Iowa teen named U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate, will study aerospace at ISU

An 18-year-old Iowa student with Nigerian roots has been named the 2026-2027 U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate, a prestigious honor that will take him across the country for readings and workshops before he starts studying aerospace engineering at Iowa State University this fall.

Daniel Umemezie, who grew up in Cedar Valley and served as the Iowa Student Poet Ambassador, becomes the 10th young poet to hold the national title and the second Nigerian-American to receive the honor. The U.S. Mission Nigeria announced his selection Friday, praising his ability to capture the complexities of the Nigerian-American experience.

From Cedar Valley to national stage

Umemezie's path to the national title began during his sophomore year of high school, when an English teacher encouraged him to enter a local poetry competition. He won that contest and went on to become the Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate before earning the statewide ambassador role.

His selection in April came from a pool of hundreds of young writers and local youth poets laureate from across the United States.

A story of two worlds

Umemezie was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States at age 13 when his mother secured a nursing job here. The family settled first in Texas before relocating to Iowa.

The transition exposed him to significant cultural differences, and poetry became his way of bridging his two worlds. In one of his poems, he describes growing up with two versions of Nigeria.

I come from two Nigerias, a Nigeria where words are rain on zinc tongues and laughter rumbles barefoot down the yellow throat of traffic. I come also from a second Nigeria, one where the generator's chesty cough is the most reliable sound in the neighborhood.

He told PBS NewsHour that memory is central to much of his work, and that he developed an early love for the arts. He played nine instruments, including piano for 14 years, and dabbled in drawing, painting, crocheting and even architecture.

Following in notable footsteps

Umemezie succeeds a line of poets that includes Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, who read her poem The Hill We Climb at President Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration.

He also follows Salome Agbaroji, who became the first Nigerian-American to hold the title in 2023.

What's next for the young poet

As national youth poet laureate, Umemezie will travel across the United States for readings and workshops. He said he hopes to champion work that promotes social justice, political participation and self-exploration.

Umemezie graduated from high school in May and plans to study aerospace engineering at Iowa State University.