Saint Joseph students graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy

Photo courtesy of Kristin Hope

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Midshipman Kristin Hope will graduate May 28 from the U.S. Naval Academy in Anapolis, Md.

SALT LAKE CITY — "The Naval Academy has been a challenge, but in the long-run it was worth it," said Kristin Hope, who graduated from Saint Joseph Catholic High School in 2006 with fellow classmates Ryan Gilbert and Jake Reis. The three St. Joseph alumni will graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., May 28.

Midshipmen Hope and Gilbert will train as Navy pilots in Pennsacola, Fla., in December and Midshipman Reis will train as a Marine in September and then as a pilot in Pennsacola.

During her first, or plebe summer, Hope was allowed only two phone calls home, which consisted of, ‘This is the biggest mistake of my life,’" she said. Now, with graduation here, she can’t believe the transformation she has made. She remembers feeling awful in her plebe uniform with tears streaming down her face, while training with upperclassmen who told her she didn’t belong. "It was a constant challenge that really rocked my faith," she said. "I learned to follow and to let go of civilian habits and attitudes. It was more of a mental struggle than I was expecting, so it shattered my confidence. It taught me how much my confidence plays a role in everything I do. I learned to become part of and depend on a squad instead of just myself."

Hope knew from a young age she wanted to be a pilot. Both of her parents were in the Air Force. Her father was a fighter pilot and later flew commercial airplanes, and her mother was a pilot and an air traffic controller. Hope has her private pilot’s license and her glider pilot’s license.

"Going to Navy, she is not in our shadow and has done extremely well," said Laurie Hope, her mother. "She joined the Drum and Bugle Corps, which let her talk to upperclassmen without retribution. She also joined the boxing team. During her summer excursions she flew in an F-16 at Hill Air Force Base and was part of a medical division on a ship."

Hope majored in English honors with a minor in Japanese. "I picked Japanese after looking at future places I’d like to be stationed," she said. "I fell in love with Japan after spending a month there last summer. As much as I love being a pilot, serving my country has become my biggest focus. I have come to love small-unit leadership and being a mentor. I have a whole new respect for those who have chosen to serve their country."

Georgia Gilbert is enormously proud of her son, Ryan, who set a goal to have an appointment to the Naval Academy when he was a sophomore in high school. He was active in the Catholic Midshipman Club, and instrumental in starting the Academy’s Knights of Columbus two years ago with 12 charter members. It became the fastest growing chapter in Maryland with 250 members. "We want our Knights to be involved in the community, but it is difficult with our schedules," said Gilbert, who is now a fourth degree Knight. "We had a large presence at the Pro-life Rally in Washington, D.C. in January."

Gilbert majored in political science with a double minor in Spanish and Arabic. "I chose Arabic because, with the ongoing operations in the Middle East, we have encountered problems overseas on the ground because not enough people know the language.

"My experience here has been challenging, but I grew so much as a person from when I entered," said Gilbert. "I am ready to lead young sailors and Marines, and I feel like I have all the tools to be an officer in the U.S. Navy."

Reis, who majored in mechanical engineering, was an exchange student for a semester at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. "It was interesting to see the military through the eyes of the Army," said Reis, who also trained with the Army for a month during the summer. "It was good to represent the Navy because the military services aren’t exposed to each other enough. There were 10 of us in the exchange program, and we found new ways to solve problems and offered them new resources and services."

Reis also trained a group of inner-city sophomores from a Newark, N.J. Catholic high school for a week-long hike across the Appalachian Mountains during the summer.

Reis said his plebe year was a shock and he felt like he no longer had a personality. "It was good to observe upperclassmen leadership because then I became a mentor and had a new perspective," he said. "As I graduate, I feel lucky for what I have and blessed to serve my country."