Whitnall's Rachel Boushon Selected for U.S. Naval Academy Program

There’s a good chance Rachel Boushon will trump most of her classmates when someone asks her next fall, “What did you do during your summer vacation?”

The 16-year-old Whitnall High School junior has been invited to attend the 2013 U.S. Naval Academy Summer Seminar program in Annapolis, MD, this summer.

She is one of approximately 2,550 select students from around the country and abroad invited to participate in the fast-paced leadership program designed to educate, motivate and prepare selected students who are considering applying for admission to the USNA.

The six-day session gives students a glimpse of USNA life. Academics, athletics and professional training are stressed to the prospective applicants. Students will attend eight 90-minute workshops covering subjects from information technology and naval architecture to oceanography and meteorology. They will also participate in seamanship and navigation classes and take a cruise aboard a Navy Yard Patrol Class to apply what they have learned.

Greenfield Patch caught up with Boushon and asked her about the upcoming experience.

Patch: What is it about the U.S. Naval Academy that you are drawn to, and how long has it been something you've been striving for?

RB: Come graduation in 2014, I will hopefully be well on my way to becoming a cadet at the United States Naval Academy. Everything about the Academy ‑ from the structured lifestyle to the unique experiences I will be offered ‑ has intrigued me from the very beginning. However, it wasn't until I was accepted to the Summer Seminar last month that I truly conducted any sort of research on it; now that I am fully aware of all that the Academy stands for, I am more grateful than ever for this wonderful opportunity.

Patch: Tell us a little bit about the process involved in getting invited to the USNA summer seminar, and tell me about how you felt when you did get invited.

RB: When applying for the Summer Seminar, you need to fill out an extensive online questionnaire pertaining to community service, leadership skills, grades, and so on. The deadline for the applications was May 1, and so it came as the ultimate surprise when I received an email notifying me of my acceptance in February! I had to restrain myself from doing a happy dance as I was in the doctor's office at the time. 

Patch: What kinds of things have you done, or still have to do while at Whitnall, to prepare for possible acceptance to the USNA?

RB: Since I would love to go to any of the three Academies (Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Military Academy), there is a lot involved in the application process. Not only must you fill out a thorough questionnaire form and write an essay, but you must also be interviewed by your local Liaison Officer, take the Candidate Fitness Assessment, and have a Congressional Nomination to be considered. However, as the acceptance rate is currently only 7 percent, it helps to have a lot of leadership experience and volunteering under your belt.

Patch: Tell us more about those leadership experiences, volunteering and other activities you’re involved in.

RB: I am a competitive horseback rider and a varsity swimmer (earned my varsity letter freshman year). I am also a member of the Whitnall School District Strategic Planning Committee, the Whitnall High School Site Council, Ski Club, Mu Alpha Theta, Science Olympiad, National Honors Society, etc. Additionally, I recently started the WHS Equestrian Club, of which I am president. I have volunteered at the Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center for six years, and work as a lifeguard at Tuckaway Country Club during the summer. As one of my greatest passions is medicine and hope to be an Anesthesiologist or Veterinarian for the military, I have performed many surgeries on animals (piglet castrations, calf necropsies, the removal of a horse's eye, cat spays, etc.) and hope to perform even more in the near future.