Rep. Neal’s Academy Day starting students to West Point, Annapolis and Air Force academies

SPRINGFIELD — For dozens of high school students across Western Mass, the long process to be appointed to one of the country’s military academies starts with a simple informational meeting, like the one Saturday in the Davis Auditorium of the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts in the Quadrangle.

“What we do is we attempt to sequence the process for them,” U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, said Saturday. “We have the students who are planning to apply for admission, and we acquaint them with what is expected of them, and what they can expect as they work through the process.”

Neal and several members of his staff met with about 75 area students thinking about applying to West Point, the Naval Academy at Annapolis, the Air Force Academy or the United States Merchant Marine Academy. As a sitting congressman, Neal is allowed to nominate up to 10 high school seniors to any of the four academies for consideration for admission. Of the 10, each member of Congress is generally allowed one acceptance.

“We want to make sure there is an opportunity for people to understand the challenge that’s ahead of them,” Neal said.

Michelle Brown, Neal’s military affairs aide, said high school students in their sophomore or junior year should be getting their paperwork together for a July application.

The application process is daunting, she said. The student first applies to Neal’s office for a nomination with a resume, a list of references with letters, and an academic packet that includes SAT scores, school standing, athletics and civic engagement. That application passes through a working group of advisors who are mainly retired military members. They winnow the potential nominees down to a manageable number before passing on to the Congressman for his final decision.

“The academies are always looking for well-rounded students,” Neal said. “There is more emphasis in recent years on extracurricular activities. They all have good SAT’s, they all have high GPA’s and so its character, it’s volunteerism and its athletics.”

Owen O’Brien, from West Springfield, is working on his applications for two military academies, Annapolis and the Air Force Academy in Colorado. He said either would be acceptable for him — so long as they make him a pilot.

“I have always loved flying,” he said. “I have always wanted to be in the service since I was little. My uncle, father, grandfather, even my great-grandfather all served. The whole family has served. I also love the culture and I want to be part of that – a culture of excellence.”

O’Brien is currently a junior at Westfield Technical High School concentrating on aviation maintenance.

Olawunmi Aina, originally from Nigeria, is now a junior at Springfield Central High School. He said he wants to attend the Air Force Academy.

“It is a great opportunity to serve and to do something that you can be proud of doing,” he said.

Like most applicants, Aina said his decision to try for the military as a career started when he was a young child.

“I think it started when I was a kid, watching those action movies,” he said. “I really wanted to do it. Then someone came to speak to us in my sophomore year and she actually introduced us to the Air Force Academy, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I like. Let’s go!’”

Julia Milam said she decided she would like to attend the Coast Guard Academy a couple of years ago, and now is following up.

“I just want to be involved with my country,” she said. “My dad was in the Air Force and I look up to him.”

Sidney Corriveau, from Brimfield, wants to attend the Air Force Academy where she may get into aviation or perhaps biology and infectious diseases.

“Besides the tangible aspects of getting a good college education and a career afterward,” she said, “I am really looking forward to the intangible aspects like character development, learning leadership and getting a chance to serve the country.”

Any high school sophomore or junior interested in attending a military academy or the Coast Guard Academy, Norwich University or ROTC programs at Massachusetts schools, can contact Brown at Neal’s office at: www.neal.house.gov. for assistance with the application process.