“There Are No Conscripts At West Point”: Making The Most Out Of His Cadet Experience

Tobias Hild, the youngest grad of 2024, was born in June 2003 and grew up in Ft. Collins, Colorado. His father was born in Germany but attended Ashland University, where he met his wife. He became a teacher of Literature and the German language, and she became a music therapist. Tobias had his father as a teacher throughout his childhood. As a boy, Tobias enjoyed playing soccer, and his father coached track and cross country, so he participated in those sports as well. He enjoyed science, math, and computer programming during his time in high school. The COVID 19 pandemic began when he was a junior in high school, and he learned that if he took additional online classes he could graduate after three years in high school. His interest in the Military Academy began during his middle school years when he saw some articles about West Point, and he was in the process of applying during his junior year. He was accepted, and the first time he saw the Academy was on R-Day. He recalls the COVID precautions and beginning his West Point experience in the Prep School gym. He has done well Academically at West Point, majoring in Applied Statistics and Data Science. He recalls the hybrid classes of his Plebe year, where half of the class attended in person while the other half was virtual due to COVID restrictions. He participated in Sandhurst, competing on his company team, and during his Firstie year he served as a Regimental Sandhurst Officer. During his Cow year he spent a semester abroad, studying at the German Military Academy in Munich, which was close to his grandparents’ home. Reflecting on the culture of West Point, he remarks that everyone complains, but everyone wants to be here. Upon graduation, he will commission as a Medical Services Officer and begin flight school to become a Med Evac pilot. Giving advice to future Cadets, he states, “Everyone is here for a reason; we’re here to make the country and ourselves better.”