Article published Dec 27, 2003
Future officer of America
Strong Vincent girl accepted to WestPoint
By
VERONICA GORLEY
veronica.gorley@timesnews.com
Most students spend the summer after graduating high school working or hanging
out with friends.
Jessica Ray will spend it at boot camp, preparing for four years of studies at
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
Ray, a 17-year-old Strong Vincent High School senior, is believed to be the
first female from the Erie School District to be accepted to West Point.
It's an honor that didn't come easily.
She had applications and interviews. She had to take the athletic test twice
because she was a few seconds shy of the mark the first time. She had to retake
the SATs to score a few points more. She had to have a recommendation letter
re-sent when her sponsor lost the first copy. She had to visit the doctor to
make sure her heart murmur that doctors found in her senior year wouldn't stand
in her way.
Then she had to wait to find out if she made the cut.
And two weeks ago, when she received the letter telling her she did, she mailed
her acceptance that very same day.
Boot camp starts June 28. She is one of the 200 females selected for the U.S.
Military Academy's class of 2008. The total class size is about 1,300.
"It's a guaranteed future," Ray said. "I get the opportunity to
serve my country and do something I'm going to love. I want to make a career in
the Army, 10 or 15 years as an Army officer."
At Strong Vincent, Ray serves as the battalion commander of the Junior ROTC
cadets. She was captain of the volleyball team and co-captain of the swimming
team. She's involved in peer mediation, National Honor Society and the
Environmental Club.
And she's at the top of her class.
Lt. Col. David Carlson, senior army instructor of Strong Vincent's Army Junior
ROTC program, said he wasn't surprised Ray was admitted, but that she has been
admitted already. The school typically extends offers into May or June, he said.
Carlson, himself a West Point graduate and a former instructor there, said Ray
has stood out as a leader over the past four years she spent in his Junior ROTC
program.
"What impressed me about her from day one was her desire to become an army
officer and to gain an appointment to West Point," Carlson said. "It
is a most significant accomplishment for a young lady to be there."
Getting into West Point requires securing a nomination. A senator or congressman
can nominate students, or students can receive a presidential nomination if a
parent has retired from the armed forces.
Ray secured all three types of nominations.
Her grandfather served in the U.S. Air Force and the Navy. Her father and uncle
retired from the U.S. Marine Corps. Her mother, aunt and grandmother all served
in the U.S. Air Force.
Margaret Walker, Ray's mother, said she's elated her daughter will receive a
first-rate education, valued at more than $300,000, for free.
"That's the best part of all," Walker said. "She gets an
education and she doesn't have to pay for it, except to give back her time, and
I don't think she'll mind that."
When Ray graduates in 2008, she will be commissioned as a second lieutenant and
must serve five years of active duty.
Walker, who said she herself knows how it is to be outnumbered by men, is not
too concerned about her daughter. Walker served in the Air Force for four years
as a jet mechanic at a time when women rarely entered that field, she said.
"I think she'll be all right," Walker said. "There will be other
girls, too."
Nevertheless, Ray said she knows the next four years will be tough. A fellow
Strong Vincent graduate now attending the Academy told her that about 200
students drop out during the summer, and more leave after the first year.
At West Point, Ray plans to major in political science and international
relations. Her goal is to work in military intelligence.
"I think it's kind of harder to get into that field than anything else, but
that's where I want to work," Ray said.
VERONICA GORLEY can be reached at 870-1702 or by e-mail.
Last changed: Dec 27, 2003
