Honors Program Information Has Honors? Yes Participated? No Nature of Honors Involvement or Reasoning for Not Participating I did not pursue an honors degree due to the fact that I accepted the role of First Captain, or Brigade Commander, at West Point. As the First Captain, I am the highest-ranking cadet at West Point and responsible for the physical, military, and character development of 4,452 cadets. The nature of this role means that I frequently travel across the country to attend conferences, speak at events, and interact with world leaders. While at West Point, my time is frequently taken up planning events, attending meetings, and serving as a liaison between cadets and senior leadership. Although I originally intended to pursue an honors degree, I recognized that I would not be able to satisfactorily fulfill my duties as the First Captain if I added the additional academic requirement. Research or Creative Endeavors Participated In For my senior capstone, I am working on a “soft” systems engineering problem focused on recruiting and retaining more women in African militaries. With mentorship from UN Military Gender Advisers and US Army Africa (AFRICOM) Operations Research Analysts, my team developed a system dynamics model which captures the causal relationship between different factors affecting the propensity of women to achieve meaningful participation in the military (meaningful participation defined as reach the rank of Major or higher). Through understanding the quantitative relationship between variables such as sexual assault laws, restrictive cultural norms, the distance of female medical infrastructure to military bases, and physical entry requirements —as well as their cumulative effect on the propensity of women to both join and remain in the military— the model allows for novel policy ideas to be tested. While the research is ongoing, our team has used the model to conduct a thorough analysis of the Kenyan Defense Force and provide policy recommendations to increase the number of female officers . US Army AFRICOM has already expressed interest in beginning to allocate resources aimed at removing institutional barriers like mandatory height requirements, procuring maternity uniforms, building women’s health clinics, and creating a targeted marketing campaign focused on recruiting women with children, which stands to produce the largest increase ever in female recruitment and retention. Academic Recognitions and Awards -Winner, Rhodes Scholarship and Schwarzman Scholarship -Finalist, Marshall Scholarship and Fulbright Scholarship -Award, Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Cadet and Honor Society Inductee (2019): Top 1% of class in academics -Award, Superintendent's Award for Excellence and Distinguished Cadet (2017-2020): Top 5% of class and 3.67 average in academic, military, and physical pillars -Award, Dean's Pentathlete (2019, 2020): Achieved a 4.0 and no less than an A- in all graded academic, military, and physical events -Award, George C. Marshall Leadership Excellence Award (2018): Selected as 1 of 275 cadets out of 20,000 ROTC/USMA cadets to be recognized for leadership excellence -Award, 2018 Cadet Leadership Training Best Rising Junior (2018): Best cadet in 200-person company for 3-week training exercise -Award, Brigadier General Lee Donne Olvey Award for Excellence in Economics (2018) -Award, Edwin Meese Award for Excellence in American Politics (2018) -Award (3x), Top Gun for MA103, PL100, EM381 (2017, 2018): Received best overall grade of any cadet in 3 different courses during an academic term: Psychology for Leaders (1250 cadets), Math Modeling (800 cadets), and Engineering Economics (100 cadets) -Award, Master of the Sword (2019-2020): Physical program score greater than 3.6677/4.00 -Award, Top ROTC Cadet at University of Florida (2016): Ranked 1/31 out of freshman ROTC cadets Undergraduate and Community Activity and Leadership On Campus Page 2 of 4 4/27/2020 8:59:43AM -Brigade Commander, United States Corps of Cadets (August 2019-Present): Led numerous efforts including revision of the cadet military evaluation system to align with the conventional US Army, acquisition of $200k worth of fitness equipment in anticipation of new Army physical fitness test, alignment of West Point’s sexual assault and sexual harassment policies with conventional Army , and revitalization of West Point’s Respect Committee focused on increased officer mentorship (30 hours a week). -Regimental Command Sergeant Major, Cadet Field Training (Summer 2019): Served as the second-highest-ranking cadet leading 1,400 cadets for 6-week field training focused on infantry tactics (120 hours a week). -Squad Leader, United States Naval Academy (Fall 2018): Led 12 Naval Academy midshipmen as a member of the Naval Academy Exchange Program (20 hours a week). -US Army Special Forces Survival (SERE) School (Summer 2018): Led 12 Special Forces soldiers during 3-week long school focused on survival and interrogation techniques, culminating in 7-day event involving physical exploitation and starvation (120 hours a week). -West Point's Black and