Schools
Class of 2013 Grad Headed to West Point
Senator Robert Menendez recently congratulated Kiersten Spencer on her plans for the future, which include a year at Valley Forge, then four at West Point Military Academy.
For one Mahwah High School senior, next week's graduation ceremony is the beginning of what she says may become a military career.
Kiersten Spencer, a 17-year-old high school senior, says that she wasn't really interested in pursuing a military career until West Point Military Academy came to a college fair she attended her junior year.
"The more I learned about it, the more interested I became [in applying]," she told Patch. Then, Spencer was accepted to a leadership camp at West Point last summer, and has essentially started working on her application to the school then.
"I applied to normal schools, too. This application process was much longer, and more rigorous. There's a physical component, and a lot of things you don't need when applying to a regular school," Spencer said.
She also needed to be endorsed by a state officeholder. Spencer received endorsements from Representative Scott Garrett and Senator Robert Menendez.
This spring, Spencer received notice that she was accepted to the West Point Class of 2018. Due to class size restrictions, she will spend a year attending the Valley Forge Military Academy & College in Radnor, PA, before enrolling at the West Point Military Academy next fall.
Menendez was one of the first to congratulate Spencer. She and her family were invited to a reception the Senator held in his Newark office for 15 of the NJ students appointed to the academy this year.
"Kiersten is a remarkable young woman in whom the U.S. Army sees enormous promise, and I am very proud to have nominated her to the United States Military Academy at West Point," Menendez said in a release. "Kiersten and all of New Jersey's young people who will enroll in our nation's military academies possess exceptional talents and abilities. But what makes me most proud is their personal choice to use their abilities in the service of their country."
Spencer has spent a busy four years at MHS. She was involved in soccer, lacrosse, basketball, track, student council, mock trial, and she plays violin.
Though she says she is sad to leave that behind, Spencer says she is very excited to start her journey toward West Point.
"I've always admired men and women in uniform, and I think the West Point graduates are amazing," she said. "It's something I want to be a part of so badly."
Spencer, who said she'd be the first in her family to graduate from West Point, will enter the army upon graduation as a Second Lieutenant. She will be required to serve a minimum of five years.
"I'm not sure yet, but I really think I might make a career out of military service," she said. "It's just something I admire so much."
Stay tuned to Patch for more stories about Class of 2013 Mahwah grads. If you know a graduating senior you think should be highlighted on Patch, email the details to Jessica.mazzola@patch.com.
