This year, seniors Ryan Skandalis, Sam Dlugokenski, Chris Dattoli, Andrew Brown, and Justin Mangin received admission into one of the two most prestigious military academies: West Point and The Naval Academy.
Ryan and Chris will be attending The Naval Academy while Sam, Justin, and Andrew are headed to West Point. These two universities have extremely rigorous application processes and an acceptance rate of under 11%.
In order to be considered for either of these academies, students must meet exceptional academic requirements, pass physical and health examinations, and obtain strong recommendation letters. For five JC seniors to be accepted into these institutions is commendable.
However, this accomplishment did not come without difficulty. Both Andrew and Ryan explained that the hardest part of the application process was waiting for the result.
Sam said, “For me the biggest hurdle was mental. I struggled a lot with keeping myself on track and making sure that I got all my moving parts in on time.”
Although these hurdles were hard to work through, the students agreed that JC prepared and helped them a lot throughout the process.
Ryan explained, “Mrs. Smith was able to answer questions and organize the many materials and letters that we needed to send into various different admission offices.”
Chris commented, “John Carroll helped me by providing high-level classes and giving me extra time in college planning class to work on the application.”
Ultimately though, their hard work and patience paid off. Sam received her acceptance letter in March and felt “so excited and overjoyed.”
Ryan found out in January and said, “It felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.”
Chris also received confirmation of his acceptance in January. “I felt accomplished since years of work were finally rewarded.”
Now, the students are excited to embark on the new journey that they have ahead of them.
Andrew said, “It means everything to represent such a profound country and to ultimately lead America’s sons and daughters. I am overwhelmed with excitement for the future and owe lots of this success to God and my family, friends and coaches.”
Sam commented, “The most rewarding part of the process was being able to live my childhood dream; every step of this process has been fulfilling my dreams for years.”