Mtn. View senior appointed to West Point

Recently, Braden Bell, a Bend High School Senior won an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Now, Tim Gorman of Mountain View High is joining Braden.

Gorman said, “I am extremely honored by the opportunity that has been presented to me.” Tim’s mother Susan says, “We are very proud of him. I got to visit (West Point) and tour during spring break… (We were) so impressed and understood what an achievement and honor this is for him.”

West Point is a highly rated university operated by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop the top officers in the U.S. Army. It is rated in the top 5 universities in the country each year.

Located on a promontory overlooking the Hudson River Valley in New York, the campus is frequently sited as one of the most spectacular in the nation. Students (Cadets) major in subjects familiar to most top universities with emphasis on technical/engineering and leadership/political majors, but also including pre-med, law, social science and many more. Its graduates include two presidents, thousands of generals, and a very large number of Fortune 500 presidents and CEOs.

The application process is quite rigorous requiring a medical physical, a physical performance test, reference letters, an essay, top transcript grades, top SAT/ACT scores, proof of leadership in school and civic groups, and a nomination from one of our national Congress representatives.

This was aggravated for Tim, because he started the process quite late. Gerry Smith, West Point’s Regional Admissions Coordinator recommends starting the process by opening a folder at USMA.edu or WestPoint.edu in March of a student’s junior year. Tim started in October of his senior year.

Tim says, “I would not recommend that to anybody.” He had to get everything done in just three months. He also missed out on the advantages of obtaining the various participation experiences that start in early high school years and add to a candidate’s desirability at West Point Admissions.

Tim joins Braden Bell of Bend High (West Point) and Emily Shunk of Summit High (Air Force Academy) to demonstrate the high caliber of education and character building provided by Bend schools. A student from each of Bend’s high schools will be going to a military academy. We wonder if that has ever happened before.

For more information on West Point and how to apply, contact Gerry Smith, the local West Point Volunteer Admissions Coordinator with the West Point, Oregon Field Force at geraldgsmith@west-point.org 541-306-6976. Learn more about West Point at www.WestPoint.edu