IT and Cyber Security Trade School

Humey said:
As great as the academies are, there are many other fine colleges that are as good or better in terms of that degree. Getting a Cyber degree from Stanford, Cal Tech or MIT might get you a little further in tech world than the Naval Academy (no offense to the Naval Academy) and assuming they have a Rotc program, will get you a commission in the Navy. Not telling you not to try getting into the Naval Academy , but if it doesnt happen, there are other routes to commissioning and just as important there are other schools that have fantastic cyber programs. My son did AF Rotc and is now in pilot training. Do you know what the differnce between him and the other student pilot who came out of the Air Force Academy? A different class ring. And yes there are other intangible benefits when you go through the academies and no one can deny it, but for all practical purposes, there is no differnence once you commission
Click to expand...

You think OP’s chances are better to get into MIT, Stanford or Cal Tech than Naval Academy?
 
A1Janitor said:
Humey said:
As great as the academies are, there are many other fine colleges that are as good or better in terms of that degree. Getting a Cyber degree from Stanford, Cal Tech or MIT might get you a little further in tech world than the Naval Academy (no offense to the Naval Academy) and assuming they have a Rotc program, will get you a commission in the Navy. Not telling you not to try getting into the Naval Academy , but if it doesnt happen, there are other routes to commissioning and just as important there are other schools that have fantastic cyber programs. My son did AF Rotc and is now in pilot training. Do you know what the differnce between him and the other student pilot who came out of the Air Force Academy? A different class ring. And yes there are other intangible benefits when you go through the academies and no one can deny it, but for all practical purposes, there is no differnence once you commission
Click to expand...

You think OP’s chances are better to get into MIT, Stanford or Cal Tech than Naval Academy?
Click to expand...

Ha, I was about to say the same! As hard as these colleges are I have not made a commitment this far in my junior year I believe that my chances are slim, even though I plan to take the ACT and SAT again and receive higher scores. I just haven't had the mindset to be attending any of these colleges, my first priority has been USNA, to change to these colleges who are higher than USNA in terms of standards on a whim would probably not yield great results. The aforementioned student who takes the peer facilitator class with me at my school has his eyes set on ivy league who will be taking the SAT and ACT again with me? He is Rank 1 with numerous others, another rank 1 being a close friend looking at Cal Tech. I'm currently in the rank 100 range, I am in the top 25% of my class but stacked up against them I don't think I would personally fair too well.

All in all, I'll probably keep my eyes set on USNA/USAFA (both have Cyber Ops majors) and the Enlistee route, I will probably continue to pursue the Certifications, but with relative ease compared to before. I'll spend my time focusing on CFA and increasing those SAT and ACT if they still aren't where I want them when I retake them in February and March. The reasoning I will continue the certs is like I said before, a recent graduate went enlisted into cryptology, she soared through the school as the curriculum was parallel to that of our own. They may be useless in the long term as they expire with any certification, but if I am not only able to impress my CO just by being ahead of the game when it comes to IT in the enlisted route, but be prepared in the mental and education game if it comes down to the enlisted route, its a cause well worth it in my own opinion.
 
A1Janitor said:
Humey said:
As great as the academies are, there are many other fine colleges that are as good or better in terms of that degree. Getting a Cyber degree from Stanford, Cal Tech or MIT might get you a little further in tech world than the Naval Academy (no offense to the Naval Academy) and assuming they have a Rotc program, will get you a commission in the Navy. Not telling you not to try getting into the Naval Academy , but if it doesnt happen, there are other routes to commissioning and just as important there are other schools that have fantastic cyber programs. My son did AF Rotc and is now in pilot training. Do you know what the differnce between him and the other student pilot who came out of the Air Force Academy? A different class ring. And yes there are other intangible benefits when you go through the academies and no one can deny it, but for all practical purposes, there is no differnence once you commission
Click to expand...

