To those that commented and advised on my two previous posts, thank you very much for the thoughts. We went to our first "Service Academy Day" about an hour away from us this morning and it was a great thing to attend - we learned a ton of useful information! My daughter was very well received and felt she was being taken seriously in her answers and what she had to say about future goals. While I parked, she went in on her own and it was a little bit of time before I was able to join up with her (had to get my other two younger kids settled). Finally when I found her she was doing great, talking on her own to various adults without hiding behind or waiting for me. We only hit the USNA, USCGA & the USMMA tables as these are her main focus (USCGA being her top choice). Lots of great tips (leadership, leadership, leadership) & suggestions on what comes next for the process. I'm glad I found this forum as it has already been a great resource and I will continue to refer to it as we get closer to application time!
We did have one awkward moment though...at one point, my daughter was asked what is her favorite class so far & she said she couldn't choose between Pre-Calculus or Intro to Welding and was explaining why. A boy behind her (waiting his turn) chuckled at his buddy saying "gimme a break....." to which a gentleman listening to my daughter overheard & stopped her mid-sentence. He looked straight at the boy & said "son, I suggest you refrain from your comments about another. You might meet again in a few years and just might need her to tutor you so you can get through a class. I suggest you support your possible future classmate because that is what we do - we work as one" My daughter looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock and the boy was looking for an even bigger rock. It was the first time an adult didn't laugh at her interest in welding and she felt very empowered after that exchange.
Thank you again.
We did have one awkward moment though...at one point, my daughter was asked what is her favorite class so far & she said she couldn't choose between Pre-Calculus or Intro to Welding and was explaining why. A boy behind her (waiting his turn) chuckled at his buddy saying "gimme a break....." to which a gentleman listening to my daughter overheard & stopped her mid-sentence. He looked straight at the boy & said "son, I suggest you refrain from your comments about another. You might meet again in a few years and just might need her to tutor you so you can get through a class. I suggest you support your possible future classmate because that is what we do - we work as one" My daughter looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock and the boy was looking for an even bigger rock. It was the first time an adult didn't laugh at her interest in welding and she felt very empowered after that exchange.
Thank you again.