Sometimes, a jack of all trades can truly be a master of all. Junior Natalie Lee exemplifies this. Both academically and athletically motivated, Lee transitions from attending a student government meeting to enjoying a game on the flag football field.

Lee is the president of the junior class for SGA at Cape Coral High School, a highly coveted position that she worked her way up to from the bottom.

Coming from an International Baccalaureate (IB) middle school, Cape High was the only next choice for Lee to continue her journey as an IB student in Cape Coral.

Lee was always interested in serving her community, and SGA became her outlet to do that during her freshman year.

That’s why Lee knew she had to run for an officer position in her sophomore year. She came out victorious as vice president.

For her junior year, the only next move was president, and she won that too. SGA holds a special place in her heart; she sees it as an opportunity to have a say in her high school experience.
Lee said, “I feel like we have a certain amount of control over the school and we’re able to make important events more relevant to a certain extent, because the adults don’t necessarily always know what’s popular amongst us.”

The SGA community welcomed Lee with open arms, and she formed an excellent relationship with SGA coordinator Vanessa Soto.

Coming into the student government class sophomore year, Lee was brand new in a different environment. Soto was there to help her every step of the way with all of her student government endeavors.

Lee references Soto as a mother figure, speaking highly of their close relationship and rapport.

Part of Lee’s job in her position for the student government is planning prom. She is responsible for organizing a venue to rent, helping pick out the theme, and cooperating with her fellow officers to ensure that the 2025 prom is the best one yet.

“I wouldn’t say I was nervous to be in charge of planning prom, but there’s definitely an expectation, of course people are going to be upset no matter what, and at the end of the day I’m just trying to make as many people happy as possible.”

Lee’s other academic pursuits include the National English Honor Society and IB mentoring.

NEHS seemed like the perfect fit for Lee, as literature is something that she is extremely passionate about. A good book will always be a bad day’s fix for Lee.

IB mentoring was about paying Lee’s fortunate position in the IB program back to her school. 

“I love having the opportunity to make a difference to any underclassman who needs any kind of support,” said Lee.

As an IB mentor, Lee uses her past experiences that IB gave her to guide underclassmen to making the right decisions to stay on the right track and succeed in the rigorous program.

Lee has talent outside of the classroom, too. She is a two-time member of Cape High’s varsity flag football team, which was brought to the school for the first time last year.

She enjoys being part of a team in which the priority is having fun and making the most out of playing. 

Last year, when the team was introduced, the opportunity to be a part of something new that would inevitably go down in history was appealing to Lee, and she knew that she just had to join. 

Although the team’s success in winning is limited, they are a close group of girls who don’t count their wins based on score. 

On top of that, Lee is a cheerleader. She started her cheer journey when she was a freshman and plans to continue it into her senior year. The friends that she has made through cheerleading follow her throughout high school. One of these friends is her best friend, Layla Sambrato.

Sambrato and Lee officially met for the first time in December of 2023 at a mutual friend’s birthday party, and from the moment they met, they were inseparable.

From then on, Sambrato began taking Lee home from cheer, thus cementing their friendship. The girls do everything together, they’re both football managers and on the flag football team.

Upon first impression, Lee seemed like a friendly person to Sambrato, and since then, Sambrato has appreciated Lee’s bubbly personality, specifically her ability to get a conversation and a laugh out of everyone she meets. 

Sambrato looks back fondly on the time before cheer tryouts with Lee. Lee was determined to get her back handsprings before tryouts, because she found out that it was a way to get more points and make the team.

A back handspring is a skill that normally takes people at least a month to master. Lee got it done in two hours. She threw it at tryouts and got the top score.

Lee’s determination also drove her to start a new club at Cape High, called the Hype Hawks.

Lee recognized that sports other than football and basketball didn’t get as much attention, so they were bringing Cape Spirit down immensely. The goal of the Hype Hawks is to make those other sports feel appreciated. The club tries to boost attendance at these games and cheer them on with orange and blue.

All of Lee’s accomplishments and endeavors are accompanied by a love and close relationship with her family.

Born in Chicago, Lee moved to Florida in third grade with her mom. Since her parents got divorced before she was born, her dad stayed in Chicago with some of her siblings.

Lee never let the separation from her father affect their relationship; she travels to Chicago often, and her dad remains one of the most influential people in her life. 

Lee said, “They’re still my biggest support system, I don’t see us as any less of a family, whether they’re here or away.”

Natalie’s father, Jerele Lee, is proud of Natalie’s growth as a person and her ability to thrive in all circumstances, even if it’s outside of her comfort zone. 

He has goals for Natalie beyond imagination, the most notable being for her to realize that she can make her wildest dreams come true with the determination she possesses.

“Our distance has truly taught me lessons, one of which is to trust Natalie’s judgement to make intelligent and thoughtful decisions,” said Jerelle. 

The other most important person in Natalie’s life is her mother, Kara Mitchell. Mitchell is also unbelievably proud of her daughter. She takes pride in the lessons and values she has instilled in Lee that have made her into the young woman she is today.

Mitchell said, “For better or for worse, she’s my person. I’ve told her for as long as she can remember, she’s my greatest accomplishment on the earth.”

Both of Lee’s parents agree on one thing about Natalie. They both believe that Natalie possesses a light that makes her unique. 

She glows, and that glow is felt by all who surround her. It has a way of bringing joy into the lives of her family and friends. It has certainly affected her parents, who never want her to dim that light for anyone.

Lee is the oldest of five siblings, which has taught her that it’s essential to be a role model and guide them to success, much like she does with her mentees for IB mentoring.

All in all, Lee has big plans for her life. She wants to attend the University of Florida with the ultimate goal of becoming an oncologist. 

An oncologist is a cancer specialist, and Natalie was driven to become one because of cancer plaguing her family history. It is important to her that she helps others suffering from the condition and prevents them from becoming like the ones she lost.

Recently, Lee attended a football game at UF with her best friend. Being a football fan, Lee had high hopes for the game, but the experience surpassed them.

“I had the time of my life, it is so spirited, and the campus is absolutely beautiful.”

That game drove her to make UF her first option for college. Lee strives for perfection in everything she does, and UF would be lucky to have her.