You think OP’s chances are better to get into MIT, Stanford or Cal Tech than Naval Academy?
Click to expand...
No, but i was responding to his comment "I viewed them as them as a lesser option to USNA" when in fact there are schools just as good or better. I guess I could have added there are schools who arent as hard to get into who have good cyber programs but I was making a point. Lets also be honest, there are kids who will never get into an academy for one reason or another and could easily get into MIT or Stanford.
 
A girl in my son’s class just got accepted into MIT. She was ranked 5th in her class and her grades were slightly lower than my son’s grades ... and her SATs were similar.

MIT was interested in my son but he decided he didn’t want to go that route. He was flirting with the Ivy’s too.

I personally think you should work hard at the SATs and look into NAPS.

I hope you make it.
 
Humey said:
A1Janitor said:
Humey said:
As great as the academies are, there are many other fine colleges that are as good or better in terms of that degree. Getting a Cyber degree from Stanford, Cal Tech or MIT might get you a little further in tech world than the Naval Academy (no offense to the Naval Academy) and assuming they have a Rotc program, will get you a commission in the Navy. Not telling you not to try getting into the Naval Academy , but if it doesnt happen, there are other routes to commissioning and just as important there are other schools that have fantastic cyber programs. My son did AF Rotc and is now in pilot training. Do you know what the differnce between him and the other student pilot who came out of the Air Force Academy? A different class ring. And yes there are other intangible benefits when you go through the academies and no one can deny it, but for all practical purposes, there is no differnence once you commission
Click to expand...

You think OP’s chances are better to get into MIT, Stanford or Cal Tech than Naval Academy?
Click to expand...
No, but i was responding to his comment "I viewed them as them as a lesser option to USNA" when in fact there are schools just as good or better. I guess I could have added there are schools who arent as hard to get into who have good cyber programs but I was making a point. Lets also be honest, there are kids who will never get into an academy for one reason or another and could easily get into MIT or Stanford.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

My son qualifies for that. They don’t have a color blind test for those schools.
 
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Humey said:
A1Janitor said:
Humey said:
As great as the academies are, there are many other fine colleges that are as good or better in terms of that degree. Getting a Cyber degree from Stanford, Cal Tech or MIT might get you a little further in tech world than the Naval Academy (no offense to the Naval Academy) and assuming they have a Rotc program, will get you a commission in the Navy. Not telling you not to try getting into the Naval Academy , but if it doesnt happen, there are other routes to commissioning and just as important there are other schools that have fantastic cyber programs. My son did AF Rotc and is now in pilot training. Do you know what the differnce between him and the other student pilot who came out of the Air Force Academy? A different class ring. And yes there are other intangible benefits when you go through the academies and no one can deny it, but for all practical purposes, there is no differnence once you commission
Click to expand...

You think OP’s chances are better to get into MIT, Stanford or Cal Tech than Naval Academy?
Click to expand...
No, but i was responding to his comment "I viewed them as them as a lesser option to USNA" when in fact there are schools just as good or better. I guess I could have added there are schools who arent as hard to get into who have good cyber programs but I was making a point. Lets also be honest, there are kids who will never get into an academy for one reason or another and could easily get into MIT or Stanford.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can see where I messed up when I said that...I viewed them as a lesser option just compared to the atmosphere that I'm seeing at USNA. My past year I've been thinking Navy, Navy, Navy and haven't taken any ROTC into consideration at any, I will surely start applying for ROTC to all schools to see what I can actually get into, maybe take a visit if there is anything that actually accepts me. I just haven't thought of any of these routes due to my severely low scores which I have to give a few months to get up. I am fully willing to attend NAPS or any foundational school, as they are basically the enlistee route, more time to travel but the destination remains the same.
 
