Summit Senior is Annapolis-Bound

Summit senior class president and swimming phenom Carey Fries has one less thing to worry about this year. The modest senior has been accepted to her top choice university, the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Fries will be the first girl from Summit High School to elect to attend a United States service academy.

"I'm excited," Fries said. "I didn't really know that when I started the process.  I always assumed there was someone before we moved here.  There wasn't, so I guess it means a lot."

Fries will be one of 1,200 plebes, or first year students, to enter the Naval Academy this fall. She was selected from an applicant pool of more than 18,000 young men and women. By rule, 250 young women must be admitted with each class and Fries will be one of them.

"I went on the tour there and I just loved it," Fries said. "And then I went to summer seminar.  It's like a week-long boot camp. You wake up in the morning, you do PT and leadership activities. I just fell in love with it while I was there. Then I started talking to the swim coach and that whole aspect was brought into it."

Fries, the swim team captain whose specialty is freestyle, will also be swimming for Navy.

"She went on basically a tour of mid-Atlantic colleges last summer," said Linda Fries, Carey's mother. "She met with the swim coach at every college she went to and the swim coach at Navy was sort of challenging to her.  Looking at her times and telling her 'I think you can do better.' She loved it."

The process for acceptance to the United States service academies is rigorous and unlike the application process for any other university. 

"Carrie spent all summer writing her essays," Linda Fries said. "All summer.  She wrote them all on her own.  There was no contribution from the outside."

After the preliminary application, which is similar to a regular college application, each applicant must be nominated by an approved reference.  Fries was nominated by New Jersey Congressman Leonard Lance, who represents the state's 7th Congressional District.

"I take my responsibilities very seriously regarding the appointments I make to all of the service academies," Lance said. "There is a committee that advises me, that is true of most members of Congress.  But I make the final decision, not the committee.  The committee presents me with applicants it believes are well-qualified, but I then review the recommendations. I was very pleased that the committee recommended Carey. I thought that her credentials were outstanding."

Once all of the steps have been met, the Naval Academy reviews the applicant and decides whether they will consider them as an official candidate or not.  Once an applicant becomes an official candidate they must pass a medical examination and a fitness assessment.  From there, the candidate moves on to the official interview.  Fries met with her Blue and Gold recruitment officer, who helped guide her through the potentially intimidating process.

"Carey worked very closely with her recruiter from the Naval academy, her Blue and Gold officer, Pat Hurley," Linda Fries said. "He helped her prepare for the interviews, for the boards.  He helped her prepare for the kinds of questions and for talking to people that she just doesn't know well."

After all of that, the candidate is evaluated and, if admitted, extended an Offer of Appointment.  The 1,200 young men and women who accept the Offer represent the finest students and leaders in the country.

"You know she's the epitome of leadership, of hard-work, of dedication and focus.  Regardless of being the first, she really is wonderful in all those aspects," said Fries' guidance counselor, Amy Herber, who recommended that Fries look at Annapolis.  "When you think about who we want to be serving our country, she represents, not only Summit but all young people of this generation, in a wonderful way."

"I think the Summit school system has established an environment here within Summit that encourages people to compete at the highest possible level," said Ward II councilman, Richard Madden.  "And Carey's done a wonderful job within that.  I'm confident she'll make a super midshipman down there."

The Fries' are in complete agreement that the education Carey received has prepared her for this.

"The school really provides them with the opportunity to excel in whatever they want to do," said Russ Fries, Carey's father. "Whether it's class leadership, or higher level classes, or the theater or whatever it is they provide plenty of opportunity for the kids to do whatever they want to do and to excel."

Before heading to Annapolis, Fries will focus on the NJSIAA swim meet, her final semester of high school, and her graduation speech.