Plainfield Senior Earns Full Scholarship From Marines

Submitted by Plainfield East High School

Plainfield East High School senior Bailey Placek wanted to enlist with the United States Marines in his junior year. His mom asked him to hold off until they saw what scholarships he might earn for college.

Turns out, Mom and Uncle Sam agree.

Placek will enlist in the Marines, and attend college with a full-ride scholarship to Loyola University, thanks in part to his excellent grades. He plans to study chemistry and engineering.

He will simultaneously take part in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Northwestern University and graduate college as a Second Lieutenant in the Marines.

Placek is one of only 300 students nationwide to earn the $180,000 scholarship, said United States Marines Staff Sergeant Pablo Chavez. “Bailey is an extremely devoted individual,” Chavez said. “If he had not gotten this scholarship, he was fully ready to go serve his country.”

Indeed, Placek is so single minded, he said he knew he’d get the scholarship. “There wasn’t much doubt in my mind,” he said, matter-of-factly. “I wanted it. That closes the discussion.” He learned about his achievement in April after a rugby practice.

Of course, more work went into the final outcome than Placek suggests.

Placek learned about the NROTC program and scholarship as a high school sophomore, and it fit with his goals. “The Marines are the best of the best,” said Placek, who also played trumpet and French horn in the PEHS band.

Applicants must score at least a 22 out of 36 on their ACT college entrance exam. Placek earned a 29. They must also score at least 74 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The military uses the ASVAB to determine qualification for enlistment in the armed forces. Placek scored an 89.

He also had to pass the Marine Corps fitness test, Chavez said, adding that the recruiters also liked Placek’s involvement with athletics and band.

“He’s a great kid all around,” Chavez said.

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