VelveteenR said:
And then there's the military's take on what makes for a good cyber program:

https://rebootcamp.militarytimes.co...p-new-ranking-of-best-cybersecurity-programs/

https://www.militarytimes.com/educa...ilitary-times-10-best-cybersecurity-programs/
Click to expand...
That is NOT the "Military's take on what makes for a good cyber program" by any means. That is MILITARY TIMES. . (an independent newspaper/media)
which does its own thing very often. The Defense Media series of papers: Navy Times, Army Times, etc often tend to be gossip/scandal sheets with little
connection to what the services are doing/thinking.
 
Jhenry904 said:
I appreciate the input, I now realize the extreme gravity of my SAT and ACT scores, since I'm already on the last few legs of my Networking Certifications I will finish those first then promptly resume studying for the aforementioned tests. The one downside of the trade school like I said was that it does severely limit my free time, I will most definitely focus upon these tests in the upcoming months. I will continue to focus on CFA, the one dilemma that I see is to halt my lifting, focus on the running(my mile is currently 8:30), I have the sit ups and push ups down, I've gotten up to 3 pull-ups from last year when I started and was unable to do even one. If I were to actually receive the appointment and follow my plan of football, aren't I to just return to my current work out schedule? I know for a fact that I would be one to play line, as I played from 3rd to 8th grade, they prioritize the "big guys" which I fall under at measly 240 Lbs and 6 foot 3 inches, do they not take your desired sport into consideration when weighing your CFA scores?

Questions about my leadership, I worked as a summer camp counselor where I had direct subordinates under me I was responsible for teaching, disciplining, and directing orders. I also served as the assistant leader of the camp, under the elected leader, who I lost to by one vote. The camp was 4 weeks long and saw 100 hundred kids each week, I was responsible for 7 to 14 kids at a time, sometimes alone with my CITs (counselors in training). I excelled at my job and was responsible enough that I received "Staff Member of the Week"amongst 30 other members, only 4 would recieve the reward. For my leadership, the ability to teach effectively, and lastly my self-discipline that I could reflect onto others I was invited back to serve as the leader next year, provided I didn't make the USNA summer seminar where I would have to skip a week and be disqualified to lead. I continue to volunteer for the camp director outside of this camp on various Sundays teaching sailing to kids for no pay, which I taught at the camp previously. I will most definitely use my camp director for a recommendation as she has first-hand experience with my leadership, and willingness to say no to any tedious task.

Secondly, for leadership, an hour out of my day is to serve as a peer facilitator which also grants me the position of mentor officer. First and foremost, the peer facilitator class, I serve as a mediator with two other students who believe have high aspirations, one even attends football at our school and is shooting for any of the Ivy League schools. As a mediator I take part in conflict resolution at my school under the school counselors, I bring students in who have arguments in class, we listen to each story, address the problems, brainstorm ideas for what each prospective student wants, then lastly agree upon something to resolve the conflict. I received training upon this subject and used both in class as a mediator and outside in other leadership positions. The other aforementioned position is a mentor officer, the mentor club is used to greet incoming freshmen to our school, as many students find the transition initially hard. As a mentor we are assigned mentees and are responsible for communications with them basically letting them know of school events and serving as a guide to their newly encountered problems at high school. That is a typical mentor, however, as an officer I am responsible for other mentors, I serve as a head of the committee, the emcee committee where we do all the talking in front of the freshman class, and lastly I serve as valuable input along with other officers to the counselors of the school. The same counselors I might use as a recommendation as well.

I don't know if I should ever mention this for leadership but I worked as a dishwasher for about two months, while I like to say I worked a part-time job the hours were basically full time with 70 hours accumulated over two weeks. The managers seemingly forgetting that my coworkers and I were full-time students in high school, nonetheless it taught me responsibility and camaraderie, asI came in for my coworkers, not for the money, as I knew if I quit they would have been left in the dust. It's also worth mentioning that I did give a one week notice when I quit, and my fellow coworkers walked out on their last night as it was close to finals and was running close to 2 am, so the establishment is unable to be used as a recommendation.

