muskogee Phoenix Academic All-Stars in 2007.
She is in several honor societies, attended Oklahoma Girls State and served as a 4-H Ambassador. She was named all-district soccer player and best support soccer player for 2006 and 2007. Last Thursday, she scored a goal, helping the FGHS girls’ soccer team win a 6-0 victory over Wagoner.
Her secret to accomplishing in school is the same as her secret to accomplishing in soccer: “Never giving up, even if you’re knocked down.”
“On the soccer field, you get knocked down, you can’t just lay there,” she said, adding that she has received “amazing support” from her church, Bethany Presbyterian Church of Muskogee, as well as her 4-H Club and her family.
Darcie is the daughter of Mark and Cindy Dieman of Fort Gibson.
Mark Dieman said the family is excited about Darcie’s acceptance at Harvard.
“It is an excellent opportunity for such a small school in a rural area,” he said. “Fort Gibson was only five schools in eastern Oklahoma to have someone accepted at Harvard.”
He said Harvard costs up to $50,000, but the college has offered plenty of financial assistance through grants, loans, work-study and scholarship.
Darcie has two sisters, Chelsea and Lucy, and a younger brother, Mark.
Chelsea graduated third in her class in 2006 and was a 4-H Ambassador.
The oldest Dieman girl now attends Oklahoma State University.
“And of course Chelsea wants me to be at OSU and wants me to be in her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha,” Darcie said. “We were competitive in a way, but neither of us is jealous of each other. I felt I couldn’t slack off.”
Reach Cathy Spaulding at 684-2928.

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