(Editor’s note: This is the third part of a three-part Q&A series with Class of 2021 cadets who earned graduate school scholarships.)
The U.S. Military Academy Class of 2021 graduated 996 members May 22 at Michie Stadium. Those graduating represent 80% of the 1,239 cadets who entered West Point nearly four years ago on July 3, 2017.
It is always daunting in some form for all cadets who walk the hallowed grounds of the granite fortress on the Banks of the Hudson. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last 15 months added another layer that confronted this group of cadets beyond the personal, academic and physical aspects that mark the 47-month West Point experience.
Nevertheless, with the intriguing words of their class motto, “Until the Battle is Won,” ringing loud, 40 cadets from the Class of 2021 not only became new second lieutenants, but they also earned graduate school scholarships and conquered the battle to receive higher education opportunities, both domestically and internationally, immediately after graduation.
These 40 cadets earned several domestic scholarships to include the Carnegie-Mellon, Draper Labs, Truman, East-West, GEM, Knight-Hennessy, MIT Lincoln Labs, National Science Foundation and the Purdue Mil Research Initiative scholarships.
They also earned international scholarships to include the Rhodes, Marshall, Anna Sobol Levy, Barry, Deutsche Akademische Austausch Dienst, Fulbright, GEM, Rotary and Southampton scholarships. Over three weeks, The Pointer View series titled, “In their own words: Class of 2021 cadets have ‘Won the Battle,’” involves various members of the class who earned post-graduate scholarships and tell their stories of their West Point experience.
In honor of the high-achieving members of the 223rd graduating class of West Point, here is the final installment of the three-part series with Class of 2021 Cadet and now 2nd Lt. Langdon Ogburn (Marshall Scholarship) sharing his own words of his West Point journey …
Class of 2021 Cadet Langdon Ogburn
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina. Branch: Infantry.
Pointer View: Earning the Marshall Scholarship, how exciting was it for you to receive it?
Langdon Ogburn: “I received the call that I won the Marshall Scholarship in class (luckily, my teacher allowed me to step out of class to take it). I immediately called about every family member, mentor and friend I could.
“I thought that eventually, it would start seeming real, but it still hasn’t quite yet. To receive an all-expenses-paid education for two years in the UK is an absolute gift that I could not be more grateful or excited for.”
PV: What was the process you had to go through to receive the scholarship?
LO: “The process was incredibly extensive. I spent no less than four months working on the written application with mentors in a way that articulated how my research, experiences, achievement and professional ambitions all connected.
“After learning that I was a finalist for the scholarship, I went through multiple mock interviews where my ideas were questioned, which would set me up to answer many of the hard questions that were asked in my actual interview.”
PV: What is your plan with the scholarship, what field of study will you get your masters in?
LO: “The Marshall Scholarship is a two-year scholarship; however, most master’s programs in the UK are one year. This means I will be able to pursue two degrees. In the first year, I will pursue a master’s in Conflict, Development and Security at King’s College London.
“In my second year, I will pursue a master’s in Public Policy at either the London School of Economics or Cambridge University. I will focus both these degrees on my main area of concentration — mass atrocity prevention.”
PV: Thoughts about going to England to study?
LO: “Ever since being afforded the opportunity to study abroad as a Cow, I have realized the immense importance of living in a place with a different culture and history than one’s own.
“While I am incredibly excited to experience and learn from UK culture, I hope the fact that London is such an international city will allow me to expand my perspective on even more parts of the world as well.”
PV: Throughout your life, how important has education meant to you in achieving your educational heights?
LO: “I am a big fan of the idea that the more one understands the world, the richer one’s life becomes. I view this to be true in two capacities — both in the enjoyment of one’s personal life and in one’s capacity to make a significant contribution to others.”
PV: What branch will you serve in?
LO: “I will serve in the Infantry branch at first before transitioning to the Military Intelligence branch.”
PV: What does service and leadership mean to you as you move onto your Army career?
LO: “Something my parents always taught me was that when one has more than what they need, they have an obligation to help others. Growing up, I always found myself acting as a leader in the various activities I participated in.
“By beginning my Army career in pursuing education, I hope to use what I learn in the UK to contribute as a leader and officer toward making the Army more capable of preventing mass atrocities.”
PV: How has West Point helped you become a “leader of character”?
LO: “There are many ways that West Point has helped me become a leader of character. However, the one that stands out the most to me is how it forces one to make choices on how to spend their time. “Because there are always so many things consuming your time, you have to choose what your greatest priorities are. In this way, I have been able to make my peers and those I lead a priority in my life.”
PV: What has been your highest leadership position at West Point? And, what has that position taught you in leading others from your peers to the underclassmen?
LO: “I think the most impactful leadership experience I have had was being the operations officer for Cadet Leader Development — an entirely new summer training detail created because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To work toward operationalizing an entirely new training event at 20 years old was an almost surreal experience. All those I led were either my classmates or one class below me, which taught me a lot about leading my peers toward a shared, significant goal.”
PV: What activities/sports were you a part of that helped shape your West Point experience?
LO: “I have been able to participate in a great many number of organizations at West Point, including the Tutoring Program, West Point Writing Fellows Program, Ethics Debate Team, Speech and Parliamentary Debate Team, Spectrum Club and company Sandhurst team.
“All of them have uniquely contributed to my development and West Point experience.”
PV: Best memory/best achievement in your time at West Point?
LO: “Again, almost too many to count. However, if I were to choose one, the first that comes to mind is Yearling Winter Weekend. It was a weekend filled with a lot of fun and love with my friends and classmates.”
PV: How tough has the West Point experience been over the past 15 months considering COVID?
LO: “It was certainly not the Firstie year I believe my peers or I imagined. In many ways, however, I believe we were able to connect in ways that we wouldn’t be able to in past years because of the pandemic.”
PV: Any one person who helped guide you toward success at West Point?
LO: “Almost too many people to count. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had so many friends and faculty in my time here at West Point who deeply cared about my development and believed in my academic and leadership abilities.
“I would not be heading to the UK next year without them.”
PV: What advice would you give to the underclassmen or high school students contemplating on coming to the academy?
LO: “You must really want the end result — becoming an officer in U.S. Army. West Point is hard. “If the idea of becoming an officer, leading and making an impact in the U.S. Army isn’t something that excites you, then it will become a lot harder.”
PV: Describe what tossing your hat in the air meant to you on Graduation Day, completing your journey at West Point?
LO: “My West Point experience has not been what one may call “easy.” Yet, I think it symbolized the bookend to an important chapter to the only life I have.
“Although it is time to begin a new chapter, I will always be grateful for many of the experiences I have had here.”
(Editor’s note: A special thank you to all of the Class of 2021 cadets and now second lieutenants who took part in the three-part Q&A series.)