For the last few years, I have had the opportunity to serve on Senator Cynthia Lummis’ interview committee for the United States service academies. Last Saturday, we had the pleasure interviewing 23 outstanding young people to see if they qualified for a nomination to a military academy.
Each member of Congress can nominate up to 15 people to fill one of five slots available at West Point, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy.
Then, from those nominees, the academies select those students outstanding enough to obtain an appointment to the prestigious education and leadership program.
One accepted, cadets and midshipmen receive a salary, tuition and books at no cost. Academy students have the opportunity to obtain national ranking majors in engineering, business, cyber, sciences and foreign languages.
Discipline, organization and leadership training are part of the culture. By design, the academies are structured to create the next generation of military leaders for our country.
Upon graduation, cadets or midshipmen are commissioned as officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard or Merchant Marine, guaranteeing a career after college.
For students, academies develop life-long bonds, physical fitness, discipline, resilience, time-management skills and grit.
To help students see of an academy is right for them, the service academies have developed summer leadership programs. If a high school junior thinks they might have the right stuff to be able to attend an academy, these summer leadership experiences offer laboratory to see if the student has the right stuff.
The Air and Space force offer the USAFA “Summer Seminar” for rising seniors.
The Naval Academy offer the USNA “Naval Academy Summer Seminar”
The Army offers the U.S. Military Academy (West Point / USMA) — “Summer Leaders Experience”
Each program has slightly different eligibility criteria, application windows, and fees. Some students who are really interested in academy education will apply to all three summer experiences to judge the culture of each branch of the military service.
The application deadlines for program are different, so visiting the application page of each academy and reviewing those deadlines is important. The Air Force Academies applications typically open December 1 of the junior year and close January 15.
The Naval Academy Summer Seminar application window opens in January and closes around March 31 for the upcoming summer.
The Army’s West Point Summer Leader Experience opens February 15, and final deadline is usually around April 15 of junior year.
Eligible students are usually high school juniors (rising seniors) with a good GPA. The academies also look for students who have participated in extracurricular activities which demonstrate physical fitness, leadership and community involvement.
The service academies also look for students who are self-motivated. The academies are adept at sniffing out helicopter parents who would prefer their child attend an academy, but the child is not so motivated to attend. Students who are interested should be the prime drivers in completing the application.
Most academies require a short personal statement describing the student’s interest, awards and extra-curricular activities. In writing the essay, make sure you explain why military service, in particular, is important. If you have an example of a challenge you’ve overcome, include a description of that challenge in your essay. Ensure the spelling and grammar in the essay is correct.
Space in the summer leadership programs is limited and acceptance is competitive. Deadlines are strictly enforced.
If accepted, there is typically a program fee for lodging and meals. The program is a great way for a student to assess the academy and academy life.
Academy life is rigorous and not for everyone. But, for those few leaders who want to do something extraordinary in life, the academy education and military service is a wonderful stepping-stone to greatness.
Many, but not all, of the students we interviewed attended one of these seminars.
As I interviewed these 23 outstanding young people, I could not help but wonder where these outstanding people are going to be in 20 years. If lucky enough to get an appointment to an academy, these people are going to receive something greater than free tuition or sharp uniforms.
They are going to leave with a global perspective, discipline and a sense of purpose honed by generations of tradition in the shadow of great leaders of our past.
Meeting these fine young people at their academy interviews gave me great faith in the future of our country.
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 - 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
