News Home

Military Service Academies meet with Triad students

By: Chad Mira 11/02/2013 05:24 PM 

CLEMMONS, N.C.—Taylor Rodenhuis has applied to every military academy in the country.

"I really am interested in just proving to myself what it means to be an American and I want to give back to my country," Rodenhuis said.

But getting accepted is not easy. The academies require a nomination.

"There's different applications for each congressman. There's different applications for each senator and there's different applications for presidential nominations, and there's another application for the Naval Academy," Midshipman First Class Gerald Rimmer said.

Rimmer's been through the process with the U.S. Naval Academy. He spoke Saturday at the fifth district's first ever Service Academy Day; an event to help prospective students make their applications stand out.

"I've been to a lot of these and keep learning every time I go," Rodenhuis said. 

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx organized the event, bringing in representatives from all of the academies.

"We want the best and the brightest to go into our military academies and I'm delighted that we have a lot of interest every year from young people in the fifth district," Foxx said.

Her office can nominate those people who want to join service men and women like Rimmer. 

"It's been everything I could've hoped for. It's provided me so many opportunities both educationally and professionally. I'm not even out yet but if I chose to leave I know it's going to set me up for success," Rimmer said.

Foxx said if you missed the open house, you can call her office in Clemmons for information on applying to a military academy.