In the past five years 49 Regis Jesuit students have applied to a military academy. Of these 49, 13 were accepted, or 26 percent. And of those 13, 9 attended that college their freshman year. The number of students that applied to a military academy in 2011 was 14 but dropped off to 7 in 2015.

Jess Lewis is a RJ alumni, who is currently a freshman cadet at West Point.

“I think military academies provide amazing opportunities and more people should look into them,” said Lewis.

In an email interview, RJ Media asked Lewis about her experiences so far at West Point Military Academy in West Point, New York.

Q: What drew you to attend West Point?

A: Originally, I became interested in the school because I was recruited for basketball. As I learned more about West Point, though, the more I realized just how special this place was and how perfect it would be for me. I’ve always been big on leadership and West Point is the greatest leadership development program out there. I also would be receiving a very high valued education from one of the best universities in the country. Eventually, playing basketball here became just a cherry on top.

Q: Do you think more kids need to apply to a military academy?

A: I think military academies provide amazing opportunities and more people should look into them. It’s not for everyone though and students need to consider

the commitment they are making by deciding to come here. It’s a completely different experience than normal college. I just happen to love that, but it can be challenging for many people. Overall, if you want to make that commitment, the opportunities here are endless.

Q: What are West Point’s strengths and weaknesses?

A: In my opinion, West Point’s biggest strength is the people. The Army is a people’s business, where interaction between peers, superiors, or subordinates means everything. The relationships that I have built in the last few months of being here are incredible. I’ve found that someone is always trying to look out for you and wants you to succeed in the end. The biggest weakness here is efficiency. It seems that in the Army, they try to make everything inefficient and not make sense. It teaches us to adapt and survive though so honestly it’ll help us in the future.

Q: Is it hard to get into a military academy?

A: It is very difficult to get into a military academy. I know it’s less than a 10% acceptance rate because each class here has about 1200 kids.

Q: What helped you get into West Point?

A: I had quite a few things help me get here. Of course basketball played a role. More importantly though, I took advantage of all the opportunities at Regis. I did well academically, took on leadership roles within the school, did as much service as I could. I set myself up to be successful by being well-balanced.

Q: What can students do to get a step ahead of the admissions process?

A: The admission process is quite long, so the biggest suggestion is to start early. It is never too soon to start getting involved or researching the school. There are programs here like SLE (Summer Leadership Experience) where high schoolers come for two weeks in the summer to experience in a small way what it is like to be a cadet here.

Q: Did you apply for other military academies?

A: No, I did not apply to any other military academies. Go Army! Beat Navy!