The Villager Newspaper Online Your Community News – Cleveland's Westshore
by Leigh Keeton
Trever Blackburn is determined to leave a lasting impact on the world, and he’s chosen a path of military service to do it. The 18-year-old will begin his journey by attending the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School at West Point, a highly competitive program that serves as a gateway to one of the most prestigious military academies in the country.
“Military academies are top tier,” Blackburn of LaGrange said. “I chose West Point because of the impact, the culture, and who I will become while I’m there.”
While Blackburn envisions who he will become during his time at USMAPS, which helps qualify candidates for admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point, those who know him are impressed by the young man he is today.
Blackburn is a Keystone High School 2025 graduate. He is a multi-sport athlete. He is a volunteer for the Big Brothers Big Sisters youth mentoring organization. He is a devout Christian. And he is a 2025 Lorain County Community College graduate.
Beginning his junior year, Blackburn crammed 30 LCCC credit hours into his high school schedule through College Credit Plus. The statewide program allows students to earn college credits while in high school, at no cost to the students or their families. Blackburn’s goal was to take enough courses to earn an associate degree.
“I wanted to build a foundation for wherever I was going to go after high school,” Blackburn said. “I had to take a lot of classes, and I also took some classes over the summer, but I fit it all in within two years.”
Among the qualities it took to achieve this goal were discipline, determination and taking responsibility for the environment around him.
“It’s a matter of who you surround yourself with,” Blackburn said. “If you surround yourself with people who are going to make you better as a person, and people who will be understanding of what you’re trying to do, it’ll work out.”
Although Blackburn comes from a military family, with relatives serving in the Navy, Army, Coast Guard and Marines, joining the military wasn’t a lifelong dream. It took exploration for Blackburn to decide what his future would be. And LCCC’s College Credit Plus program allowed him to do that.
“I could take all these college courses, not knowing what my next step would be,” he said. “I was able to get ahead, because of LCCC and what they offered.”
Blackburn talked with family members, high school and LCCC instructors, advisors, mentors and counselors while weighing career options. But ultimately, his military roots led him to the U.S. Military Academy admission process.
The seven-step application took about six months. And it was intense. Blackburn needed a congressional nomination, which he received from Congressman Bob Latta. He had to pass a strict medical examination, as well as strength and stamina tests. And he had to write several essays.
While much of the application was black or white, pass or fail, the essays, followed by phone and in-person interviews, allowed for more in-depth character insight.
“You have to share a lot of information about yourself,” Blackburn said. “You have to help them understand who you are, what you believe in, and how you’ve impacted those around you.”
This was where Blackburn believes he stood out. He talked about self-reflection, growth, selflessness, and initiative.
In one essay, which asked about volunteer work, Blackburn talked about his time as Keystone High School junior vice president. The school officers were responsible for raising money for prom. In just two months, Blackburn led a fund-raising committee that amassed more than $23,000. The funds not only paid for the event itself, but several students’ outstanding fees so they could attend the dance.
“I went out into the community, to different businesses, knocked on their doors, and talked to them about what a donation would do for the school,” Blackburn said. “I took initiative.”
Through his responses, Blackburn was able to show himself as a person capable of self-assessment, growth, and change.
“I knew that when they looked at my transcripts, they weren’t going to see the perfect student, and I was open about that,” Blackburn said. “But they would see a student who had the most growth out of anybody they’re going to talk to. What I wanted to show was that if you push yourself, you can achieve anything.”
Blackburn left for USMAPS in July, where he’s studying international affairs with a minor in Spanish. But in the days leading up to his departure, he tried to not think too much about how many days he had left at home, or the months and years to come. He took it one day at a time.
“I try to keep that mindset, so I don’t overwhelm myself, so I’m ready for anything they throw at me,” he said. “I’m going to show up and do whatever they need me to do. I’m going to grow however they need me to grow.”
As Blackburn begins his next chapter of academic, career, and personal growth, he said LCCC will always be a place he believes some of that growth began.
“LCCC means so much to me,” Blackburn said. “When I was that person trying to figure things out, they took me in, and they allowed me to grow into who I am now. LCCC helped me get here.”
Learn more about LCCC’s College Credit Plus program at www.lorainccc.edu/ccp.
