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Son of Thomasville residents earns Annapolis appointment
"After reading the first line of the letter I had the worst kickin the-gut feeling," Hicks remembers. "I felt that I had let everyone down- my family and friends- everyone who had supported me in the nine year long pursuit of my dream to attend the Naval Academy." Each year tens of thousands of young men and women like Hicks apply for admission to one of the five U.S. Service Academies- the United States Military Academy at West Point, Naval Academy at Annapolis, Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Coast Guard Academy at New London, and Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point- and each spring 85-90% of them receive a letter of rejection, rather than the coveted letter of acceptance. Many like Hicks are well-qualified, but competition for the few available slots at each academy is intense, and most who apply will not make it. "I did not know how I would do it," Hicks states with determination, "but there was no way I would let this rejection hold me back." A few weeks earlier Hicks had received a call from his step-mother Kathy. She told him about a program she had recently discovered called Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. "My stepmom told me that Greystone was a program specifically designed for young men and women who, like me, had been rejected by one of the Service Academies; these students had gone to Greystone for a year and had been successful the second time around. After receiving my rejection letter I immediately got the ball rolling on what I hoped would be my Plan B- Greystone- and within a few hours I was on the telephone with the program founder and director, retired Navy Commander Dave Bailey."
Sandra Gernand nods in agreement. "Following his lifelong dream was too important for Cody for it not to happen. We are proud that he will be a leader among the brave men and women who have selflessly volunteered to serve and protect our great nation." Joe Gernand concurs. "Any young person with such determination to serve their country as badly as Cody deserves the chance to do so."
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