West Point granted me the opportunity to attend the Student Conference for U.S. Affairs (SCUSA) from Oct. 15-18.
The conference features around eight hours of roundtable discussion, where a group of around 10 students, as well as cadets, form a policy idea based on their roundtable topic – I was placed into the Global Financial Institutions and Markets table.
SCUSA attendees are paired up with a cadet host and stay in barracks. Staying for three nights showed me how organized and busy a cadet’s life is – many go to sleep around midnight and are awake before 6 a.m. to be ready for class.
Day one was chaotic – a new environment with countless students from other large or prestigious schools. Many were not the only ones from their schools, and I was the only representative from Piedmont. I quickly learned that the conference would be demanding, as I went in with little knowledge of my roundtable topic beyond the assigned readings.
Most of the students in my roundtable were political science, government or law majors and being in the sports communications track made me feel out of place at first. Not to mention some students I was in a group with were from the University of Texas or even Harvard.
Once I became acclimated to the environment on day two, I felt more comfortable. I got to know students and cadets, even finding out that one had become friends with former sports communications student (and Piedmont representative) Matt Kodrowski when he was at SCUSA.
Our roundtable created what the judges deemed a good enough policy and presentation to earn us a spot in the top four of 15 total groups, moving us on to present on Saturday, Oct. 18. However, a roundtable on space won the final day.
My favorite part of SCUSA was the scenery. Although the roundtables were the main point of the conference, I could not help but enjoy the colder weather and beautiful area around West Point. Not even a half mile away from the roundtable buildings was the Hudson River, and during a tour, we hiked on “Flirtation Walk.”
West Point’s courting rules between cadets are somewhat strict, and the walk is secluded, so the name makes perfect sense.
Another fun part of the tour was the shooting simulator. West Point provides its cadets with quality simulation materials, such as VR and the simulator we used. The conference gave attendees a chance to learn how to fire and reload a simulator-modified M4, as well as the optional large machine gun. Of course, all the firearms used electronic components and never fired real bullets.
The mess hall is full of fascinating murals, including one wall that retells American military history. The library houses other pieces of West Point’s history, and one of the buildings features a detailed diorama of the area’s layout.
As I sat on the returning flight, ready to take off, I felt encouraged. In somewhat poetic fashion, I had a perfect window seat overlooking New York City as the sun was setting. After a hectic first half of the semester, I finally took a deep breath and reflected on my time at SCUSA.
Starting very nervous on the first day and then transitioning to feeling confident in the last day and a half was a great feeling, and one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’m beyond thankful I was allowed to attend the conference, and I would go back in a heartbeat.
