A Northampton Area High School Class of 2021 graduate, Georgia Wiswesser, will head to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., June 28. She will face six weeks of cadet basic training before the academic year begins in August.

“It is a huge accomplishment, but I know that success at the academy is going to require copious amounts of hard work and dedication,” she said.

With a complex year-and-a-halflong application process and an acceptance rate around 12 percent, being appointed to West Point is a feat not many people can say they’ve accomplished.

The application process can begin as early as the applicant’s junior year. An online questionnaire screens candidates for eligibility before they are able to fill out the application. Once the application is complete, candidates must schedule an interview with West Point’s Field Force, or volunteer admissions representatives, and apply for a nomination.

Nominations can be congressional or service-connected. Congressional nominations come from state representatives or senators, while service-connected ones are reserved for applicants with parents already in the service. Candidates must also receive a medical examination, take the candidate fitness assessment, which consists of six events, and take college entrance exams, such as the SAT or ACT.

Joining the military was not something on Wiswesser’s radar until she received a letter from them during her sophomore year. After researching the academy and visiting with staff and cadets, she had a desire to attend.

“It was not until after I decided to apply to West Point that I felt the draw of the military, but I found the structure and camaraderie to be exactly what I was looking for in my future,” Wiswesser said of her decision.

U.S. Congresswoman Susan Wild, D-7th, who nominated Wiswesser for the academy, actually notified her she was accepted before West Point itself. After receiving the call, Wiswesser took some time to think and ensure the 12-year commitment was what she wanted; after graduation, West Point students are required to serve eight years in the military between active duty and reserves in exchange for the fully funded college education.

Ultimately, Wiswesser accepted the appointment, saying, “The amount of pride I felt in that moment was surreal.”

Freshmen at West Point, often called “plebes,” are subject to structured days, rules and responsibilities that will help get them acclimated to academy life and prepare them to become leaders. Cadets gain experience in four areas: academics, character, military and physical.

West Point has 36 different academic majors, and Wiswesser plans to major in mechanical engineering. There are more than 130 extracurriculars, many of which are unique to West Point, for cadets to join. Since West Point swears by the phrase “every cadet is an athlete,” there are NCAA, intramurals or club sports aplenty to join.

Wiswesser said she would not be where she is today without the support of her friends and family.

“My mom, in particular, never fails to love me unconditionally and helps me with anything and everything possible,” she said. “So for that, I just want to say thank you.”