Maya Amersi and Alex Sturmthal, Jupiter High School seniors, were accepted into two prestigious Military Academies. Amersi will attend the West Point Military Academy and Sturmthal will attend the United States Air Force Academy.

Sturmthal will head to USAFA in Colorado Springs on June 24, less than a week after he graduates from JHS on June 18.

“It’s been the only school I’ve ever looked at and could see myself at,” Sturmthal said. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

Sturmthal’s father went to USAFA and took Alex there his whole life which sparked his interest in joining the Air Force.

“My interest in the Air Force started when my dad brought me down to his base at Homestead AFB, where he was flying F-16s when I was in preschool. My final decision to go to the Air Force Academy was probably around the beginning of middle school,” Sturmthal said. 

Sturmthal’s frequent visits to the Homestead Air Force Base gave him the chance to experience life within the air force, which helped him make his decision to go. 

“I also spent a lot of time with the pilots at the Homestead AFB. I talked with them and saw the life they lead, and that’s when I realized that’s what I wanted to do,” Sturmthal said.

Sturmthal has been preparing for USAFA since he knew he wanted to go. By gaining experience and focusing on his goals, he received his appointment on March 17.

“I’ve been working to get into the Academy since I knew I wanted to go. All of my classes and extracurriculars since middle school have been aimed at making my resume as competitive as possible. I feel that I have prepared myself as much as I can for it, from the classes I’ve taken to the sports and other programs I have done,” Sturmthal said. 

Currently, Sturmthal is working on getting his Private Pilot’s license and has some experience flying. 

“I want to make the Air Force a lifetime career; this could end up in me going to space command and exploring or becoming a general working at the Pentagon,” Sturmthal said. “I want to stay in the Air Force for a long time.”

Sturmthal’s Calculus teacher, Mark Smith, has had Sturmthal in his class for the past two years. 

“He’s really fantastic and a decent young man, he works hard at what he does and takes his assignments seriously,” Smith said. 

Smith has seen Sturmthal grow as a student and as a person over the past two years. 

“He is a good citizen and decent human being and he’s nice to talk to,” Smith said. “He has always been self-motivated and he has maintained his steady, great demeanor.”

Amersi has been working on her application for West Point since the beginning of high school and has been on Jupiter High’s Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps since her freshman year.

“I had heard about West Point before high school but really didn’t know what it was exactly. When I joined JROTC my freshman year of high school I had quickly learned what a great opportunity it was,” Amersi said. “Starting my sophomore year, I was set on applying.”

Amersi visited West Point shortly after she decided to go, and she was enamored by the Academy and campus life. Amersi is also a swimmer and wants to pursue that in college as well. 

“During the visit, I got to talk to current West Point cadets and I was amazed by how determined and put together they were. This visit put it at the top of my College list,” Amersi said. “I also really want to swim D1 in college, and West Point has an amazing Athletic program and team spirit.”

Amersi started her application process at the end of her junior year and had to send in recommendation letters from members of congress. Amersi also had to do a fitness assessment for her application. 

“I am honored to have received nominations from Congressman Brian Mast and Senator Marco Rubio. After acquiring a nomination you also have to do the candidate fitness assessment which tests your strength and endurance as well as finishing the regular application to West Point,” Amersi said. “I turned in my application in November and found out I was accepted through a phone call from Brian Mast in mid-April.”

Amersi said she feels her time in JROTC has prepared her for West Point.

“I find that joining JROTC is one of the best things you can do to prepare for going to a service Academy since you learn many of the basic things you will have to master there. I also think being a swimmer will really help me at the Academy since it taught me how to work hard for a goal that you want to achieve,” Amersi said. 

Amersi knows she will stay in the service for a while, but is not completely sure how long.

“I’m not quite sure how long I want to stay in the army, however, I know that I will be serving active duty as an army officer for five years after I graduate from the Academy,” Amersi said. 

Amersi’s teacher, Chief Warrant Javier Gonzalez, described Amersi’s dedication to her leadership roles and her drive for success throughout her years on JROTC.

“Cadet Amersi has grown in many ways,” Gonzalez said. “As a leader, she has developed leadership skills that were able to keep the Battalion Staff focused on what we had to accomplish given this past year and a half.”

Gonzalez explained how the Academy looks for leadership qualities, scholar, and athletic skills. He thinks Amersi was accepted for maintaining all of these qualities.

“I think Cadet Amersi was selected due to the potential she has shown in school as a scholar. As an athlete on the swim team, raider team, and drill teams, she has shown her ability to work together with others,” Gonzalez said. “As a leader, she has developed into a Cadet who can set the example and lead others to accomplish goals.”