Zane Trace student nominated for West Point
CHILLICOTHE— Zane Trace High School student Colby Forcum recently took one step closer to becoming a member of the U.S. military as he was nominated to attend the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.
Forcum said he has been interested in making a career in the service for many years as all of the service members he has met have been "honorable people" and great role models. After learning more about military academies he knew that was what he wanted to do so he put all of his focus on becoming eligible and creating a competitive application.
"I recognized what it would take the get there," said Forcum of the military academies. "Then I focused all my efforts into being competitive for the academy."
He was nominated by Congressman Mike Carey, who said in a news release that he enjoyed seeing passionate youth wanting to serve their country.
“One of the greatest honors I have as a congressman is to nominate ambitious young men and women across Ohio’s 15th Congressional District to the United States Service Academies,” said Rep. Carey. “It is encouraging to see a younger generation with a drive to serve their country and, having spent time with these students and having learned of their accomplishments, I feel rest assured that the future of our military is in great hands.”
Forcum said getting the nomination required a lot of hard work and dedication. He had to submit a resume with his academic and extracurricular accomplishments as well as pass an interview. To help with his resume Forcum increased the number of activities he did over the years, such as 4-H and National Honors Society.
In addition to participating in different extracurriculars, Forcum aimed to show his leadership abilities by becoming class president, student council president and a drug-free ambassador. He also attended the West Point Summer Leaders Experience where he was able to stay on the campus for a week to experience what it is like. He said during this time he was able to meet a lot of like-minded people who had the same goal as him.
His mom, Kim Forcum, said she has seen the effort her son has put into becoming the best candidate for West Point. She said he has built and demonstrated his strong character over the years and has become a great role model.
"He is what West Point entails," said Forcum.
Zane Trace High School Principal Tyler Wertman said the school has had several alumni go on to different military academies. He said this process takes great dedication and that Forcum fits in with that group as he is a hardworking, versatile student.
A nomination does not guarantee an acceptance into West Point, Forcum is still waiting on that and it can take several months. However, he said if he does not get into the academy he will continue to enhance his resume by going to college and participating in ROTC programming and applying to West Point for as long as he can.
"The end goal is to become an officer in the military, it's just about the road to get there right now," said Forcum.
Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Zane Trace student nominated for West Point
