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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Brad McPherson (click to enlarge) Jake Allen (click to enlarge) Jeffrey Ludwig (click to enlarge) Colleen Meas (click to enlarge) Isaac Teichgrab   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, May 18, 2008 Local teens earn spots at military academies Undaunted by wartime, at least nine win full scholarships to the top U.S. service schools. By Eric Stevick, Herald Writer It may be a time of war, but that's not stopping Snohomish County students from seeking appointments to prestigious U.S. military and service academies. At least nine area students have won full-ride scholarships to one of the academies, including three from Arlington High School, a rare number from a single school. The appointees had different reasons for applying, a grueling process requiring academic rigor, physical fitness, high stakes interviews and piles of paperwork that most often includes a congressional nomination. For some, it has been a case of chasing childhood dreams or following in a father's footsteps. Others were recruited. Many say it's a chance to serve their country and all agree they'll get a first-class education. The war in Iraq didn't influence their decision either way, say eight of the students reached for this story. The U.S. military and naval academies had a spike in applications in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America. That level has dropped, but the numbers are still greater than before the attacks, academy officials said. "There is extremely stiff competition," said Judy Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Naval Academy. "We take about one in 10 applicants." The Naval Academy's Class of 2011, for instance, included 12,003 high school applicants. Of those, 3,827 received nominations from Senate and congressional ­representatives and 1,202 were accepted. Nearly one in eight were student body presidents; 91 percent competed in varsity sports. "It has always been a goal," said Brad McPherson, an Arlington High School senior headed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York. "If there was no war, if there was no 9/11, I would have still applied to the military academy." The Arlington trio -- McPherson, Jake Allen and Jeffrey Ludwig -- roamed the same playground at Presidents Elementary School, passed each other in the halls at Post Middle School and will graduate from high school together next month. Next fall, Allen will enter the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, McPherson, the U.S. Military Academy and Ludwig, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York. All come from hard-working families, the sons of an excavator, a drywaller and a commercial fishermen. Each has worked long hours alongside their dads during the summer, whether digging ditches or working 16-hour days at sea. McPherson knew as a little kid he wanted to join the Army; his mom wanted him to get a good education. He decided he'd do his best on both. He set his sights on West Point from the day he entered high school. Four years later, he has a perfect 4.0 grade point average and will be one of his school's three valedictorians. That distinction won't place him in exclusive company next fall. In this year's graduating class of 1,224 cadets at West Point, 85 were high school valedictorians and 36 were salutatorians. Allen, who served in leadership positions for his high school's JROTC program, dreamed of becoming an Air Force pilot as a child. His goal never wavered as he entered high school and carefully chose challenging classes. He received support at home, at school and even from the mayor as he pursued an appointment. "There is no higher calling I could try to achieve than a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force," he said. "I'd be scared to go to war, but I know it's an obligation. I know my first obligation is to my country." For Ludwig, the lure of the water was strong after six summers as a member of the crew on his father's Alaskan fishing boat. The idea of maneuvering big ships across oceans has captured his imagination. When he graduates, he will have a Coast Guard endorsement to be a third mate on different ships. He professes to having many interests, but water -- and service -- won out. "I had toyed around with being a dentist, lawyer or studying theology and becoming a pastor," he said. "I just love the water." At Stanwood High School, Colleen Meas and Isaac Teichgrab never had the same class, but there will be that chance at the U.S. Naval Academy, where both will go in the fall. They will get a chance to see each other on the track. Both were first recruited to the Naval Academy for their track prowess where she is a pole vaulter and he is a sprinter. Neither student had thought about applying to a military academy until they were recruited. "It's still a blur to me," said Meas, who is attending Skagit Valley College through the Running Start program that allows high school students to earn college credit. "I know I'm going to get a really good education and have it paid for." An education at the Naval Academy is worth about $300,000 over four years. There is at least a five-year commitment after graduation, depending on the military field they choose. Teichgrab knows he will be in some high-achieving company next fall and faces four years of a steady academic diet of math and science courses. Just getting an appointment took a lot of work most people can't imagine, he said. "They don't realize what a commitment it is and how hard it was to get in," he said. Meas and Teichgrab will be joined at the Naval Academy by Kamiak High School senior Lauren Taglialavore. Taglialavore, whose father, Mike, retired as a warrant officer after 23 years in the Navy, knew as a child she was interested in the Naval Academy. That goal crystallized at the high school in Mukilteo. "She has been real interested since she was around 10 or 12 and she just never shook it off," Mike Taglialavore said. Like any parent, Mike Taglialavore would worry about his daughter if she were deployed in the Persian Gulf as he was during Desert Storm. At the same time, he said, "I'm just proud of her wanting to do this." Lauren Taglialavore had already been accepted to universities in four states, but the Naval Academy always was her first choice. "I have always been interested in the Navy, just looking up to my dad and seeing everything he went through, visiting ships and seeing all the technology," she said. "I have always wanted to serve my country." Richard Yeilding is another student from Mukilteo who is following a family tradition of military service. Yeilding graduated from Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy High School in 2007 and was essentially placed on a wait list to get into the U.S. Air Force Academy. He attended a prep school in California and Washington State University before getting the Air Force appointment for next fall. Yeilding plans to study astronomical engineering and wants to become a test pilot. "I definitely want to fly," he said. "Anything that's fast, I'll be happy with." Like Yielding, Jennifer Turner from Snohomish High School also will have to wait a year. She has been accepted to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., but must complete a year of prep school first. Turner, who was recruited as a softball player, is eager to begin. "I'm just excited for the whole experience," she said. "It's more of a mix of feelings. Not only do I get to serve my country, I will get to see a lot of the world." Nick Morrison from Cascade High School will attend West Point and play for the Army football team. Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.

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