HOMEPAGE for this issue: April 20, 2011 Download PDF Version

Students get appointments to military academies

By John Gleason

For high school seniors, being appointed to a military academy is a rigorous and lengthy process. Each year thousands of students apply for admission but only a few are accepted.

So far this spring, seven Catholic high school students of the Denver Archdiocese have won the honor.

Drew Dyerat, from Regis Jesuit High School-Boys Division was accepted at the U.S. Air Force Academy. J.K. Mullen High School has three students who received appointments: Keil Silva got an appointment to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and Corrina Williamson and Kyle O’Brien were accepted to the Air Force Academy.

Holy Family High School in Broomfield can boast two students who got appointments: Rachel Anderson, who was accepted at the U.S. West Point Academy, the Air Force Academy and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, will attend West Point. Anderson’s classmate Dana Sanelli will attend the Air Force Academy.

Sanelli said that frequent trips to the academy were part of the reason for her choice.

“My family used to go down for the football games and being on the campus was a big part of my decision,” she said. “I just had a desire to go there and be one of the cadets.”

Sanelli described the application process.

“You give information—grade point average and other scholastic test scores to start—which they examine to see if you are competitive to be considered for an appointment,” she said. “You also have essays to write dealing on why you want to attend and then there’s the oral interview. That can be nerve wracking because you never know how to prepare for that.”

In order to receive an appointment, students must be nominated. Sanelli was appointed by Congressman Ed Perlmutter.

“You can apply to your representative and to both senators,” Sanelli said. “Most students will apply to all—it betters their chances.”

Sanelli, who wants to study chemical engineering, credits her Catholic education with her successful appointment.

“The disciplined environment of a Catholic education made me want to desire the discipline and structure of the service academy and the desire to succeed,” she said.

One academy that doesn’t receive as much attention as the others is the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., one of the world’s foremost institutions in the field of maritime education. Alex Miller, from Bishop Machebeuf High School in Denver, received his appointment last month and will be shipping out for school in July. He said he is looking forward to school, even though his first glimpse of the ocean was just a month ago.

“After talking with the people from the Merchant Marine Academy, I knew that’s where I wanted to go,” he said.

The Merchant Marines refers to the fleet of American civilian-owned merchant ships that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of U.S. waters. Miller, who received his appointment from Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette, said attending this academy will present him with a variety of opportunities.

“At graduation, I’ll be licensed to park and pilot giant tankers or container ships,” he said. “I’ll also be commissioned an ensign in the Naval Reserve in which I’ll be committed to serve for six years.”

Miller admitted a career at sea may seem odd for someone who’s been land-locked all his life.

“This is a very hands-on approach,” he said, “perhaps more than any other academy. For anyone who wants to see the world, this is the way to go. But you have to be willing to work for it.”