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Hicks first rejected, later earns Annapolis appointment
He was an honor student and drum major of the high school marching band. "I was confident and very hopeful," Hicks recalls. "I had all the optimism in the world but knew that nothing was for sure." When the letter from Annapolis finally arrived Cody and his mother and step-father, Sandra and Joe Gernand, opened it together. "After reading the first line of the letter I had the worst kick-inthe gut feeling," Hicks remembers. "I felt that I had let everyone down- my family and friends- everyone who had supported me in the nine year long pursuit of my dream to attend the Naval Academy." Each year tens of thousands of young men and women like Hicks apply for admission to one of the five U.S. Service Academies- the United States Military Academy at West Point, Naval Academy at Annapolis, Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Coast Guard Academy at New London, and Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point- and each spring 85-90 percent of them receive a letter of rejection, rather than the coveted letter of acceptance. Many like Hicks are well-qualified, but competition for the few available slots at each academy is intense, and most who apply will not make it. "I did not know how I would do it," Hicks said, "but there was no way I would let this rejection hold me back." A few weeks earlier Hicks had received a call from his stepmother Kathy. She told him about a program she had recently discovered called Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. "My step-mom told me that Greystone was a program specifically designed for young men and women who, like me, had been rejected by one of the Service Academies; these students had gone to Greystone for a year and had been successful the second time around. "After receiving my rejection letter I immediately got the ball rolling on what I hoped would be my Plan B- Greystone- and within a few hours I was on the telephone with the program founder and director, retired Navy Commander Dave Bailey." "The Schreiner campus is a classic small college environment," said Sandra Gernand, Hicks' mom, "and all the Greystone students live and work together in their own residence hall. The program seemed perfect for Cody- a full year of tough core university courses- exactly what he would have been taking in his Annapolis plebe year. "Plus a lot of well-thought out and structured programs involving physical training, character development, time management, and community service- all aimed at boosting the students' competitiveness the second time around," she said. "The Greystone program has been one of the greatest experiences and investments of my life," Hicks said. "I would not trade my time here at Greystone for an appointment letter last year. "I believe that my experiences here at Greystone will give me a leg-up on the things that I will be doing at the Academy this summer. I've worked hard at Greystone and all my hard work has finally paid off! Greystone has worked for my classmates too - all of my classmates have either earned appointments to one of the academies or been selected to an officer accession program.
"I've always dreamed of attending the Naval Academy and this July I'm off to join the Brigade of Midshipmen," he said.
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