RACINE, Wis. (AP) - Jordan Tucker’s family has a long military history: His father and grandfather served in the Army. His uncles and aunt served as well: two in the Marine Corps, one in the Air Force and one in the Army.
Tucker, a senior at St. Catherine’s High School, will carry on the family tradition: He has been appointed to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.
A Racine resident, Tucker is in the top 5% of his class and is to graduate from St. Catherine’s with honors.
He told The Journal Times of Racine he is used to traveling and he always planned on being far away from his Racine home for college. He considered universities in California, Texas and on the East Coast.
But, he said, he really wanted to serve in the Army and he is excited to be headed to New York. After graduation from West Point, he will have a five-year service commitment to fulfill.
He said he also is looking forward to the academic and physical challenges at West Point.
“I feel like (West Point) gives you the most challenges out of any university,” he said. “Once I saw I had the appointment from West Point, I was definitely going there. I just know that it’s important to serve something bigger than yourself.”
His uncle, Johnny Johnson, a retired member of the Air Force, said of Jordan: “Jordan is a very humble young man and outstanding citizen of the community of Racine County. He will excel in all future endeavors, continuing to challenge himself.”
His mother, Judith Johnson, has raised him alone after his father’s death in 2017.
“Jordan is a quiet leader and always wanted to do great things in life,” she said in a statement.
Academic plans
Tucker is planning to study geospatial sciences. He is interested in studying how GPSs work and he wants to travel in space.
“Geospace just seemed like something that would just be interesting to me,” he said.
He is also thinking of adding Foreign Area Studies as a second major, which comes from his interest in studying Mandarin in junior high school and high school.
“It’s important to understand different languages and different cultures,” he said. “I can just extend my previous learning and go further with it.”
The application process
It takes outstanding character and good academic standing to be considered for entry to West Point. Academically, candidates must have an above-average high school or college record and score well on the ACT or the SAT. But it also requires a nomination, usually from a member of Congress, which is a separate application process and includes interviews.
Tucker received nominations from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wiconsin., and U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisconsin, and said he got to meet Steil during the interview process.
Tucker said the interview process was nerve-wracking, especially for the interviews with Steil’s team, because there were eight people in the room and he was the center of attention.
In order to meet the USMA physical standards, Tucker said he has been playing basketball with friends, running and going to the gym regularly.
Participation in activities and experience with public speaking and leadership are important as well.
Tucker participated in Badger Boys State last summer, a leadership program held at Ripon College that teaches high school students between their junior and senior year how government works.
He’s also been a part of clubs at his high school such as the Guardian Angels mentorship program, Angel Leadership Academy, Diversity Club and National Honor Society. He also was a part of bringing back the school’s talent show after it had been retired for years. He hopes to continue his tradition of being involved in school throughout his college years.
After the application process was complete, Tucker was given a letter of assurance at a West Point banquet last November. A few months later, he received a black folder in the mail with a certificate saying he had been awarded an appointment.
“I was really excited,” he said. “It feels great, but also I worked super hard to get to this point, so I have to keep working hard to stay there.”
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