Rylen Castino is the first Ridgeview High School senior to be accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He’ll start cadet basic training in New York at the beginning of July.

The military academy has an intense application process. Typically, around 10,000 students apply each year. Students are assessed by their leadership abilities, academics and physical education. About 1,200 are accepted.

Initially, Castino, 17, was looking for a full-ride college scholarship through wrestling or football, but said he was not skilled enough.

Castino then began looking at Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarships.

“And then I also saw through that that I could also apply for West Point, and get free school and serve my country,” he said. “I thought, ‘That sounds like a pretty good deal.’”

In high school, Castino wasn’t part of Ridgeview’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, but has participated in football and wrestling since seventh grade.

He thought he would be a perfect fit for West Point. The academy wants scholar-athletes, and he’s always kept his grades up, he said. Castino also participated in community service through his church.

As part of the application, Castino sought and received a nomination from U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Happy Valley. He interviewed with her staff after submitting grades through a candidate portal that Chavez-DeRemer had access to.

He also wrote essays and submitted test scores, grades and medical information.

The whole application process took him nine months, he said.

Castino is looking forward to basic training this summer and meeting new people as the academic year starts.

“There’s people from every single state going to West Point, which is not something you would see at some other colleges, so that’ll be cool,” he said.

He is interested in joining the boxing club at West Point. Castino will be heading for New York at the end of June.

Gerry Smith, who graduated from West Point in 1966, is the field force representative for the 2nd Congressional District. Essentially, he’s an admissions representative for the academy. He works with sophomores and juniors in Central Oregon on preparing for and applying to West Point, and has been doing this work for over 20 years, he said.

Castino took the SAT twice, improving the second time. Smith believes that helped his application.

“He did much better, and I’m pretty sure that that had a big effect on his getting the appointment,” said Smith. “He did quite well with his interviews.”

Nadia Zawinsky, who graduated from Mountain View High School in 2023, attended the West Point Prep School this past academic year. After a successful second application, she will also be heading to West Point this summer.

Of the students he works with, having two acceptances in one year is rare, Smith said.

First Ridgeview graduate to West Point

Ridgeview High counselor John Albrecht also assisted Castino with his high school schedule and the application process for West Point.

Albrecht works with students and families on academic placement, ensuring they know what classes they want to take that fit into their schedules.

“I’m not sure exactly at what point he got on their website, but definitely by his sophomore year, he was thinking about ‘how do I give myself the best shot? What do I need to do? What do I need to take?’”, Albrecht said of Castino.

Albrecht helped him set up his schedule for the rest of his high school years. For the application process, Castino let Albrecht know what he needed to fill out, making sure he had enough time before deadlines.

“He definitely had the vision on his own,” Albrecht said. “Rylen is a very focused young man.”

Albrecht hopes Castino serves as an example for younger students. If students are interested in the military academies, they can’t waste much time in high school. A successful application at West Point is something to celebrate, he said.