When thinking of prestigious schools, universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and others come to mind. Although incredibly prestigious schools, there is a school that not only helps to educate in careers, but also advances military intelligence. This school is called West Point, which you have likely heard of at one point or another. 

  West Point has been around since 1802 and was originally founded by Thomas Jefferson. The school was constructed on the site of Fort Clinton which was an American Revolutionary war fort. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and includes multiple historic sites, buildings, and monuments.

  West Point Academy’s mission is “to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.” Graduating students receive a Bachelor of Science degree along with the knowledge and preparation needed to be a leader in today’s Army. 

  In order to apply to West Point you must be recommended by a member of Congress, pass a fitness test, and have extremely good grades. The acceptance rate is only 8.6%, meaning only the top students get in. 

  Here at West Boca we have a very hardworking student who has applied to West Point Academy. This dedicated student, Andronika Christian, has worked extremely hard to even get the chance to apply to this distinguished school. 

Why did you apply to West Point? ¨I applied to West Point because I want to be a part of the unnoticed impacts our government makes for the safety and liberty of its citizens. I acknowledged West Point due to its expansion of majors and jobs within the US Army. Although my first choice was USNA because they reached out to me for Track & Field, they didn’t have any majors I saw as of importance to my future career.¨ 

What do you plan on doing if you get accepted into West Point? ¨Once I get accepted into West Point I plan to run for student government and work on networking to improve my odds of acceptance into the CIA or NCIS. While attending, I’ll also be working towards becoming fluent in 4 languages (Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, and Arabic), which are important for international federal agencies.¨

What are your goals and aspirations for the future? What is your motivation for wanting to join the US army? ¨My plan consists of being accepted into the United States Military Academy. I have already received my nomination for the academy and will soon be doing my CFA Exam. With my diverse set of skills and expertise in several practical combat sports, I plan to network within the academy to gain an internship with the CIA, NCIS, or FBI as they are a federal school and have more connections compared to a private school. I’ll allocate time toward having an immense school presence by joining Student Government and striving to be the best leader within the academy. After graduating, I’ll be on active duty for 4-5 years. During these years, I will invest 70% of the money I’ve received from the government and give 25% to my family

leaving 5% for any expenses outside of the ones being paid for. After I leave active duty, I shall apply to work at federal agencies and work for 5-8 years before opening up my own psychology office and creating a non-profit organization. The US Army gives undiscovered opportunities to citizens who do and don’t know their path in life. Many people tend to look down upon the military because of war, the number of veterans who are left homeless, and physical brutality. However, many fail to acknowledge the different amount of jobs provided within the military which decreases your chances of getting injured or killed. My best friend, Alexis, who is currently serving in Jordan, shares his experiences and gratitude for the US Army as they’re always generous and allow soldiers many opportunities to earn more money for their future endeavors such as the GI Bill and stocks only for those serving.¨

Each year, around 10,000 of the brightest students apply to West Point, but only around 1,000 are actually accepted. These students must have outstanding grades, excellent critical thinking skills, and meet all the necessary athletic requirements. Andronika has shown that she is extremely dedicated, and has what it takes to attend West Point. Wishing the best of luck to her!