Cody Hall made a trip into his future this summer.

Hall was selected for the U.S. Naval Academy’s Summer Seminar held on the Annapolis, MD, campus for a week in June.

“I learned about military discipline and the dedication it takes to be a part of the military,” said Hall.

He described his summer experience as a mixture of boot camp and a college tour.

“It gave me a sample of what life would be like there,” he said, mentioning his future ambitions.

Hall has his eyes on the Naval Academy for pursuing his dream of becoming a special warfare officer. He said he is confident he will either go to the Naval Academy or join the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC.

“It popped into my head one day when I was little. I’ve been dead set on it ever since,” he said.

During his trip this summer, he said it was like a basic camp for the academy, training and evolution.

He joined 800 of his peers from across the country and U.S. territories.

The academy’s summer seminar introduces attendees to overall life at the academy. They receive first-class academic, athletic and professional training. They experience life on The Yard and learn from some of the academy’s best midshipmen and esteemed faculty. The Yard is the stately campus of the academy where future officers are educated for the Navy and the Marine Corps.

Forbes magazine ranks the Naval Academy as the top public college in the country. U.S. News and World Reports lists the undergraduate engineering program in the top five.

Hall said the campus is older than he imagined, but that it is well “preserved” and maintained. During his stay, he was a resident of the Bancroft Hall dormitory and obtained a good feel for what life would be like in that setting.

He said he knows it will take a lot of hard work, dedication and determination to become a special warfare officer.

“It is physically demanding,” he said.

“Cody Hall is a prime example of what JROTC is all about… a great student, outstanding work ethic, leadership qualities and goal orientated,” said HCHS JROTC instructor Maj. Tim McElyea.

McElyea said Hall “is one of the best cadets to ever go through the program, both mentally and physically.”

Hall is ranked top of the 125 cadets in the program. He is the senior battalion commander, which is the lead cadet of the program, and Raider commander, of which his team is ranked top in the region.

The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and United States military bases across the world. The program was originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.

Also, Hall is the top academic cadet, with an almost perfect grade point average of 3.97 on a 4.0 scale. He takes dual credit classes and is a member of the Beta Club and National Honor Society.

A Mountain Raider, he competes in the obstacle course, land navigation and two–mile run. He was awarded the prestigious Sons of the American Revolution’s JROTC medal from the organization’s Blue Licks Chapter. The award goes to cadets who are selected for having a high degree of merit with respect to leadership qualities, military bearing and general excellence.

His hobbies are working out and spending time with his friends.

“Honestly, I spend most of my time with JRTOC,” he said.

He is the son of Greg and Lara Hall, Loyall.