Sisters student will attend West Point

Elizabeth Mount will become the first Sisters High School student to attend West Point.

Mount, daughter of Guy and Diana Mount of Sisters, is one of 192 female plebes accepted among 2,000 applicants.

Mount says she is ready for the rigors of life in the U.S. Military Academy.

"There were times when I was scared and questioning whether I really wanted to do this because it's going to mean a lot of sacrifice," Mount said. "It will not be like a normal college, but I know it'll be worth it."

Mount has passed the physical and academic tests required from West Point and received congressional nomination from Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore.

As an award-winning volleyball player, she played four years at Sisters High School, where she was co-captain, and four years with the High Desert Club in Bend.

She is one of two freshmen girls who will play on the West Point volleyball team. However, volleyball won't be her main focus.

"My coach there told me before I ever applied, that volleyball has to be second and West Point first," Mount said. "He wanted to make certain that was straight. But the team will be a huge support system for me. I'll eat meals in the mess hall with the volleyball girls -- everyone eats at the same time -- and attend activities with them. This will help since plebes have to put up with a lot from upperclassmen. You obviously have to prove yourself."

Every aspect of life at the academy is challenging.

"There is a lot of skill building, too," Mount says. "Everyday, we have to memorize the entire front page of the New York Times and be able to conduct a table debate about it, along with the entire West Point code.

"I sat in on some classes, and the professors are seriously intriguing. These are not lecture halls, so it's all about teacher-student interaction."

Mount will have a degree in engineering upon graduation and is expecting to take a double major, then go on to grad school, possibly in law.

"In the summers we'll go to different countries, learn to jump out of helicopters and rappel into the ocean," she said.

Mount will be required to serve five years in the U.S. Army upon graduation from West Point, and an additional four years if she attends grad school.

"I never pictured myself going to a military school," Mount said, "but my sophomore year I heard about the history of West Point, saw some movies based on it, and began reading more into it. My parents and volleyball coach, Brad Bulloch, helped me contact the West Point coach.

"But when I went back to visit the campus, I thought, Wow, I really want to go here. It's a castle-like atmosphere, lush and green, and there is so much history everywhere. The people are so honorable. The sense of patriotism is incredible. It's a very moving place."

This July when she reports for duty, Mount will endure "Beast," a time of extreme physical training for all students.

At this time "a lot of people quit," Mount said.

"It's gut-wrenching. They totally tear you down with meticulous and overwhelming tasks," she said. "But there's no way I'm going to quit; I worked too hard just to get in. Mount is grateful for community support.

"It's great to see people appreciate West Point; I was surprised," she said.

"Mrs. Spear, one of my English teachers helped me so much last summer write the five essays required, a lot of work.

"My math teachers, Mrs. Pritchard and Mr. Randall, stayed after classes long hours and gave me confidence. My parents are strongly supportive."

Mount says playing high school volleyball helped a lot, too, because, she concedes, "you don't have to be the smartest or anything. I've seen kids my age shut themselves off to big possibilities that are out there.

"All you have to do is be open to them."