Warsaw Grad Shares West Point Experiences
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Erin Windle-
Traveling to seven different high schools in the surrounding area this past week, Olds described and explained West Point to see if the academy appealed to any students.[[In-content Ad]]"A lot of them don't know anything about West Point, so I'm here to let them know of the kinds of opportunities offered," Olds said.
So far, there have been 10 interested students who Olds met with at the National Guard Armory in Fort Wayne to talk about admissions.
Olds was accepted to West Point as a high school senior in 2005.
Among other requirements, Olds had to submit her academic transcripts, extracurricular activities, a medical evaluation, and she had to be nominated by either a member of Congress or the Department of the Army.
Olds received a nomination from Senator Richard Lugar.
Olds said she wanted to go to West Point because her parents were enlisted in the Army, and she had always wanted to follow in their footsteps.
But she also wanted to go to college, and West Point offered both.
With two years completed, Olds is a computer science major and is enlisted in the army.
She wears a uniform every day, where days begin at 6:30 a.m. with a formation for breakfast. After breakfast, students attend classes, then have a formation before lunch. More classes follow, and then it is athletic time, she said.
Everyone is on some sort of athletic team, whether it is a division sport, club sport or smaller team sport, she said.
From 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. is study period when students can stay in their residences and do homework.
Weekends and summers are saved for military training, Olds said.
"The first summer is cadet basic training where you learn basic military skills," she said. "The second summer is cadet field training."
Field training consists of learning all different types of weapons and movement techniques.
Olds will return to West Point today, but will not be there for long.
On Monday, she leaves for Vicenza, Italy. Olds will be located at an Army base where she will shadow a first lieutenant for learning purposes.
She also will be attending airborne school in mid-July.
Traveling to seven different high schools in the surrounding area this past week, Olds described and explained West Point to see if the academy appealed to any students.[[In-content Ad]]"A lot of them don't know anything about West Point, so I'm here to let them know of the kinds of opportunities offered," Olds said.
So far, there have been 10 interested students who Olds met with at the National Guard Armory in Fort Wayne to talk about admissions.
Olds was accepted to West Point as a high school senior in 2005.
Among other requirements, Olds had to submit her academic transcripts, extracurricular activities, a medical evaluation, and she had to be nominated by either a member of Congress or the Department of the Army.
Olds received a nomination from Senator Richard Lugar.
Olds said she wanted to go to West Point because her parents were enlisted in the Army, and she had always wanted to follow in their footsteps.
But she also wanted to go to college, and West Point offered both.
With two years completed, Olds is a computer science major and is enlisted in the army.
She wears a uniform every day, where days begin at 6:30 a.m. with a formation for breakfast. After breakfast, students attend classes, then have a formation before lunch. More classes follow, and then it is athletic time, she said.
Everyone is on some sort of athletic team, whether it is a division sport, club sport or smaller team sport, she said.
From 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. is study period when students can stay in their residences and do homework.
Weekends and summers are saved for military training, Olds said.
"The first summer is cadet basic training where you learn basic military skills," she said. "The second summer is cadet field training."
Field training consists of learning all different types of weapons and movement techniques.
Olds will return to West Point today, but will not be there for long.
On Monday, she leaves for Vicenza, Italy. Olds will be located at an Army base where she will shadow a first lieutenant for learning purposes.
She also will be attending airborne school in mid-July.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092