All around the country, high school seniors have been constantly stressing over where they plan to apply to college. Chances are, most of them will not be applying to West point. This could be the fact that they have a 10% acceptance rate, or that they only admit 3,000 students a year, or that it is geared towards those who are qualified to be and aspire to be officers in the US Army.
Those who are fortunate enough to be accepted into West Point benefit from perks such as fully paid tuition, a high quality education and a fast track to being an officer in the Army. Last February Donovan Allen, a senior in the JROTC program, got accepted into West Point as one of the elite few nationwide.
“Being able to attend the academy means everything to myself and my future. The quality of education while being paid to go to college offers me so many chances for success in my career and life goals,” Allen said.
Donovan’s success is a story of hard work, dedication and perseverance. Originally he was told by officers at the academy that he was “not competitive” and “frankly not worth their time.” Allen didn’t quit and refused to be discouraged.
“I was fearful for my chances at first but despite their negativity I continued my application and by late December I began to catch the eye of the director of admissions, and changing my confidence in my chances,” Allen said.
Perseverance and belief in oneself are two traits that are essential to military officers and when evaluating candidates it’s very important for the Army to determine whether applicants possess not only those traits but Allen’s interview skills ended up paying off big time as well.

“I believe that my interview board with Congresswoman Manning and Senator Tillis showed that I had more than the usual beefy application,” Allen said.
After graduating from West Point, entrance into the military is the path that most take and Allen is no different.
“I plan on getting my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering while going to airborne and sapper school during my time at West Point. After the academy I plan on becoming an engineering officer and hopefully becoming an Army Ranger,” said Allen.
The skills that Allen possesses place him among the highest qualified in America and should propel his future to bright places at West Point. Be on the lookout for big things from this Titan.