Seaman to Admiral Program Application Letter
I am respectfully requesting admission into the finest community I believe exists in the world, that of the United States Naval Officers. Every path I have taken in my life, every leap made forward, has merely been another stepping stone toward becoming a Naval Officer. I was raised by hardworking parents who taught me the core values of life that I see transcended to a higher level by the Navy. This means that honor, courage, and commitment have always been a part of my life, even if by other names. My sense of devotion to the Navy, my overwhelming reliance on integrity and moral accountability, and my talents as a leader and a follower make me a necessary addition to the Nuclear Officer program.
One of my core beliefs is that you don't change your goals to match your output, you change your output to match your goals. In high school I formed a petition to offer an Astronomy class as a credited elective. I found interested students, convinced them of the importance of the subject and why they would enjoy it, and persuaded a science teacher to instruct the class. After presenting my case, the school not only agreed, but -- after some convincing -- supplied us with a telescope. At graduation I was presented with an award in Astronomy for my work in the class, and have since been back as a guest speaker for science courses. During my senior year, because my high school had just been built, I helped organized the first school newspaper, found a printing company willing to produce it, and put out several issues as its editor.
After high school, I applied to a local community college, but I was disinterested in the programs available. I attended for several semesters, but felt directionless because I didn't know what I wanted to make out of my life. There came a day when I could have signed up for another semester and didn't. Instead I walked into a Navy recruiting office. Since then, my life has changed. I found myself greeted at every turn by leaders constantly demanding more of me, constantly stretching my abilities. The concepts of honor, courage and commitment I saw so sorely lacking in the civilian world were shouted every morning with pride. I found an undeniable sense of respect for the Navy and my passion for being a greater part of it deepened. Because of this, I earned leadership positions in bootcamp and again in A-School as Class Leader. I say the Sailor's Creed with the same sense of satisfaction a veteran says the Pledge of Allegiance because the Navy hasn't just given me a roof over my head and three meals a day. The Navy has given me direction, purpose in who I am and what I can be.
For the past 200 years, Naval Officers have served the United States by exemplifying the best in what the Navy has to offer. My ability to lead large groups of diverse people by identifying their personal attributes and utilizing each of them to the best of their resources has allowed me to excel before. My ability to set goals and effectively meet them has taken me further here. But most importantly, my overwhelming enthusiasm in the Navy and gratitude for all that it has done for my life gives me an instinctive desire to give back. Some people are unfortunate enough to not know what they were meant for. In this way I am extraordinarily lucky. I am here to be a United States Nuclear Naval Officer. There is nothing else I was meant to do.
