By Features Editor Shreya Narayan 

As Nov. 1 approaches, many students across the nation are scrambling to finish their college applications.

However, for several students at Naperville North, college applications were submitted two months ago in August.

Senior Tommy Bleiffus began his application for the Coast Guard Academy in May of his junior year, and he submitted his application several weeks ago.

Bleiffus was one out of 25 students in the nation who recently received a Letter of Assurance from the Coast Guard Academy stating his admittance. This means that upon final review of his application and after passing the Department of Defense medical examination, Bleiffus is guaranteed a seat in the Coast Guard Academy.

“I still have to pass a physical, where [admission counselors] could find a variety of things wrong,” Bleiffus said.

Bleiffus will receive the Coast Guard Academy’s final decision on Dec. 24.

NNHS counselor Charles Koch said that the process of applying to any of the “Academies” (Air Force, Naval, US Military, Coast Guard) is very different than that of a non service-based university.

Koch explained that the application opens in May of a student’s junior year and should generally be completed by August of the applicant’s senior year. Applicants interested in the Air Force, Naval or U.S. Military Academies must also request an appointment with a government official, and all applicants must submit an initial fitness evaluation.

“Once [the applicant] receives the primary approval, they become a candidate for admission,” Koch said. “They then have to go through a military Department of Defense medical examination and then a complete physical examination. It’s a very long and extensive process.”

Koch said that, on average, 12 students per year from NNHS choose to join either the Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) or an Academy. A ROTC program takes place in a traditional university/college and integrates training as well as traditional academics. According to Koch, one to four NNHS students are admitted into an Academy per year.

Bleiffus said that his interest to serve began in the first grade.

“It started when I was younger. I would hear stories from my grandfather who served in the army after WWII,” Bleifuss said. “He would always tell me stories about helping people in the hospital, and that’s what motivated me to serve. I not only want to serve the country but to serve others in general.”

The Coast Guard Academy includes tasks from drug-intervention to search-and-rescue operations. Bleiffus believes that its efforts and diversity will lead him to a career within the United States Coast Guard.

Senior Jimmy Ferrone also plans to serve in his future. Much like Bleiffus, Ferrone said his interest in the Navy was also prompted by stories he heard from his grandfather.

“My grandfather was in the Marine Corps,” Ferrone said. “I would always see people asking him about his Marine tattoo. If those people were Marines, there would be an instant bond. I really want to be a part of that.”

Ferrone applied for a Naval ROTC scholarship, which will allow him to complete any in-state ROTC education at no cost. His application consists of a physical test as well as two interviews with an officer.

Meanwhile, Koch said that students at NNHS are not taking full advantage of the services that the Academies offer.

“There are so many students [at NNHS] who could qualify for any of the Academies,” Koch said. “The problem is that they don’t apply.”