‘God is my co-pilot,’ says Jesuit senior
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Jesuit High School senior William Degenhart Jr., who served as Marine Corps Junior ROTC battalion commander, received direct appointments to not one, but three service academies: the United States Air Force Academy, the United States Military Academy at West Point and the United States Naval Academy.
Degenhart said his sheer determination to serve the country by attending a military academy pushed him to do everything in his power to receive an appointment.
Three appointments
“I feel so honored to have received three service academy appointments,” said Degenhart, who participated in a wide range of extracurricular activities at Jesuit. “I’ve been planning for this since before my junior year. I went to all the summer programs to get a better idea of what academy I wanted to attend, and I decided to accept the appointment to the Air Force Academy because I want to fly.”The son of Karen and William Degenhart Sr., he first became interested in the ROTC during Jesuit’s Welcome Day when a cadet escorted him around the school campus. Degenhart said he remembered thinking that he wanted to be like the older student, so he joined the school’s program in the ninth grade.
To even be considered as a candidate for one of the prestigious academies, Degenhart had to receive an appointment from either the Congressman who represents his home congressional district, a U.S. senator or the vice president of the United States.
Selective process
The process is highly selective. The most common path is for a candidate to receive a nomination from a local member of Congress, either a U.S. representative or a senator. The vice president also has the authority to nominate candidates.
Degenhart said he got interested in the service academies through the Service Academy data center’s presentation hosted by Louisiana’s two senators, John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, and other Congressional representatives at the state capitol in Baton Rouge.
“Fortunately, I received nominations from both senators and my representative (Troy Carter) to the Air Force Academy, as well as Sen. Cassidy's nomination to the Navy and Rep. Carter’s and Sen. Kennedy’s nominations to West Point,” Degenhart said.
Securing the nominations is critical, but that’s only half the battle.
“Basically, the process starts with getting physically fit as well as building your resume,” Degenhart said. “The academies are looking for a really well-rounded person who has leadership, academic excellence, physical excellence skills − the whole nine yards.”
Degenhart made sure he had citations on his resume that included serving as battalion commander and platoon leader of Jesuit’s MCJROTC, being a member of the color guard, drill and rifle teams and joining the rugby team, Mu Alpha Theta, the sportsman’s club and the poker club. He was also inducted into the National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society, and he qualified as a National Merit semifinalist, graduating with a weighted 4.24 GPA.
“In addition to the resume, letters of recommendation and legislative nominations, candidates also take a fitness test called the CFA (Candidate Fitness Assessment),” Degenhart said. “That was one of the hardest parts for me because I had to really prepare for that. It was strenuous – quite the test for sure. I am grateful to God that I was prepared. I feel truly fortunate to receive the nominations that I did. It’s a great honor.”
‘I want to fly’
Degenhart said his visit to the Air Force Academy in Colorado was overwhelming.
“The Air Force Academy itself is just incredible,” he said. “It’s beautiful to look at. I mean, it’s got everything that I think I want in an academy to include an airfield and the amazing architecture that they have. And Colorado Springs is exactly where I want the academy to be if I’m going to be there for the next four years. I don’t know if I want to fly bombers or fighters yet, but I do know that I want to be a pilot, and I'm between majoring in mechanical engineering and military strategic studies.”
Degenhart leaves June 25 for six weeks of basic training prior to beginning classes and is looking forward to meeting other people like him who want to be in aviation, study abroad and serve their country.
Faith was influence
“My faith has really influenced my decision for this chapter in my life,” Degenhart said. “I prayed to God to guide me in this decision, and he led me to the Air Force Academy.”