by Chris Vasey

Senior Kyra Schmid will have a very unique college experience compared to her peers. She will be attending the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland starting this summer. 

“I became interested just before freshman year,” Schmid said. 

“After realizing what it was going to take, I started to fall in love with the hustle and the grind.” 

Schmid has been working very hard for a long time to get accepted into the Naval Academy. 

“I put an insane amount of effort into this,” Schmid said. 

 “Everything I did was for this. It was my absolute dream and I knew it would take a lot of time and effort. I had a lot of moments where I thought I wouldn’t be able to make it, which was absolutely terrifying.”

She is very excited to meet all of her fellow midshipmen in the summer during Plebe Summer. 

“I’m most excited to meet everyone that will be a part of my class,” Schmid said. 

“I know they’ve all worked as hard as I have, and I know that we’re mostly going to be similarly minded people. It’s going to be a great experience and knowing I’ll have everything I need provided for me makes it even more relieving.” 

Schmid’s favorite part about the Naval Academy is the strong bond that the midshipmen have. 

“My favorite part of the naval academy is seeing the brother and sisterhood forming among midshipmen,” Schmid said. 

“It’s extremely inspiring to see people coming together and helping each other get to the finish line. The friends and relationships that I know I will have makes it all worth it.”

by Aaron Propst

Senior Lucas Coleman will attending the University of Colorado Boulder and training in their Navy ROTC program. Coleman plans to join the Marines in his following years. 

 “I’m really excited to be a part of the brotherhood in the Marines, especially because it is made of such a diverse group with people from all walks of life,” Coleman said.  

With this excitement comes some nervousness. 

“I am nervous about disappointing myself and others who I have told that I am joining. I don’t plan on dropping out, but the thought itself is quite nerve racking,” Coleman said. 

 Nerves are normal when it comes to a big step towards your future, but Coleman has been decided on this future since last year. 

“I became interested in joining the armed forces back in October 2022 at the height of college admissions,” Coleman said. 

Serving in the military comes with opportunities, including the GI bill that grants free college post service, as well as a place to mature in a demanding environment such as the military.

 It also comes with a lot of hardships, and the people who serve in the military should be treated with the utmost respect for sacrificing for our country.

The Marines is not easy to get into, known as the few, the proud. This made Lucas’ decision fairly easy. 

 “That was probably the easiest decision in the whole process,” Coleman said.  

“After a lot of research, it became clear to me that the positive image we have of the military is best represented by the Marine Corps.”