PORT TOWNSEND — A Port Townsend senior has received a full four-year scholarship to West Point — which is thought to be the first in the high school’s history.
Breanna Hemsley, 18, will graduate with her class Friday during the commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. at the McCurdy Pavilion in Fort Worden State Park, 200 Battery Way. She will report to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which is 40 miles north of New York City, as a member of the class of 2014 on June 28.
One other member of the graduating class received a full-ride scholarship.
Lucas Santana, 17, will attend Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
Both will receive full tuition for credit leading to an undergraduate degree.
Hemsley accepted a certificate for the scholarship on Monday night from Port Townsend Public Works Director Ken Clow, who graduated from West Point in 1970.
“West Point isn’t for everybody,” Clow said. “But it is the finest management training course in the world.”
Clow, who keeps up with news about West Point, said he was not aware of any other student from Port Townsend High School who had ever attended West Point.
Santana did not attend the Monday scholarship ceremony.
Hemsley said that she understands that all West Point attendees are subject to considerable expectations and the course of study “requires a lot of work.”
She is used to that. The senior is now just a few credits shy of her AA degree as part of the Running Start — a state program that allows high school juniors and seniors to earn college credit.
West Point is rigorous both academically and physically, something which Hemsley eagerly anticipates.
“The school requires you to excel in every way and I am looking forward to that,” she said.
$200,000 value
The value of a West Point education is estimated at $200,000, with all students receiving full scholarships.
After graduation, students are required to spend five years in the Army, starting at the rank of second lieutenant.
Hemsley filled out the West Point applications. She was nominated by U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, who represents the 6th Congressional District which includes the North Olympic Peninsula.
All applicants are required to have congressional sponsors. Hemsley said she has never met the Belfair Democrat.
While Hemsley put all her energy into the West Point application, her second choice was not a predictable one.
If she did not make it into West Point she would have attended Whitworth University, a small private school in Spokane.
“My first and second choices were quite different,” she said. “I just knew I didn’t want to go to a party school.”
Hemsley is the daughter of corporate pilot Michael and educator Rita Hemsley of Port Townsend.
She has two younger sisters, aged 13 and 8.
After graduating from West Point and serving in the army, she may seek a position in the diplomatic corps.
Five scholarship offers
Santana, the son of educators Jose Santana and Loida Robles, applied to seven colleges and received scholarship offers from five according to his father.
Santana initially wasn’t convinced that Luther was right for him, but the school aggressively pursued him and kept increasing its offer, he said.
He said his grade point average wasn’t that high — 3.0 — but that his community work and volunteer efforts worked in his favor.
He also re-took the SATs, scoring a 150-point improvement.
He’s not sure about a course of study, and plans to take a range of classes to determine his interests.
Currently, his first choice is to enter the film industry in some capacity.
Shooting a film
In preparation, he is shooting his own movie, a 15-minute Star Wars spin-off called “Web of Shadows.”
“I made up the characters and the story,” he said. “But it wasn’t completely random because I did my research and figured out where it would fit in the ‘Star Wars’ story.”
Like Hemsley, Santana has earned college credit through the running start program.
Aside from the two full-ride scholarships, many students received smaller bequests from local businesses and civic groups in order to further their education.
“Scholarships recognize achievement,” said high school principal Carrie Erhardt. “The amount doesn’t matter.
“In these tough economic times it’s good to see that so many individuals and businesses are providing this kind of support.”
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Jefferson County reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
