Cibola High School senior Juan Sierra has received a congressional appointment to and has been accepted to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point in the fall.

"I'm glad to be a part of something greater than myself and I'm grateful for the people that helped me get here,” Sierra said.

West Point is one of the nation’s five service academies. Designed in 1778 and opened as the first military academy in 1802, West Point has been training young men and women to be officers in the U.S. Army.

“With his goals of eventually becoming a pilot, Juan wants to become a man of honor,” Cibola Counselor Anastasia Dawson said. “He looks to serving others before himself and leading those around him to be the best versions of themselves. Juan brings incredible athletic abilities with him. He is a two-time Arizona high school Division I state champion in wrestling in his weight class, has won state championships in competitions with his travel teams, and won a national championship in Mexico. He has led his wrestling team as the team captain.”

Applicants to West Point not only have challenged and proven themselves academically, but also have to have leadership and pass a physical fitness examination. Often ranked as one of the top post-secondary institutions in the world, West Point accepts only about 10 percent of nearly 12,000 applicants annually.

In his acceptance notification it stated: “Juan challenged himself academically, choosing to take advanced math courses, extra foreign language and science classes, and an advanced CTE class in engineering. He takes school just as seriously as he takes his opponents on the mat. The United States Military Academy at West Point is fortunate to have Juan Sierra Rodriguez as a cadet and future officer.”