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Local students receive U.S. Service Academy nominations
Two Fort Scott High School students have made the first step toward realizing their dream of one day joining the United States Service Academies.
Levi Tweedy and Andrew Benage, both seniors at FSHS, were among the students nominated earlier this month for the Second District of Kansas to the U.S. Service Academies for the class of 2013. Tweedy was nominated for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., while Benage was nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Tweedy said he was working at a local car dealership when his mother, Angelia Tweedy, stopped by his workplace to visit and inform him of the good news.
"Before she left she was like 'Oh, and by the way, you got nominated,'" he said. "When my mom told me, I was in shock. It's pretty good to get nominated."
Benage said he felt a mixture of emotions when he first learned of his nomination.
"Definitely relieved," he said. "It's a necessary step to getting into one of the academies. I felt relieved and kind of honored. Not a lot of people get to be honored so I appreciate being nominated very much."
To earn a nomination to the U.S. Air Force, Military, Naval or Merchant Marine Academies, students went through an extensive application process and were also interviewed by the Second District of Kansas Academy Nomination Selection Board. This group consists of members of the Second District, many of whom are Academy alumni, who have backgrounds in educational, military, and leadership roles. Board members interviewed the applicants, and also reviewed their written applications and essays, grade point averages and standardized test scores. Applicants must also undergo medical and physical examinations before being considered eligible for placement in an academy.
"It's sort of a pre-application," Benage said. "There are a lot of steps. Just to be considered to be a candidate is the first step. It's all competitive. The very final process is an interview, and if you're good enough, you get admitted. There's no way to get in without being nominated."
Benage said he will be interviewed by a recruiter this weekend to help him get a better feel for what to expect at the U.S. Naval Academy, should he be fortunate enough to receive an appointment.
Tweedy said he was a "little nervous" going into the interview sessions with the selection board, but the tension was eased pretty quickly.
"Just thinking they put their pants on the same way I do helped a lot," he said. "A car alarm started going off outside during the interview and everyone was like, 'Is that yours?' It eased the tension a little bit."
Benage said he first became interested in a career with the U.S. Navy after seeing the popular 1986 movie "Top Gun" when he was younger.
"It started with that movie, that's when I first got into being a fighter pilot and thought this is something I could do that I'm interested in," he said. "Plus I have three uncles who were in the Navy."
Tweedy, a wrestler at FSHS, said he will be traveling to West Point at the end of the month to get a closer look at the requirements of the U.S. Military Academy.
"I'll talk with the wrestling coach and the admission board to get an idea of the magnitude of what it will be like there," he said. "You have to do a sport every semester you're there."
Tweedy said he chose to enter the U.S. Army because he has "learned how the Army can make him a better person."
Both young men said they have plans for the future if they are not accepted into their respective academies.
"I'm definitely looking at colleges where I can pursue a military career whether I get into the naval academy or not," Benage said.
Tweedy said that if he is not accepted into West Point, he plans to attend the Pittsburg State University ROTC program and study chemistry or another science. Tweedy and Benage, who plan to graduate from FSHS in May, are both involved in several various clubs, organizations and athletics at the high school.
A Congressional nomination does not guarantee a student an appointment to an academy, but serves as a crucial aspect of the application process. Applicants must also meet the individual admission requirements of each academy.
The academies will make the final decision on who will receive an appointment of admission for 2009. Due to the limited number of openings at each academy, not every nominee will receive an appointment. This spring, the academies will announce appointments for the class entering June 2009.