On Friday my son and I attended "Vandal Friday" at the University of Idaho. This campus actually has an outstanding engineering school. At any rate, DS put it on his list of school for NROTC in the event he doesn't get an appointment. We went to Vandal Friday, just to give ourselves something to do while we wait and to give DS a glimpse of what he might be looking at next year if "his dream" does not come to be.
We went to the NROTC booth and couldn't have talked to a better young man. He was from Southern California. A year ago, he was in the exact spot my son is in right now...waiting on an appointment and no word from NROTC either. He finally got a TWE, which was quickly followed by an NROTC scholarship to a school in Virginia. The problem...he hadn't applied to any schools in VA! He called headquarters and they advised him to contact the schools he had applied to to see if they would let him transfer his scholarship. None of the schools he had applied to had openings. Now here it is in late April and he doesn't have a college to go to or a way to pay. He called HQ again and they gave him a list of available colleges. U of I was one of them (I'm sure no one is surprised here!) Anyway, he packed up and moved to Idaho where he was met with some brutal weather...it's nothing like Southern Cal! Long story short, he LOVES it! Loves the school, loves his unit, loves it!
I found this so encouraging on many levels. I think it took remarkable strength of character on his part to suck it up and go to the very last place he would ever consider. I think it proves that there are many outstanding young men and women who will reach their goals in the military without going to the Academy. It's easy to get caught up in the "prestige" of the whole selection process, but the bottom line is...these kids are stepping up to the plate and serving in extraordinary ways, wherever they end up.
On the way home, my son said, "You know what. I really want the Academy, but I could make this work if I had to." This was HUGE. I know many of you parents are with me on this. We are so proud of our kids for even getting this far and we want all of their dreams to come true. The disappointment that awaits those who will be facing a TWE weighs heavy for ALL of us who are waiting. I think this young man's story just proves that there is a plan at work bigger and better than what we might imagine and we have to trust that it will all work together for the good of our children.
Kat
We went to the NROTC booth and couldn't have talked to a better young man. He was from Southern California. A year ago, he was in the exact spot my son is in right now...waiting on an appointment and no word from NROTC either. He finally got a TWE, which was quickly followed by an NROTC scholarship to a school in Virginia. The problem...he hadn't applied to any schools in VA! He called headquarters and they advised him to contact the schools he had applied to to see if they would let him transfer his scholarship. None of the schools he had applied to had openings. Now here it is in late April and he doesn't have a college to go to or a way to pay. He called HQ again and they gave him a list of available colleges. U of I was one of them (I'm sure no one is surprised here!) Anyway, he packed up and moved to Idaho where he was met with some brutal weather...it's nothing like Southern Cal! Long story short, he LOVES it! Loves the school, loves his unit, loves it!
I found this so encouraging on many levels. I think it took remarkable strength of character on his part to suck it up and go to the very last place he would ever consider. I think it proves that there are many outstanding young men and women who will reach their goals in the military without going to the Academy. It's easy to get caught up in the "prestige" of the whole selection process, but the bottom line is...these kids are stepping up to the plate and serving in extraordinary ways, wherever they end up.
On the way home, my son said, "You know what. I really want the Academy, but I could make this work if I had to." This was HUGE. I know many of you parents are with me on this. We are so proud of our kids for even getting this far and we want all of their dreams to come true. The disappointment that awaits those who will be facing a TWE weighs heavy for ALL of us who are waiting. I think this young man's story just proves that there is a plan at work bigger and better than what we might imagine and we have to trust that it will all work together for the good of our children.
Kat
