Military academies muster a few good grads

Opportunity knocks today for high school seniors when Cibola High School stages Military Academy Day for those looking to serve their country and get a higher education in the process.

For the second time, Yuma hosts five service academies with a chance for upcoming graduates to meet representatives of the U.S. Military, Naval, Air Force, Merchant Marine and Coast Guard Academies.

Interested applicants must get a nomination from their congressional representative or U.S. senator in order to be eligible for admission. U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva of the 7th Congressional District of Arizona will be on hand to meet with students from Yuma and La Paz counties who want to vie for a scholarship to one of the institutions, said Natalie Luna, spokeswoman for Grijalva.

"Ever since he came into office, constituents motivated the congressman to help to get their kids in," Luna said. "He serves on the education and labor committees so he's glad to offer the chance for young people a quality education at no expense to them. It also puts the spotlight on the district's exceptional students."

Invitations were sent out to 175 Cibola students with a grade-point average of 3.5 or better to assemble in the school auditorium at 9 a.m, and then meet academy representatives in the cafeteria until noon.

Applicants do not need to sign a contract to enroll, which is one of the attractions of the academies, said Anatasia Nabozny, Cibola scholarship and testing coordinator.

"We encourage all students who might have an interest to apply because they can always change their mind before their junior year if they decide it's not really for them," Nabozny said.

A four-year scholarship is valued at $325,000, she said. But there is a small fee, less than $1,000 that requires all new cadets to purchase a uniform and a personal computer. Cadets can elect the career field of their choice according to an individual academy's course offerings.

Meanwhile, they must complete simultaneous military training and are required to participate in a sport each semester. After graduation they are commissioned as an officer to fulfill their military service, Nabozny said.

The most difficult time to get a job is right after high school graduation, she said. But once cadets completes their obligation to an academy, they will already have a military and a career background and many employers will view that favorably, she said.

"These academies are quite possibly the most premier academic institutions in the country," Nabozny said. "They get the cream-of-the-crop civilian and military instructors, because the graduates must be in charge of other soldiers and sailors."

Although not every cadet will make a career in the military, a majority frequently do, Nabozny said.

Nicholas Callahan, 17, a Cibola senior, is hoping to meet with Grijalva and get a nomination to the Naval Academy. Callahan said that because it is a top-notch college in sciences, free to go to, and midshipmen get commissioned as a second lieutenant are some of the reasons he was drawn to Military Academy Day.

"I want to go into aerospace engineering," Callahan said. "I like science and flying and I want to put the two together."

Military service runs in Callahan's family as his father is an active duty Marine Corps Air Station air traffic controller. But his father put no pressure on him to go into the military.

"He just wants me to find something I love and do it."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.