West Point Educator Visit
EPSF’s Genice Chochon had the opportunity in April 2024 to attend an educator visit at West Point! Genice reflects on her time at West Point.

Last year I was honored to be nominated by Commander Russell Quimby, American Legion Post 211 Scholarship, for a free visit to West Point in the spring. Imagine my surprise on March 1st when I received an email from the United States Military Academy inviting me for their Spring “Educator Visit” in early April!
A few days before I left on my trip, I attended the Chuck Hagel Forum in Global Leadership at University Nebraska Omaha (UNO). The theme was “The Role of U.S. Leadership in a Changing World”. The guest speaker was the 82nd U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder Jr., who worked closely with Senator Hagel when he was Secretary of Defense in President Obama’s cabinet. This moderated discussion was a great precursor to my trip to West Point.
Filled with gratitude and excitement, I began my journey boarding an early morning flight on April 7th from Omaha to New Jersey, meeting up with a group of educators from across the country for the 50-mile bus ride to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
Our group of 45 stayed at The Thayer Hotel, a beautiful historic building on a river just outside the gate to the academy. The grounds of West Point are expansive and beautiful; built on the bank of the Hudson River. Overlooking the campus sits a large gothic stone church with a pipe organ and beautiful stained-glass windows. We toured Michie Stadium and wandered through the stadium’s Hall of Fame.
We started our whirlwind tour with a briefing on campus at the Jefferson Hall Library learning about the school’s history, their admission process, course offerings (majors & minors), and the life of a cadet at West Point. We watched 4,400 cadets descending from buildings in response to a bugle call and lining up in formation with their company before swarming into the massive mess hall for lunch. Following lunch, we observed an upper-level leadership class that had 12 students. I was incredibly impressed by the small class size, and the way the instructor challenged and interacted with his students in an engaging and thought-provoking manner.
On our last night, we attended a formal dinner where we met current cadets and listened to a speech by Major General Lori Robinson, Commandant of the U.S. Corps of Cadets. Major Robinson’s 1994 graduation from West Point and army career were very impressive, but I was most struck by how she got to West Point. As a high school student, Lori noticed a glossy brochure in her school’s counseling center. She asked her counselor about West Point, and her counselor responded, “Students from our school don’t go to West Point.” She disregarded the counselor’s comment and was the first student from her school to attend the U.S. Military Academy! In her closing remarks she requested that we make sure that students know that they too can attend the U.S. Military Academy in West Point.
Between my time at West Point and attending the Chuck Hagel Forum, I realized how important it is for the United States to have smart, strong leaders who have integrity, especially men and women in leadership positions in our armed forces. We need future leaders who can inspire others to protect our country and its citizens, who are strategic and can respond to stressful situations calmly and effectively. That is exactly what an education at West Point accomplishes. The school fosters incredible leaders who act as the ultimate demonstration of “We before Me” as they protect our country and free society.
While I was at West Point, I had the privilege to meet Cadet Emilio Haynes. He is from Omaha, Nebraska and attended Omaha Central High School. Emilio told me his story of how he got to West Point and his journey at the academy. Afterwards, based on what I had observed from my time at West Point, I said to him, “I think to go to West Point you have a big ‘why.’” He responded, “You don’t have to have your ‘why’ to come here. You have to find your ‘why’ when you are here.”

Before visiting West Point, my assumption was that students choosing to attend a military academy somehow had a tie to the military. As I spoke to cadets about their journey becoming a West Point cadet, I learned that my assumption was incorrect. Most of the cadets and officers that I spoke to were high school athletes who were approached with an opportunity to attend a world class educational institution for free. I don’t think all of them knew what challenges they would experience during their journey, but all of them found their “why.” The application process is rigorous, and the college experience is unique, but for those students who have the desire to become a leader with integrity, it’s an amazing opportunity.