Evertson accepted into U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis

Brian Evertson, a Senior at the Kimball High School, was recently accepted into the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

This was no easy feat as Annapolis receives 20,000 or more applications every year and only accepts just 1,200 students in each Freshman class. Not only is it an arduous application process, but in order to get in to the academy one has to put in a lot of work in school to be considered for the academy.

“Once you get all your forms completed, it’s just a waiting game. It’s a lot of work. It’s not just all the applications and stuff. You also have to have really good grades and a lot of different activities in high school,” Evertson said.

Evertson’s interest in the academy was first sparked by his pastor who had a background working for the military service.

“I had a pastor, Dieter Rademacher, who was at the E Free church. He was a chaplain at the air force academy but had originally studied at the naval academy. That just kind of sparked my interest. I’ve just always had a desire to fly. That’s when I started thinking about the air force academy and the naval academy which also has aviation,” Evertson said.

That spark of interest grew over the years, forming a dream for Evertson that he’d work hard throughout his high school years to achieve.

“Naval aviation, being able to fly jets off of aircraft carriers is kind of my dream. It’d be awesome,” Evertson said.

Through years of hard work, Evertson was put one step closer to achieving his dream of attending the naval academy by receiving a nomination from both Senator Ben Nelson and Congressman Adrian Smith.

“It was definitely a really humbling experience, because there are so many amazing people from across the state applying. To be able to get that honor is very humbling. It’s just a good experience,” Evertson said.

However, it was not only his persistence and diligence that pushed Evertson along the way in order to achieve the goal of attending the naval academy, but also the support of his parents, Kirk and Debra Evertson.

“They were really supportive of me trying for it. They’re always kind of helping push me towards my dreams. It’s really helped me go along the way,” Evertson said.

After visiting the Annapolis naval academy, the grand scale of the opportunity that Evertson had been given dawned on him as he met his fellow students.

“It is really amazing. You see all those amazing people and you think, ‘Wow, how did I get involved with them?’ It’s really a neat opportunity,” Evertson said.

Admittedly, though, Evertson is a little nervous about the experience.

“It’s a big commitment. I could be a ten year commitment after you get out depending what you do. It starts out at a five year commitment. So after you get out you’ll serve five years in the service. I have a little bit of nerves, but I have a lot of excitement too. The opportunity is huge,” Evertson said.

However, with great opportunity comes one last sacrifice for Evertson: his summer.

“I report June 27 for induction day. Then it’s basically basics until you go into the school portion of it your Freshman year,” Evertson said.

Though Evertson is now part of a select group, he believes that anyone with the right amount of effort can reach such a goal if they strive towards it with all they have. “I think as long as you set your mind to it and try your hardest, anyone can achieve it. I think you just have to really apply yourself and make sure you keep pushing yourself to achieve your dreams,” Evertson said.