While most Westside seniors are worrying about choosing a college and area of study for after they graduate, others are enrolling in a much different experience. The military is another option for students after they graduate. Senior Dustin Ecklebe has enrolled in Northwestern Preparatory School in Crestline, California. He says that this school will have a much different feeling than a regular 4-year college would.

“[It] is a school of about 80 people and is run sort of like a military school and is very structured. Their goal is to prepare you for the strict military lifestyle that you would receive at a military academy.”

The application process to this particular prep school is similar to that of a 4-year university, with the exception of an over the phone interview. Also, Ecklebe will have to attend class from 7 am until 6 pm to train him for what’s ahead in his military career after he graduates.

“I would like to either go to Westpoint, the army academy or the Airforce academy,” Ecklebe says.

Another senior, Logan Moran, has also chosen the military route after high school, but plans to go about it differently than Ecklebe. He has decided to join the ROTC program at UNL before transferring to The Citadel, a military college, in South Carolina.

“I wanted to get my education first, so I would have options for after I got out [of the military],” says Moran.

Although these prep schools and military academies have strict training schedules to prepare students for duty and require them to leave a lot behind, Moran is excited for what’s ahead of him.

“I’m looking forward to the training and bettering myself through the military, both physically and mentally, and I know that I will make new friendships along the way,” Moran says.