Sarah's Blog
Honors American Literature
This is our final post for class, so I will not be posting as often, but I might try and update it if I remember. This week, I did not get a lot done with my project, so I am going to reflect on the progress of innovation in my class. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to have innovation time during class. It allowed students to work on a project they had great interest in instead of normal school work. I made good progress with my innovation, however, I found it slightly annoying how some other students did not work as well. Some people did not take it seriously and used the time unwisely. I think the most meaningful part of innovation time for me was getting to work on two projects that captured my interest and that directly affected my life. I will continue to work on applying to West Point over the summer, and I would like to go back to my diving project at some point if I can.
Next week I will be presenting a TED talk about my innovation projects. I was planning on including information and progress of both of my projects. I will post my presentation to my blog next week.
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In an earlier post, I mentioned the conference Girls State. I have received a sponsor, to whom I am very grateful, and I will be attending the camp over the summer. This will be a great opportunity for me to build my confidence and gain leadership skills, both of which are vital for a perspective cadet at West Point.
This week was a little less exciting for my project than last. I missed my innovation time in class because of a practice AP exam. I did, however, create a document with all of the nomination application essays in one place so I could get started on them. Hopefully I will be able to get the, finished within the next two weeks.
It has been a while since we have had time in class to work on our innovations, but I have still gotten a lot done! Over spring break, I visited West Point's campus, and I loved it! I was able to shadow a cadet in her plebe (Freshman) year and go to two of her classes, a calculous and American Politics. They were both very interesting and I really liked the professors. I liked West Point as a college because it is very small (about 4,000 students) with class sizes of less than 18 students per class, yet provides a very good education focusing on academics, physical fitness, and leadership. The campus is also beautiful. Although it was grey and rainy while I was there, the buildings are all amazing and the campus overlooks the Hudson River. In the short time I was there, I witnessed the great school spirit and many activities that make college exciting, even at a military academy.
I received exciting news over spring break as well. Although my application for West Point's summer leadership program was declined, I was accepted to the summer seminar at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD! I am excited for this opportunity to visit the academy although I am not as interested in attending there as West Point; it will give me valuable experience at a military academy and give me a chance to see if I will like it there. The next thing I have to do is begin my applications for a congressional nomination. I will apply to the offices of Congressman Justin Amash, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Senator Gary Peters, and Vice President Mike Pence. It is a long process to seek an appointment at a service academy, but I am determined to complete it! The past few weeks were exciting for my project. Last week, I had a phone meeting with my field force representative, who will help me make sure I have all of the steps for my application completed. Last weekend, I went to MSU to attend a presentation by the Captain who is in charge of recruiting for the Great Lakes region. I had a chance to introduce myself to him and meet my field force representative in person. In the presentation, I learned more about the process of application and all of the things that the decision committee looks at: academics, leadership, and physical fitness. One of the things that would make my application stronger would be my attendance at Girls State. My guidance counselor got me an application for that, and is helping me find a sponsor. In addition to all of this, I visited the ROTC admissions office at the University of Michigan. The recruiter talked about the program of U of M and how it set you up for a military career. It was surprising to me how many cadets were in the program, 60. I thought U of M would have had more than that. While I was there, a West Point Graduate overheard my conversation and insisted on talking to me about it. He said that West Point was an amazing experience and that it is the best road to take. We don't have class this week, however I will be visiting West Point. I am really excited to see the campus! This week I arranged a phone meeting with the West Point recruitment representative for my area. I have written some questions to ask him, and he should be able to help me understand where I need to start to get my nomination letters. This week, I also need to arrange a time to go to the University of Michigan and have a meeting with the ROTC officer. I would also like to have a tour of campus. Earlier this year, I applied to the Summer Leadership Experience at West Point. I just found out that I was not accepted, which was very disappointing, however, I am still excited to continue my application to the academy.
This week I called the admissions office at West Point and scheduled a visit for over my spring break. I'm really excited to go and see the campus! I also told the National Guard recruiter that I was working with that I am not enlisting in the National Guard to go to basic training over the summer. Next, I need to figure out the steps I need to take to apply for a congressional nomination for the academy.
Over the weekend, I booked a flight to go see my sister over spring break. While I am visiting her, we are going to go on a visit of West Point and its campus in New York. I also composed an email to the field force representative for the region of Michigan. I hope to meet with him so he can assist me in the application process.
This past weekend, I met with an active Army Colonel in the National Guard and a retired Major who are friends of my grandpa. I had a very helpful conversation, learning a lot and receiving suggestions on what to do from here. I learned that it is not imperative to join the National Guard if I want to go to West Point. Although it might help, if a student is qualified and if West Point wants the student, they will be admitted to the school. Strong leadership will help more than grades, however, keeping your grades up is still very important. The Colonel also suggested that I should schedule a visit to my congressman in DC to make myself known and have a better chance of getting a letter of nomination written. I am planning a trip to visit West Point over spring break, and would also like to schedule a visit with the ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) representative at the University of Michigan. I have received contact information from a friend at U of M. This week and next week, I am going to continue my research and begin building a résumé.
Today I continued looking at information regarding West Point. I sent a note thanking a former West Point graduate for meeting with me last week. I plan on contacting him again if I have any other questions or need help with my application process. He told me that he would be happy to help me and suggested that I ask him if I would like a practice interview. I learned about summer experiences at West Point and more about life at school along with expectations and commitment after graduation. My grandpa has a friend who is a Colonel in the National Guard, and is going to set up a meeting for me soon.
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