Focus on TUSD - December 2007

West Point Winner
Morales Earns Appointment to Prestigious Academy
After he graduates from Catalina Magnet High School next spring, Zoar Morales will march off to one of the most prestigious colleges in the country -- the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

But he has one more challenge to meet before that happens in June. He wants to graduate as the valedictorian of his class. It could happen. He's already No. 3 in his class of 330 students.

Morales has consistently taken on those kinds of challenges during his high school years -- with stunning results. While many students concentrate on doing well in sports, academics or an extra-curricular activity, Morales took them all on.

Morales was nominated for West Point's Class of 2012 by his Junior Reserve Officer Training Cadet Group at Catalina, where in his second year of membership he commands the Kitty Hawk Air Society, one of the ROTC clubs, which is the group's National Honor Society.

"West Point seemed like just a dream until my senior year when it became a reality and it all came together," Morales said.

At West Point, he plans to wrestle for the Army in the NCAA Division I Patriot League. Last year, he took third in the state, which was his second year of wrestling. This year, he wants to place first.

Morales, who is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds, also plays linebacker for the Trojan football team and runs with the track team.

Off the athletic field, Morales presides over the student body as the president. His favorite activity is Link Crew, a program where upperclassman help freshmen adjust to high school life. Last summer, Morales was elected treasurer at Boys State.

Academically, Morales has set high standards, taking four Advanced Placement classes in calculus, biology, government and literature, as well as an independent study course in Spanish and his ROTC class. He scored 1190 on his SAT college entrance exam.

Since he was notified last month of his West Point acceptance, Morales' new life has been on his mind. He'll report in June to the upstate New York campus, which is so large it resembles a town. Each year, 1,500 students are admitted, but by the end of four years, only approximately 1,200 are still in the graduating class.

He will start a six-week basic training class, followed by regular classes in August. For the first two years, all students take the same subjects, but during the third and fourth years, their courses vary. Because his choice of a business major is not available, Morales said he'll consider specializing in economics. West Point cadets graduate with two bachelor's degrees, one in engineering, and one in the subject of their choice.

For the first two years, cadets cannot leave the campus, except for two weeks in the summer and two weeks in the winter. They're not allowed to have a car the first two years, and must live in the dormitory all four years.

But even with the restrictions, Morales is excited about his new life, especially after he visited the campus in the summer. "At first, they yelled at us a lot, so we'd know what it would be like," he explained. "After that, they were normal. It's nice there. It reminds me of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter novels because the buildings look like castles. There are really old buildings there, and it's really green, and there are lots of trees. They get a lot of snow, which will be a big change for me, but it'll be OK."

After he graduates as a second lieutenant, he will immediately command hundreds of people. Summer training prepares cadets for that duty. He'll spend five years on active duty and after that could choose to spend three more years in the Reserves, or make the military his career. Morales plans to stay in the Army. He chose the Army, he said, because he likes the ground better than the air or water.

In the military, Morales will join his 20-year-old brother, Zach, a Marine sniper in Iraq, who is expected back in three or four months. His sister, Zaira, 19, recently graduated from the Culinary Institute in Scottsdale.

Morales admitted his mother, Betty, is "a little worried about me joining the military with the war situation now, but she said she'll support me."

As for the war, Morales said he hopes "for the best for everyone. If I go to war, it's scary, but it's part of the job."

-- By Sharon Dunham
Communications & Media Relations

TUSD - Proud Supporter of Small Classes

Photos in the December issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations, unless otherwise noted.

The deadline to submit material for the January Focus is Friday, Jan. 11. The Focus will be published Monday, Jan. 21. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the online Tip Sheet.