Who I Am - for the United States Military Academy | Teen Ink

Who I Am - for the United States Military Academy

February 16, 2013
By Sarah Rodeo PLATINUM, New York, New York
Sarah Rodeo PLATINUM, New York, New York
49 articles 0 photos 0 comments

I am passionate about West Point, because I live my life by work ethic; moral, physical, academic and intellectual excellence; integrity; love; and community and brotherhood. These are fundamental pillars of the West Point experience. My intellectual passion has brought me both 1) high standardized test scores and 2) the highest grades in six academic subjects at the hardest levels my schools offers, in addition two National Scholastic Awards and four Teen Ink Editor’s Choice awards for my writing and a silver medal on the National Latin Exam for my understanding of the roots of the culture of the Western world. My physical motivation and drive for collaboration has brought my varsity volleyball team, ballet performances, and yoga practice to success. As a libertarian thinker, I love that change is always embraced at West Point. I want to share my opinions with the West Point community, but I also want to hear other peoples’ ideas and delightedly watch them shape my own. I love being a part of something greater than myself, for nobody can accomplish anything without the support of others. I want to encourage others to think critically about everything that they experience and join me in rebelling against the injustices of our world. I want to motivate people to mentally liberate themselves and throw themselves wholeheartedly into making the world a better place for those who passed before us, those with whom we share our earth, and those will follow our footsteps. I also want to meet people from all different walks of life and to share what we learned from our experiences, so that we can all come together to be our best selves at West Point.

I have spent my high school life immersing myself in meaningful extracurriculars that I will bring to the West Point community. This is embodied in the grant that I applied for and won from my school, which gives a grant to a student who will complete a summer community service project. I have helped with many projects, presentations and sponsorship efforts for my school’s political, social, animal rights and environmental clubs and conferences. I have also spent years using my skills in writing, theater, music and dance to evoke social issues and the human condition. My interest in health manifests itself in the yoga and dance class that I designed and taught to special needs children. My passion for humanitarianism is embodied in the two summer trips that I took to help Russian orphans. This work continues with the pen pal program that I am currently installing in my school, in which students from my school will communicate with the Russian orphans through art, which transcends all barriers that might inhibit friendships between these children. My respect for animals manifests itself in the vegan diet that I have maintained and promoted for three years and the work that I have done with the Dolphin Dance Project, an initiative in which Dr. Hidaka of the Hospital for Special Surgery and her team dance with wild dolphins in order to promote an awareness of the environment and the familial bonds between all living things. I want to dedicate my life to humanitarian and social activism as a universal citizen of our increasingly interconnected world. I eventually want to make changes as a leader in government and public and foreign policy. Serving in the honorable United States Military will allow me to help others on both a personal and global level, doing meaningful work in civic and international affairs.



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