The Collegian: Local Student Headed to West Point

A local high school student was accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, after receiving a call from his U.S. representative Jan. 6.

Miles Brown, a senior at Hillsdale High School, checked his phone to find a voicemail from Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Michigan, who said Brown had been accepted. 

“Just listening to that message, a sense of relief came to me,” Brown said. “The work I put in had finally made its way back.”

Getting into West Point marked the achievement of a life-long dream, he said.

“I’ve always wanted to be an ‘Army man,’ just like my dad and my grandfather,” Brown said. “I’ve carried this passion throughout my life; carefully planning my future to accomplish this goal of being in the Army.” 

According to Brown’s mother, Sabrina Brown, this passion for military discipline was evident from a young age.

“In elementary school, he was never one who had to be told to do school work before playing because he would just come home and do it,” Sabrina Brown said. “He was very organized and liked to have structure, which is why I believe he’s always gravitated toward the idea of being in the military.”

John Petersen, a friend of Brown’s since second grade, said joining the Army has been Brown’s longtime goal.

“Ever since I’ve known him, he’s been dead set on joining the military,” Petersen said. “He’s always been a hard worker, which really came to light when he started wrestling his sophomore year. He had never done it before, and yet he persevered through every tough practice.”

According to Brown, his choice to apply to West Point naturally arose from his military goals and mindset.

“It just made sense for me to try to get into USMA because I was gonna go into the military anyways,” Brown said. “That and the requirements needed to be a competitive applicant, I made it my goal to get in.”

The application process was challenging and extensive, according to Brown. Part of the process required earning a nomination from a national-level political leader.

Brown said West Point will allow him to aid a greater mission.

“The academy is also an opportunity to be part of something much bigger than myself, by incorporating me into a long standing tradition and alumni network known as the long gray line,” Brown said. “‘Duty, honor, and country’ is the motto at West Point.”

According to Petersen, Brown’s acceptance made a lot of sense.

“When Miles got accepted into West Point, it really came at no surprise to me because of how hard he works and how determined he has been for such a long time,”  Petersen said. “He deserves the acceptance, and West Point is lucky to have a hard-working American like Miles.”

Sabrina Brown said she is proud of her son for accomplishing his life-long goal.

“As he entered high school and the military academy became a very big part of his future plans, I was so impressed with him and his determination to work toward his future goals, and now all his hard work has paid off,” she said. “I am so overjoyed and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Brown said his participation in this tradition will help him become a better man as he learns to be a strong leader. 

“Overall, the academy will challenge me to become the best version of myself, through selfless commitment to not only a school and career, but also to a longstanding heritage of soldiers, leaders, and individuals in this country,” Brown said. “It answers my long-awaited ambition to be an Army man.”