By Michelle Colesanti
Recent Bloomingdale High School graduate Jessica “Jesse” Jenkins was inducted into the Naval Academy Class of 2021 spending six weeks of basic midshipman training as part of Plebe Summer.
Approximately 1200 candidates are selected each year. The pressure and rigor of Plebe Summer is carefully designed to help plebes prepare for their first academic year at the Naval Academy and the four years awaiting them.
Jesse’s first experience at The Naval Academy was at the end of her sophomore year of high school. Family friends were getting married in the Naval Chapel. Jesse was very impressed with the history and prestige of The Naval Academy. She said, “Being able to see the honor in the midshipmen and walk around the campus made me feel at home, and I knew this was where I was supposed to be.
The Naval Academy was founded in 1845 and is a prestigious four-year service academy that prepares midshipmen morally, mentally and physically to be professional officers in the naval service.
Jesse plans to major in Aerospace Engineering. Her mom, Peggy Jenkins said, “I gained a great respect for Jesse as I watched her go through the rigorous and tough application process with the academic, physical and medical testing; essays; interviews; etc. She has always made goals and had the determination and drive to complete them. Her entire life she has loved challenges, whether it was asking to take the training wheels off her new bicycle at age 4, participating in countless competitions during high school, or going to The Naval Academy.”
At Bloomingdale High School, Jesse was co-captain of her varsity lacrosse team, Cello section leader in Chamber Orchestra and received various medals for solos and duets. She competed in Science Honor Society and Math Team competitions each year. She also belonged to multiple clubs and volunteered.
Her hobbies include piano and cello, lacrosse, kayaking, swimming, rock climbing, archery, painting & sketching, shooting, and classic cars.
Upon graduation, midshipmen earn a BS degree in a choice of 25 subject majors and go on to serve at least five years of exciting and rewarding service as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps.
After graduation Jesse has plans to continue her military career as a Surface Warfare Officer.
