For the second year in a row, an LISD student has been accepted to a United States Military Academy. Xerina Coleman, who graduated from Nixon High School in May, will be attending the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Coleman was nominated for this honor by U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar. She is the first Nixon High School student accepted to the prestigious Naval Academy.
Coleman, who is the daughter of an ex-Marine and current Texas State Trooper, knew off the bat that she wanted to go into the military. Her plan was always to go in as an officer, do her four years in college, commit to the military, and get a good job. But she did not really start thinking about the military academies until her junior year.
“My counselor introduced the Summer Seminar, which is like a boot camp that the Academy has for incoming high school seniors. It’s like the unofficial process before you apply so you get a sneak peak of what it’s like,” said Coleman. “I came out of their and I said, “Nope I’m not doing that.” Then I was like well, you know what, maybe. Hey, it’s a shot in the dark. And truly, it felt as if it was. But why not. Go for it.”
The vigorous application process felt like she was doing an extra college course on top of her already busy workload but it was well worth it, according to Coleman. The application starts with a personal essay followed by a questionnaire. Your application needs to be completed to about 1/3 of its extent before you are qualified to reach out to a Blue and Gold Officer (BGO). “These officers are in charge of aiding you but also evaluations and interviews that determine whether you are eligible to apply and if you are there for the right reasons,” noted Coleman.
“I met my BGO in Austin. It was two hours of non-stop conversation,” said Coleman. “They want to know everything about you. You have to sell yourself to a person who has heard it all.”
The application also includes a physical exam, a medical exam, and a multitude of letters of recommendations, and a counselor approval. Applicants must apply separately for a nomination from either Congress, the Senate, President, Vice President, or any sort of JROTC unit that is either Navy or Marines.
“I got my nomination from Congressman Henry Cuellar, which allowed me to turn in the application then wait for acceptance or denial for the admissions,” said Coleman. “Henry Cuellar gave me his primary nomination, which allowed the academy to know that Henry Cuellar had personally vouched that I was ideal and worth the opportunity.”
Congressman Cuellar made the official announcement at a press conference at Nixon High School where he praised Coleman for her acceptance to the Naval Academy.
“It was my sincere honor to nominate Xerina Coleman to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Xerina is an outstanding student and truly deserves this honor,” said Congressman Cuellar.
Xerina had been checking her email like a maniac for about a month when she started thinking they were going to decline her. Then one night just after finished working a late shift at Whataburger, she got the news she had been waiting for. “I was sitting in my car when I saw the email. It was just silence. I was like, “Wow.” I was re-reading it and re-opening it,” said Coleman. “It was like 11:00 p.m. and suddenly I was calling all my teachers on like a Saturday. I was crying and I was so happy, I ran inside to go tell my manager.”
Xerina recently got a call from current West Point Cadet and former Garcia Early College High School students Arron Fuentes. His first words were beat Navy, and so the “956” rivalry on the East Coast begins.
“He actually reached out to me a few weeks ago. We had a quick conversation where he gave me some advice,” said Coleman. “He basically told me your first year there is a lot up there that we are not exposed to down here. That being said there is going to be a period where you might feel you don’t belong like a rocky period, where your foundation is unstable because your support group is not there. You have to find your people there and you settle in. Everything will fall into place. He said it’s crazy, it’s a lot, but it’s worth the time and hard work.”
As Xerina embarks on this new chapter at Annapolis her parents stand beside her with unwavering support, love, and boundless pride.
“My Dad is Marines so he was so excited for me. My father is always working busy shifts and my mother being a teacher is very involved with her students. This application brought us closer as a family,” said Coleman. “With this application we all met in the middle to get this done. It wasn’t more like a me victory, it was a family victory. It was bitter sweet for sure. Now he knew what I was going to face and go into. There is definitely a pride he has for me going to the Academy.”
Xerina credits her role models, who are her parents, Nora and Joshua Coleman, for being the biggest influence in her life.
“My role models are my parents. My mother is first in her family to go to college and has a bachelor’s in criminal justice. Now she’s a teacher, underpaid, but so dedicated in her craft. My father grew up in Detroit South Side which is such a hostile environment. To enlist out of high-school and commit to our nation with patriotic values and principles. He is now a state trooper and my motivation upon entering the naval academy this year,” said Coleman. “I never take for granted the opportunities I have been given because I know that my parents on both sides had their struggles that they had to overcome in order to give me the opportunity to do all of this. Even during the applications, he was working 12-hour shifts and driving me to out of town for my interviews. We never missed anything. We never wanted there to be a reason why I didn’t get accepted.”
Coleman would like to acknowledge all her supporters who stood by her throughout this entire process.
“I especially want to thank Dr. Nina Garza, my criminal justice teacher. She was definitely my rock. She served in the Navy herself. So, throughout the application process she was so excited for me,” said Coleman. “She is such a good person. She truly believes in the ideals of America. She understands the opportunity, dedication, and commitment is takes to serve. She has always been the type of person I aspire to be. Going in as an officer you want a good steady leadership. someone who is levelheaded but also extremely determined and dedicated. That is her. I have to give her, her props.”
“At NIxon High School, we are immensely proud of Xerina. Her acceptance to The United States Naval Academy,” said Nixon High School Principal Cassandra Mendoza.
Her academic accomplishments include the Northwich Military Institution Presidential Scholarship in Computer Science, San Antonio Legacy foundation Scholarship, and Society of Martha Washington Close-Up Scholarship. She, also graduated in the Top 10 percent of her class.
Xerina was an active member of UIL, JROTC, and One Act Play where she played the lead role for three years.
“I feel that being in One Act Play and ROTC has opened a lot of opportunities for my future,” said Coleman. “It has made me want to step out of my comfort zone to do things that made me uncomfortable and see how well I can work it out. It made me want to test myself and honestly, I feel that being in ROTC has got my confidence up and I have learned how to have trust in myself. I had stage fright, I couldn’t talk in front of people, was extremely not self-confident at all. But, my directors Marco Gonzalez and Joe Flores, pushed me out of my shell,” said Coleman.
She is a huge advocate for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields and will be pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Xerina then hopes to commission as an aviator and attend flight school for a few years and become a fighter pilot. After that she would like to become an engineer and work for NASA hopefully becoming an astronaut or work in mission control.