USMA IN THE NEWS
A Korean female cadet was named new captain of the Corps of Cadets in United States Military Academy, an academy paper said last month.
The Pointer View newspaper reported that Grace Chung, 22, was appointed Brigade Commander, the top position among 4,000 cadets in West Point, and that her appointment was the second time a woman cadet would take the job since the academy was founded 200 years ago.
''Despite the circumstances, its an exciting opportunity to be the first captain," Chung told the Pointer View. ''You get many opportunities while you're here and I want to take advantage of that and learn as much as I can before I move on to the Army."
''Honestly, I don't look at it as being the second woman to be the first captain, and we get a new commander every year and I just happen to be a woman."
The academy commandant, Brig. Gen. Leo Brooks said that Grace Chung is an outstanding example of excellence in all West Point program areas: military, physical and academic. He went on to say she commands tremendous respect from her peers and is a proven leader.
Chung, whose Korean first name is Han-sam, struggled early on in her U.S. Military Academy experience. However, over time, the negatives turned into positives and led to her becoming only the second female cadet leader in the academy's 200-plus year history.