Now my trade school, where I serve as an Officer in the CTSO, SkillsUSA. CTSO means Career and Technical Student Organization, where I may run as a state officer in March for my state but I question if it is worth running, should I focus more on academics? A state officer is a very demanding role out of a normal student with just 4 classes, with me and my trade school next year, I imagine the absences will soar and my grades may drop... Nonetheless As an officer in my CTSO I am responsible for decisions made on the student body's behalf, I do not hold the position of president as a year 2 does, but I will promptly take that over as head of my class with the most certifications out of anyone, 5 before the end of January before anyone has 2. There isn't much more to say regarding the officer role, sometimes when the teacher does step out to do something he puts me in charge instead. When the time comes I will use him as a recommendation as he has the first-hand experience of my work ethic, leadership, and academic ability.

Lastly, Boy Scout roles. I was Assitant Senior Patrol Leader for a year, where I took upon the mantle of SPL many times like the current one at the time was often absent, I was also responsible for heading events, taking charge, and disciplining those under me served as the basis for my role in the summer camp. Once the troop realized how much I excelled I was offered the position of SPL the next year and was voted in, where I had done exactly the same before, just this time I was actually SPL not just for the time being. I went on to be elected to the Order of the Arrow and went through the rigorous ordeal, which served as a basis of my ideas and morals of commitment towards servitude and intense labor under one unifying cause. I went onto receive brotherhood where I currently sit, as receiving the rank of Vigil at age 16 is virtually impossible, I speak on behalf of the O/A for my troop currently as well as for the summer camp I attended. The reason for my eagle taking so long as the trade school, however, that is all about to change as I will surely find a Project in the upcoming months, receive the last 3 merit badges I need, and fulfill my court of honor by July 9th when my 6th months are finally up.

The church mentioned before, a large church with many locations across my city, I served as a volunteer back when my brother was still working there at age 15, so about age 9. I did taper off here and there but I'm asking, is it worth putting in the time in volunteering there or should I potentially put it somewhere else. The leaders could provide another necessary recommendation as they have seen me work, the jobs I did they were usually dishwashing(ironic), food prep, or food serving. The food serving is where I grew most, as a little child I was out of place and unable to speak to anyone, simply listening to the words of my superiors and what food to grab. Now as a 16-year old I serve opposite jobs, serving as the front for the serving, talking to people, and even telling those under me, although rarely, on what to do.

I listed all of these as they are the most recent and current leadership spots that I can mention to my head, if you believe that I may need some more time spent here, I would appreciate the input. Should I focus on state officer or academics or potentially try both? Should I focus on more community service at this church as opposed to my certifications and concrete evidence of my work, as opposed to my word and my "boss's" word? Just let me know what you think...
Click to expand...

As said by CrewDad, work on CFA and SAT ACT scores the most. Stop focusing so much on the certifications and do them secondarily opposed to your main focus. As stated before many times on this forum, during your time at USNA you will be expected to do more than you can do in a 24 hour day. Yes, become a state officer for your program and exceed at it, and exceed at school, and be a selfless helper at your church, and become an eagle scout, and dedicate yourself to getting your SAT/ACT scores up, and to proper fitness, and to your IT classes. However, you can't do all that, though if you could I'd be thoroughly impressed and you'd definitely do well at USNA, so do as much as you can do and can do well in your life. Maybe you won't be able to get all the possible certifications in your classes, or won't be able to continue volunteering at your church. Pick what you think will be the most beneficial to your life in the military and at USNA. You have to face that you might be voluntold to do something other than Cyber, so maybe stop focusing so much on that. I'd say focus on academics, SAT/ACT, proper fitness, and proving your dedication to military. Looking at your above post, and keep in mind that I am not an insider at USNA admissions, and have no experience beyond that of yourself, ie. on this forum and from SA grads, I'd say you have proven your leadership and dedication. Of course, you will be going up against people who have similar or better credentials, but your case does seem fairly hopeful for a direct appointment or for prep school. I will advise you, expect to not be qualified enough and not get an appointment, but rather than becoming discouraged at this fact do everything you can to change it.

