Profiles in LEADership:Meet Nelson Gorrick

Hi! My name is Nelson Gorrick, a senior attending Leonardtown High School. I have participated in Model United Nations and Indoor Track for four years and I plan to run Outdoor Track in the spring as well. I am a member of our high school’s National Honor Society and have been on the highest Honor Roll all four years of high school. In addition to this, I am also a member of Leonardtown High School’s Global and International Studies (GIS) program which is geared towards providing students with knowledge of world regions, cultures, and global/international issues. Being in the program has made my thirst for knowledge of the world grow immensely over the last four years. Despite my love of history and international affairs, I plan to study engineering at the United States Naval Academy starting in June of 2013.

Last year when my real college search began, I was eager to apply to the schools that had captured my interest for years. Despite my father being in the United States Navy for 25 years and living in an area with a strong military presence, I never really thought about applying to any of the service academies. In one of the many college discussions my parents and I had, my dad brought up applying to service academies and attending the Naval Academy’s Summer Seminar. Again, I thought nothing of it, but applied to Summer Seminar anyway. I got into Summer Seminar and as time grew nearer for me to attend, my interest in the Naval Academy grew. Summer Seminar was a blast! While living on campus in historic Annapolis, I experienced first-hand what it would be like to be a Midshipman at the Naval Academy. I awoke for morning physical training and ate in Bancroft Hall with my squad and squad leader. In addition, I attended workshops and classes that echoed those of the academy and also learned how to march during drill instruction. I met people from all across America and gained a love for the Academy that no college could best. Once I returned, I immediately started my application to the Naval Academy. I applied using my state nomination sources and a Presidential nomination source. I sent off my application the first week in September. Two weeks later, I received my Presidential Appointment package in the mail, being one of the first candidates to be accepted to the United States Naval Academy for the Class of 2017.

I owe my acceptance to the Naval Academy to the encouragement of my family and friends, as well as attending the LEAD program. The LEAD program made me better at setting and attaining goals, improving my communication skills and fine-tuning my group-work skills. The leadership that I will learn at the Naval Academy will be an extension from what I’ve already learned from LEAD. A warm reminder of the people that I met at LEAD, is knowing that two of my friends who went to LEAD and Advanced Leadership Seminar (ALS) with me will be also joining me at the Naval Academy on June 27, 2013 for Induction Day. I look forward to graduating from Leonardtown High School in May, the experience at the Academy, and my life in the Navy afterwards. And as always…GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY!!!