Senior Abigail Howrey aspires to be accepted into either the U.S Air Force Academy or the U.S Naval Academy following her graduation. The two academies are two of the best schools for someone to attend who is interested in a future in the military. Howrey is aiming for these schools because of the “world class education,” and that it is “basically attending an Ivy League school for free in exchange of four years of military service.” She is happy to serve in this exchange, as it is one of her lifelong goals.

Since Abigail was in middle school, she has been interested in nuclear engineering but has not pursued it until a few years ago. She is interested in aviation and engineering and says that these schools are the best for this field of interest. “I have always wanted to do something more meaningful to me than going to college and having a career… I have always wanted to give back to people” Howrey says in an interview on January 31st.

She clarifies that going to college and having a career is not noble or meaningless, she wants to go to college and have a job in which she feels is right for her and means a lot to what she wants to do. “Lots of things in the world you cannot prevent, but you can prevent threats to national security.”

Abigail said this is the primary reason she wants to serve in the military. The Air Force has nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which is a field that interests Abigail. She said, “Nuclear engineering has many opportunities to apply knowledge if someone in this field does not stay in the military.”

Nuclear vessels and power sources are part of what comes with nuclear engineering, which sparks the idea of what Howrey would like to pursue. The clean energy used in nuclear science is also what she would like to work on. She wants to “work on something that will have a lasting impact on the world, being it is a cleaner, better source of energy for the environment.”

The application and acceptance process are quite expansive. To even be considered, Abigail had to apply for a nomination from a congressperson to go to the schools. She had to send in letters of recommendation, test scores, essays, and participate in an interview to get a nomination. She reached out and was chosen to be given the opportunity of a congressional nomination by Randy Weber, U.S Representative of Texas District 14. After this is the candidate section of the application. She sends in a college application, standardized testing scores, the congressional nomination, transcripts, and anything else the colleges demand. When all of that is turned in, she must pass a physical exam according to Department of Defense standards.

Once accepted into one of these prestigious schools, she will have three weeks of summer vacation, then will be sent to base training. Congratulations, Abigail! Ball High wishes you the best in your future and how you plan to live it out.