Wesley Chapel Resident Jack Webster To Attend West Point!

By GARY NAGER

Speaking of congratulations, we salute Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) graduating senior Jack Martin Webster (photo), who has been accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Jack who had applied to all three major U.S. military academies, also was accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, but hadn’t yet heard back from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

In order to be accepted into West Point, Jack had to have great grades (he will graduate with a weighted GPA of “around 4.5” and got 1420 on his SATs), be involved in sports (he was on WRH’s soccer, track and cross country teams, although he was on the wrestling team this year, instead of soccer) and endure a long application process that required him to receive a nomination from at least one member of the U.S. Congress.

But, Jack went that requirement one better, as he actually was nominated by two members of our nation’s legislature — U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Sen. Rick Scott.

He also has been accepted into Florida State University in Tallahassee, the University of Central Florida in Orlando and the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, but hadn’t yet heard back from the University of Florida in Gainesville before deciding to attend West Point.

“I visited the West Point campus (in upstate NY) last fall (photo) and loved it,” Jack says. “It’s beautiful and will allow me to pursue a goal of mine — to specialize in Psychology Operations (aka “PsyOps”) for the Army.” He adds that he also is interested in becoming an Army aviator/helicopter pilot.

“I never wanted to have a boring desk job,” Jack says. “I even thought about becoming a firefighter for a while.”

He certainly won’t be a desk jockey while on his current path. He will have to endure six weeks of basic training, four years at West Point, five years of active duty, three years of being in the Army Reserves and Cadet Officers-in-Training grad school.

He says his parents always pushed him to not slack off in school and Jack clearly took that to heart. His father, J. Matt Webster, Ph.D., is a USF Health professor who has been affiliated with the Johnnie B. Byrd Alzheimer’s Center & Research Institute, and his mother, Cela Delgado Webster, Esq., is the owner of Chapel Legal, a family law and estate planning firm.

Jack certainly is setting a great example for his younger sister Eliana, 16, and his brother Nathan, age 12, although he notes that he is not the smartest of the siblings.

“Eliana is definitely smarter than me,” he admits. “But it’s a friendly competition.”

So, congrats and Godspeed, Jack. The Neighborhood News salutes you!