WHHS senior heads to naval academy

Jason Steiner has the makings of a fine soldier: He’s a well-spoken, confident and, by all accounts, strong-willed young man. Just 18, the West Hempstead High School senior already has the future on his mind.

Earlier this month, after a rigorous, yearlong admissions process, the United States Naval Academy — Steiner’s first choice of colleges — accepted him. “I can only remember being in shock over the news,” Steiner said, “and I think that some of the fact has still not completely sunken in for me. My parents, on the other hand, were ecstatic over the news …”

“He works hard to accomplish his goals … and we’re proud of him anyway,” said Jason’s mother, Joni, “but we’re happy for him because this has been his wish and he’s been working so hard.”

Before he could begin the process of applying to Navy, Steiner had to obtain a congressional nomination for appointment into the academy. To make his case to U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) and her nominating committee, Steiner wrote an essay about what made him a good candidate and the reasons he wanted to attend the academy. He also had to submit recommendations from several of his teachers, who happily accommodated him.

As if that weren’t enough, Steiner had to undergo a medical exam and score above average on a six-event fitness assessment. Finally, he had to be interviewed by an academy alumnus.

“I know they’re very, very strict with who they take and who they don’t take,” Joni Steiner said. “I can’t believe it, but we’re just starting to get used to the idea that he’s going.”

Ever since he started high school, Steiner has had his sights set on the service academies. “From a young age I had always been interested in some type of career with law enforcement,” he told the Herald, “and as I matured, those aspirations also matured. When I discovered the service academies … I knew that my future lay at one of these institutions.”