What are you doing after school? Naval Academy reaches out to NHS students

Upton High School graduate Aidan Coberly visited Newcastle High School earlier in December to speak with students regarding postgraduation plans. Coberly graduated in 2022 and attended the U.S. Naval Academy.

Coberly went to NHS to do some outreach for the Naval Academy and encourage kids to start looking into their postgraduation plans, and he told the News Letter Journal that students thinking about going into one of the academies after graduation should start planning early. He explained that although it is a long, tedious process, the benefits make it all worth it.

“I may be giving up some time when I am young, but the benefits that come with being a member of the military are exponential,” he said.

Some of the benefits are that students get the opportunity to attend a four-year college for free. Within those four years, students train for the military while receiving a great education. After graduation from the academy, students have exciting job opportunities.

“Afterwards, we come out with a guaranteed job for five years,” Coberly said. “The opportunities are awesome. I have gotten to travel and train in so many different places.”

Students who attend any of the military academies are required to give five years of service after graduation from the academy. Coberly became interested in the academy because he had always had an interest in going into the military, and the academy seemed like the best way to do it.

“When I got in, it was the best opportunity I had for college,” Coberly said.

Thomas Gregory, a Wyoming Blue and Gold Officer area coordinator, explained the benefits associated with attending one of the five federal service academies.

“It is a full ride, plus a paycheck,” he said. “The academies are (an) Ivy-League-quality education. So we got the federal government paying Wyoming students to get the equivalent of an Ivy League degree, and when they graduate, they get a guaranteed job for five years.”

Gregory is a former military academy graduate who has worked as a volunteer for 12 years helping prospective students and their parents understand what it takes to attend one of these academies.

“It’s such a unique application,” he said.

Among all the fitness and medical conditions for attending a military academy, there are high academic requirements as well.

“Look at it early,” Coberly said. “It is a strenuous process, and it is a prestigious school because the Navy wants the best officers.”

He admitted that there are some challenges that come with attending one of the academies.

“It is definitely tough because you are trying to be a college student while also learning so many other things,” he said. “I am constantly busy, and there is always a challenge with it.”

The benefits come at a cost: a four-year military school is a commitment. But Coberly also believes that Wyoming kids have what it takes to do it.

“We got that Wyoming moxy that we need more of in the military,” he said.

This is why he wanted to come home and tell other kids about his experience.

Scott Urbach, also a Blue and Gold Officer, got into volunteering to help kids like Coberly who were interested in attending one of the academies. He works specifically with prospective students in the northeast corner of Wyoming.

“I am an interface between the student and the Naval Academy,” he said.

Urbach is also a graduate of the Naval Academy and started working in the position a year ago to give back to the academy and help students.

“I get to see what the Naval Academy has been doing in the 40 years since I graduated,” he said. “It keeps me updated, and if I get to help a kid get
into any of the academies, that is a win.”

He explained how attending one of the academies is a good alternative to attending a traditional university.

“For sure career aspects and, of course, discipline,” Urbach said. “It’s a big plus to be on your resume; people will know you are dependable and will get the job done.”

Similarly, Gregory said that the academies help students with other life skills.

“It teaches them how to perform well under stress, so they are good in leadership roles,” Gregory said.

Coberly shared with students how attending the Naval Academy has benefitted him and will in the future. He wanted to speak to kids in Wyoming because he wants more kids to hear about the opportunities.

“I was lucky I even heard about the academy,” he said. “I get to spread the message, which is the goal.”