On another note, what state/county are you in? I do not intend to track you down, but you indicate in your posts that you go to a specifically IT focused CTSO school. I've never heard of a school like this. Do you go to a private school, or is it part of a county-wide initiative? My county (Guilford County, NC) seems to be moving in a similar direction. See this link - https://www.greensboro.com/blogs/th...cle_8c3b3e4f-078e-563b-beea-69d5282d5e91.html
 
FutureMarine07 said:
Jhenry904 said:
I appreciate the input, I now realize the extreme gravity of my SAT and ACT scores, since I'm already on the last few legs of my Networking Certifications I will finish those first then promptly resume studying for the aforementioned tests. The one downside of the trade school like I said was that it does severely limit my free time, I will most definitely focus upon these tests in the upcoming months. I will continue to focus on CFA, the one dilemma that I see is to halt my lifting, focus on the running(my mile is currently 8:30), I have the sit ups and push ups down, I've gotten up to 3 pull-ups from last year when I started and was unable to do even one. If I were to actually receive the appointment and follow my plan of football, aren't I to just return to my current work out schedule? I know for a fact that I would be one to play line, as I played from 3rd to 8th grade, they prioritize the "big guys" which I fall under at measly 240 Lbs and 6 foot 3 inches, do they not take your desired sport into consideration when weighing your CFA scores?

Questions about my leadership, I worked as a summer camp counselor where I had direct subordinates under me I was responsible for teaching, disciplining, and directing orders. I also served as the assistant leader of the camp, under the elected leader, who I lost to by one vote. The camp was 4 weeks long and saw 100 hundred kids each week, I was responsible for 7 to 14 kids at a time, sometimes alone with my CITs (counselors in training). I excelled at my job and was responsible enough that I received "Staff Member of the Week"amongst 30 other members, only 4 would recieve the reward. For my leadership, the ability to teach effectively, and lastly my self-discipline that I could reflect onto others I was invited back to serve as the leader next year, provided I didn't make the USNA summer seminar where I would have to skip a week and be disqualified to lead. I continue to volunteer for the camp director outside of this camp on various Sundays teaching sailing to kids for no pay, which I taught at the camp previously. I will most definitely use my camp director for a recommendation as she has first-hand experience with my leadership, and willingness to say no to any tedious task.

Secondly, for leadership, an hour out of my day is to serve as a peer facilitator which also grants me the position of mentor officer. First and foremost, the peer facilitator class, I serve as a mediator with two other students who believe have high aspirations, one even attends football at our school and is shooting for any of the Ivy League schools. As a mediator I take part in conflict resolution at my school under the school counselors, I bring students in who have arguments in class, we listen to each story, address the problems, brainstorm ideas for what each prospective student wants, then lastly agree upon something to resolve the conflict. I received training upon this subject and used both in class as a mediator and outside in other leadership positions. The other aforementioned position is a mentor officer, the mentor club is used to greet incoming freshmen to our school, as many students find the transition initially hard. As a mentor we are assigned mentees and are responsible for communications with them basically letting them know of school events and serving as a guide to their newly encountered problems at high school. That is a typical mentor, however, as an officer I am responsible for other mentors, I serve as a head of the committee, the emcee committee where we do all the talking in front of the freshman class, and lastly I serve as valuable input along with other officers to the counselors of the school. The same counselors I might use as a recommendation as well.

I don't know if I should ever mention this for leadership but I worked as a dishwasher for about two months, while I like to say I worked a part-time job the hours were basically full time with 70 hours accumulated over two weeks. The managers seemingly forgetting that my coworkers and I were full-time students in high school, nonetheless it taught me responsibility and camaraderie, asI came in for my coworkers, not for the money, as I knew if I quit they would have been left in the dust. It's also worth mentioning that I did give a one week notice when I quit, and my fellow coworkers walked out on their last night as it was close to finals and was running close to 2 am, so the establishment is unable to be used as a recommendation.

