I have been to Annapolis, Maryland too many times too count. All I know is that I have been there so many times in the last six years that I cannot count all of them on my ten fingers. Even though I have been there multiple times, my family and friends make each trip memorable. I am so excited to say that through a lot of hard work, I will call Annapolis my home for at least the next four years of my life.

The first time I traveled to Annapolis was with my family during the summer after my sixth grade year. Annapolis is the home of the United States Naval Academy and approximately 4,000 midshipmen at any given time. My family arrived a week before Induction Day—the day that my sister, Natalie, would officially become a midshipman at the Academy. I arrived knowing very little about the Academy and even less about Maryland.

The week smelled of ocean and a place far from the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota. Each time I walked outside of our candle-scented house I was greeted by the freshness and crispness of the morning dew forming on the grass under my toes. I could smell the heat of the sun on my nose and shoulders turning a light red. I have never felt so calm and at ease as I did among these smells. What remained with me is a clear smell that I cannot even try to forget. I can still hear the gentle waves crashing. The wind in the sails of the boats created a place for me to simply be happy. I-Day at the Academy sounded of roars of screaming and yelling along the quiet, serene backdrop of the Chesapeake Bay, the sail boats, waves and the sun.

The trip ended with us saying goodbye to Natalie and heading back home. As I arrived home, I realized that something other than my big sister was missing. No place had ever had such a large impact on me and Annapolis seemed to wiggle its way into every conversation and every thought I had. I just couldn’t get enough of it.

After many more trips to the East coast to visit my sister, by my sophomore year of high school it was clear that I would do just about anything to attend the Naval Academy for my college experience. Everything I did, thought, and talked about for the next couple of years had something to do with getting into the Academy. Heck, everything I do today even has something to do with the Academy and getting there. I spent my little free time on the Academy website filling out every new document the moment it became available and trying to learn everything I could about life at Mother B (Bancroft Hall – the largest dorm in the country). When asked during an interview about why I really wanted to attend the Naval Academy and be an officer in the United States Navy I simply replied with “it feels like home.”

The process of getting into any of the three major Service Academies—the US Air Force Academy, the US Military Academy, and the US Naval Academy—is extremely strenuous.  The application, which begins in February of junior year, includes a physical examination, doctor appointments, a full application to the Academy, and applications to senators and congressmen to receive a required “nomination” from interviews. I spent months preparing for my interviews with the staffs of Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Senator Al Franken and Senator Amy Klobuchar. A prospective candidate must obtain an “appointment” to the Academy as well as a “nomination.” The “appointment” amounts to an acceptance, but you cannot actually attend unless you also have a “nomination.” The interviews can make or break one’s chances getting into any service academy so I did not take my preparation lightly. During my first interview I met with an intimidating veteran. The conversation started out normally but the tables quickly turned.

The interview did not go as I had expected it to. I had rehearsed for hours on end, answering a list of “Common Questions Asked for Nominations” but these questions seemed to disappear under the weight of the not-so-commonly-asked ones. These thoughts continue to roll around in my head today. I had been asked before by curious friends, family members and teachers about why I wanted to attend the Academy and commit myself to the United States military, but my intent had never been questioned as it was in this one interview. Yet someone somewhere realized that the Naval Academy needed to be my home and for that I am extremely thankful.

Everything about having the opportunity to attend the Academy and serve my country excites me. The smell of the Severn and the bold waves of the Chesapeake make the area more inviting alongside the business and nervousness of what goes on behind the doors in Rickover Hall and Bancroft Hall and on the track in the Wesley Brown Field House. It is an interesting compilation of sounds, sights, and smells that help me accept the challenges that are to waiting for me in the coming months and years.