Junction City High School Senior Corbin Sanner has been interested in the military since he was a kid. He used to check out library books exclusively about the World Wars and got involved in JROTC his freshman year of high school–though he took an interest in the program while still in middle school.

Originally, Sanner wanted to go to college on an ROTC scholarship but became interested in attending West Point United States Military Academy in March of 2017 after a West Point graduate encouraged him to apply.

To put it simply, the application process is hard. Applying to West Point is very different than applying to most other colleges. Applicants must meet a list of basic qualifications, some of which pertain to marital status, children, and health. Applicants are also required to take a fitness test, a medical examination, and complete both an essay and a resume.

Perhaps the most difficult step to receiving admission to West Point is a nomination. Each applicant must be nominated by a Congressman, Senator, or the Vice President of the United States.

With over 10,000 applicants to West Point each year, only approximately 4,000 receive nominations.

Corbin Sanner has just become one of these few lucky applicants.

During Senator Jerry Moran’s (R-KS) visit to JCHS, he announced that he has decided to give Corbin Sanner his Principal Nomination to West Point.

When seeking a nomination, applicants attend meetings called ‘boards’ in which they are interviewed by educators, former West Point students, and other citizens from all across Kansas. This board of people then makes a recommendation on who should be nominated.

“My board’s recommendation to me was that Corbin was the student that was most worthy of my primary nomination to West Point,” Sen. Moran said.

With a Principal Nomination, Sanner is guaranteed an admissions interview at West Point.

“This was the hardest part of the application process,” Sanner said. “Everything else was within my control, but the Principal Nomination was one thing I could not control, it was only something I could prepare for and work to achieve.”

The board interview Sanner attended that ending up granting him his wish of a nomination was his first one ever. Sanner said he did not expect to receive the nomination, as he claims he felt unprepared. The results, however, prove otherwise.

“I am quite excited that I was able to get [principally] nominated,” Sanner said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story, referred to the nomination as a ‘Presidential Nomination,’ the correct term is ‘Principal  Nomination’.