Now my trade school, where I serve as an Officer in the CTSO, SkillsUSA. CTSO means Career and Technical Student Organization, where I may run as a state officer in March for my state but I question if it is worth running, should I focus more on academics? A state officer is a very demanding role out of a normal student with just 4 classes, with me and my trade school next year, I imagine the absences will soar and my grades may drop... Nonetheless As an officer in my CTSO I am responsible for decisions made on the student body's behalf, I do not hold the position of president as a year 2 does, but I will promptly take that over as head of my class with the most certifications out of anyone, 5 before the end of January before anyone has 2. There isn't much more to say regarding the officer role, sometimes when the teacher does step out to do something he puts me in charge instead. When the time comes I will use him as a recommendation as he has the first-hand experience of my work ethic, leadership, and academic ability.

Lastly, Boy Scout roles. I was Assitant Senior Patrol Leader for a year, where I took upon the mantle of SPL many times like the current one at the time was often absent, I was also responsible for heading events, taking charge, and disciplining those under me served as the basis for my role in the summer camp. Once the troop realized how much I excelled I was offered the position of SPL the next year and was voted in, where I had done exactly the same before, just this time I was actually SPL not just for the time being. I went on to be elected to the Order of the Arrow and went through the rigorous ordeal, which served as a basis of my ideas and morals of commitment towards servitude and intense labor under one unifying cause. I went onto receive brotherhood where I currently sit, as receiving the rank of Vigil at age 16 is virtually impossible, I speak on behalf of the O/A for my troop currently as well as for the summer camp I attended. The reason for my eagle taking so long as the trade school, however, that is all about to change as I will surely find a Project in the upcoming months, receive the last 3 merit badges I need, and fulfill my court of honor by July 9th when my 6th months are finally up.

The church mentioned before, a large church with many locations across my city, I served as a volunteer back when my brother was still working there at age 15, so about age 9. I did taper off here and there but I'm asking, is it worth putting in the time in volunteering there or should I potentially put it somewhere else. The leaders could provide another necessary recommendation as they have seen me work, the jobs I did they were usually dishwashing(ironic), food prep, or food serving. The food serving is where I grew most, as a little child I was out of place and unable to speak to anyone, simply listening to the words of my superiors and what food to grab. Now as a 16-year old I serve opposite jobs, serving as the front for the serving, talking to people, and even telling those under me, although rarely, on what to do.

I listed all of these as they are the most recent and current leadership spots that I can mention to my head, if you believe that I may need some more time spent here, I would appreciate the input. Should I focus on state officer or academics or potentially try both? Should I focus on more community service at this church as opposed to my certifications and concrete evidence of my work, as opposed to my word and my "boss's" word? Just let me know what you think...
Click to expand...

As said by CrewDad, work on CFA and SAT ACT scores the most. Stop focusing so much on the certifications and do them secondarily opposed to your main focus. As stated before many times on this forum, during your time at USNA you will be expected to do more than you can do in a 24 hour day. Yes, become a state officer for your program and exceed at it, and exceed at school, and be a selfless helper at your church, and become an eagle scout, and dedicate yourself to getting your SAT/ACT scores up, and to proper fitness, and to your IT classes. However, you can't do all that, though if you could I'd be thoroughly impressed and you'd definitely do well at USNA, so do as much as you can do and can do well in your life. Maybe you won't be able to get all the possible certifications in your classes, or won't be able to continue volunteering at your church. Pick what you think will be the most beneficial to your life in the military and at USNA. You have to face that you might be voluntold to do something other than Cyber, so maybe stop focusing so much on that. I'd say focus on academics, SAT/ACT, proper fitness, and proving your dedication to military. Looking at your above post, and keep in mind that I am not an insider at USNA admissions, and have no experience beyond that of yourself, ie. on this forum and from SA grads, I'd say you have proven your leadership and dedication. Of course, you will be going up against people who have similar or better credentials, but your case does seem fairly hopeful for a direct appointment or for prep school. I will advise you, expect to not be qualified enough and not get an appointment, but rather than becoming discouraged at this fact do everything you can to change it.

