Gavin Lippman received the strangest advice as he searched for a college to attend: Enroll at the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I wanted to be part of something bigger, and most of all, I wanted to become a leader,” said Lippman, who graduated from St. Paul?s School.
Lippman, of Northwest Baltimore City, will be commissioned as a Marine Corps officer with a degree in international relations today in Annapolis, joining more than 1,000 other midshipmen who also will become naval and Marine officers.
Lippman said the Annapolis academy didn?t have a major presence in Baltimore City when he was looking for colleges. But since then, the academy has focused effortsin urban cities to attract more minorities to dissolve the disparity between the number of minority officers, such as Lippman, and enlisted sailors and Marines.
“The academy should become more visible in Baltimore, given its proximity,” Lippman said. “I think many city residents could benefit from attending the academy.”
Stephanie Motsay, of Catonsville, will become an ensign with a degree in comparative politics. She wants to follow in the steps of those such as outgoing commandant Capt. Margaret Klein and become a naval flight officer.
“When I came in as a plebe [first-year student], guys didn?t know what to make of me, and I had to prove myself,” she said. “Once I did that, there didn?t seem to be a problem.”
This academic year was the most notable for some, as they had to deal with the restrictive actions of the new superintendent, Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler, who limited liberty leave off the campus and toughened the curriculum to prepare for entering the war on terrorism.
“It?s hard to implement such radical changes when we?re all used to the status quo, but I guess we should be prepared for this when we enter combat zones,” said Midshipman Michael Eyler, 24, of the District, graduating as a naval officer with a degree in physics.
It was also a year filled with controversies, notably allegations of sex crimes committed by a naval doctor who sponsored midshipmen, a former chaplain at the academy and fellow midshipmen.
All the midshipmen interviewed said they were disgusted by the allegations, but added the claims were not an indicator of problems at the academy.
“It?s reality, a sad reality, that there are people out there who do these terrible things,” said Midshipman Graham Hollander, 23, of Takoma Park, who is graduating as an officer with a history degree.
“But that is a reflection on society and not a reflection of the majority of the people who go here.”
