My name is Marissa Readinger and I am going to be a sophomore (aka “Yearling” or “Yuk”) at West Point. I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin — most recently.

During my first 18 years, my family and I had moved eight times. I was born in Dallas, Texas, and thereafter lived in Washington DC, Cleveland, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, and now… New York! I loved moving around because I love meeting new people and having new scenery. I do sometimes wish that I had “roots”, if you will, and had a place I can truly call home, but all of the change and flexibility I have learned from my childhood will certainly serve me well as an officer.

Why West Point is for me

I only began to seriously consider the United States Military Academy at West Point as an option during my Junior year, when the college process started. I never had an innate passion or goal to attend the Point. However, my Dad graduated with the class of 1975, so he certainly helped me in my decision to join the Long Gray Line. He encouraged me every step of the way, but he also was very upfront with me about how challenging West Point would be. Thanks to his help and guidance, and my desire to attend a school with a central system of values, morals, ethics, and basic standards, West Point seemed to be the ideal place for me.

Hectic application process

The application process itself was challenging — not to mention tedious and exhausting. I’m sure that the Admissions office designs it that way to weed out the people who are not ready and willing. Thankfully, I completed the copious amounts of paperwork, the hours of training in the gym, the nerve-racking congressional interviews, and the mother-daughter “get organized!” fights, and finally, in what seemed like no time at all, I was accepted!

Time for R-Day

Once I graduated from high school, the “summer” that I had to myself flew by, and it was soon time for R-day (Reception Day). This day is one of the most anticipated and feared days of all those “civilians” coming in to be cadets.

The one memorable story I have from my R-day is priceless. My parents and I, just as our small information card told us, reported to Ike Hall at 6am. We all waited in a long line for about 25-30 minutes, and we were then escorted into a large theatre.

Once we were seated, a cadet on a microphone said to the nervous, awkward crowd, “Welcome to West Point. You have 90 seconds to say goodbye to your families. When you are done, please come up the front, in a single file line.” The tears started rolling down my face as I began to grasp what was happening.

To make a long story short, we were all whisked away from the comfort of our families and proceeded to begin the 6 weeks of hazing.

Later on that morning, as we were walking in and out of academic classrooms, I was handed a green flight bag, and some mean cadet told me something… something about get your things out of here and into here. He pointed from my civilian bag, to the flight bag, and then up to a big sign on the wall. The sign had a list of contraband items.

My inability to understand what anyone was saying (well, yelling) to me was due to my heightened sense of fear and confusion. What the cadet had said to me was “Take everything out of your civilian bag that you need and put it into the flight bag. You aren’t allowed to have any of these items.”

Had I just calmed myself down and taken a quick breath, I would have dumped the stuff from my civilian bag into the flight bag. But, I just said “No” and handed him my civilian bag, completely full of the stuff I would later need.

So, with an empty flight bag, I joined the ranks with my classmates, and proceeded to learn my four responses. Later that night, as I was talking with my roommate, she was complaining of how much her back hurt from carrying around such a heavy flight bag. Luckily, my back was perfectly unharmed. Unluckily, I had none of my personal effects.

Everyone can do West Point

The best piece of advice I can give to a candidate and any incoming new cadets is simply this: Be confident. You are all capable, successful, smart and talented people. I am of the opinion that anyone can “do” West Point, as long as they have the right mindset.

During the application process, and during Cadet Basic Training, all it takes is physical fitness and a GREAT attitude. Take one day at a time. Be encouraged by your successes, and humbled by your failures. West Point, like all of the other service academies, makes you fail. These failures are all part of the learning process –- learning how to become an effective and successful leader.

Future plans

With the three years I still have at the Academy, I plan to major in Spanish, and branch either Military Police or Military Intelligence. I’m not sure if I want to make the military my lifelong career, but whatever the case, I eventually want to get my MBA.

Best of Luck to everyone!

Did this article help you? Please subscribe via RSS or email.