On another note, what state/county are you in? I do not intend to track you down, but you indicate in your posts that you go to a specifically IT focused CTSO school. I've never heard of a school like this. Do you go to a private school, or is it part of a county-wide initiative? My county (Guilford County, NC) seems to be moving in a similar direction. See this link - https://www.greensboro.com/blogs/th...cle_8c3b3e4f-078e-563b-beea-69d5282d5e91.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the final input, that's the type of encouragement and motivation that I need to push myself and transform into the best version of me. I will most definitely try for State Officer as competitive and exhausting it is, but I would put it low on my list. I will continue the church volunteering as its really only two hours every Saturday and doesn't take much other than my time to do. For eagle scout, I should be getting that relatively easy, just needed to focus on that Project. Overall, I will finish Networking over the Christmas break(as I've already started it), SAT and ACT, then State Officer(I'll give it a shot), and lastly Eagle. All while this happening I will up those CFA scores.

As for your question I live in Maricopa County, AZ. Its a trade school funded by the county, students have a one-time payment of usually 125$, some programs like Aviation and Cosmetology have 1000. The school is CTE across the board, most programs don't offer the degree of certs and dual credits that mine does but its great to get a taste of what you want in life. I also neglected to mention that I am an ambassador for the school as well, I volunteer at events and speak for the school, currently sitting at the most hours volunteered out of any of the 30 ambassadors across the board, feel free to ask any more questions as I love talking about the trade school!
 
@Jhenry904, it's a shame you aren't doing the Air Conditioning Technician program ;-).
Seems like a similar program to my county, though ours is still in infancy. Currently we have an aviation school, which is more focused on maintenance than piloting, and a automobile technician program. Very interesting reading about similar programs across the US.
 
FutureMarine07 said:
Devil Doc said:
MIT was my safety school.
Click to expand...

Where did you end up going?
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I was in Navy boot camp three weeks after high school. I’m a retired Senior Chief who got my degrees part time throughout 26 years and after retirement and now teach high school. Fortunately my kids went straight to college. I specialize in helping under-served students like I was, succeed.

I was joking about MIT.
 
You sound like my boy. Determined to serve and prepared to do so. Don't short change yourself into thinking USNA is the only leadership laboratory that will offer cyber and work for you. We all mean it when we say if cyber is your goal USNA will not guarantee that will be your career path. You would be a sailor and surface warfare officer first and foremost, and it could be years if ever getting to use your skills.

There are plenty of other ways to serve as a cyber warrior. Navy (at select schools) and Army both have direct commissioning after a degree. The NSA, DOD and a specific federal program all have scholarships that mirror ROTC programs for cyber security degrees.

With your trade school and certifications, and Eagle Scout you could enlist right now in the Navy, earn E3 and 6 months to E4 out of basic training, and after 6 years apply for the Warrant Officer program (highly desirable!). Your signing bonuses and contracts for career would be an asset to you and your country and still earn GI Bill funds and a chance to apply for USNA after you use your skills.

Trade school is earning you a skill set, but USNA will not be the place to use those skills.

Really ask yourself what your goal is - SWO or cyber warrior, and tailor your plan to fulfill that goal.
 
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I’ll just add that you should look into the Stokes Scholarship at the National Security Agency. Basically is an ROTC scholarship on steroids, but for an NSA service obligation (civilian employee). I agree with the others; for someone so dominantly passionate about cyber compared to broader interests, the Naval Academy (and even ROTC), aren’t the best routes.
 
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