Gold CrossFit team (2017-Present): (12 hours a week). -US Army Airborne School (Summer 2017): (90 hours a week). -Military Skills Competition Team (2017): Trained to compete in 48-hour competition against military teams from over 20 different countries (12 hours a week). -West Point Crew Team (2016): Men's Heavyweight (15 hours a week). In the Community -Leadership, Diversity, and Ethics Conferences (August 2019-Present): Conference speaker and small group leader for West Point's diversity and outreach conferences throughout the US (4 hours per week). -West Point Out Reach (2018-2020): Led and organized countless outreach programs for the United States Military Academy including Tunnels to Towers 5k Run in NYC, Walk-a-mile-in-her-Shoes Program to Stop Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment, Habitat for Humanity, Boy-Scouts Jamboree, Sexual Assault Stand Down Day, Mental Health Awareness Month, and more (2 hours per week). -Academy Ambassador (2019-2020): Served as a pseudo-ambassador to the United States Military Academy hosting distinguished guests such as: UN Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, President Donald Trump, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, LTG Cavoli of US Army Europe, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, and more (5 hours per week). Graduate Study Prospects Did Take Grad Test: No These tests were not required for the scholarships that I applied for. Graduate Admissions Test: Scores and/or Percentiles: Graduate Study Plans First Choice University of Oxford Oxford, UK Reason For Selection I have been accepted to Oxford's MPhil in International Relations, MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy program, and Master of Public Policy program. I intend to pursue the Global Governance and Diplomacy degree year one and Public Policy degree year two. This institution was selected due to its affiliation with the Rhodes Trust . I will benefit greatly from the broad curriculum and diverse background of students at Oxford. In the Global Governance and Diplomacy program, I will gain a better understanding of the framework of the international system and the practice of global governance. By studying topics such as globalization, I can begin to understand the challenges associated with future conflict and the role that institutions like NATO or the UN will play. Through courses such as Diplomacy and International Law, I will seek a better understanding of the conditions necessary for states to be held accountable for their actions and the barriers to this accountability—something increasingly important in the age of international rivalries and challenged national borders. Lectures from renowned expert John Gledhill on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding will expose me to the art of negotiation and ensure I confront preconceived notions on the merit of US nation-building missions in the Middle East and beyond. With resources from Rhodes House and Oxford, I intend to write a thesis focusing on the expanding role of military diplomacy in US foreign policy. Application Status: Accepted Page 3 of 4 4/27/2020 8:59:43AM Second Choice Reason For Selection Application Status: Third Choice Reason For Selection Application Status: Other Choices Personal Statement A lifelong lover of mathematics and no fan of ambiguity, I am the archetypal algorithmic thinker. I take comfort in equations and modeling--simple systems taking well-defined inputs to create certain outputs. Simplicity has also characterized much of my life. The combination of high average income and a noticeably homogeneous population in my small town outside of Annapolis ensured that I lived carefree. Although raised by two Dutch immigrants who espoused compassion for others, there was little impetus to strive to understand diverse backgrounds or experiences. My algorithm for success remained unassuming--work hard in school, be respectful to others, and make it to college. Standing at the podium preparing to give opening remarks to the 4,400 students and 1,000 staff and faculty members at the Sexual Harassment and Assault Stand Down Day this fall, I remembered these previous conversations. I spoke of my own guilt and inaction while witnessing sexual harassment at the University of Florida, and I stood in solidarity next to my classmate after calling her forward to tell the story of her own rape. Emails, texts, and words of praise from cadets of diverse backgrounds and genders highlighted a positive change in the narrative of sexual harassment and assault prevention. A better output due to the introduction of a new input —vulnerability. Not so simple. Work Sample Rationale This work sample was selected because the course it was completed for was the impetus for my interest in pursuing a graduate degree in social sciences and competing for the Rhodes Scholarship. The assignment was to select a country in Africa that was ranked in the bottom 20% of the Fragile State Index and develop reforms and initiatives to increase political and economic stability. Page 4 of 4 4/27/2020 8:59:43AM Van de Wall 1 The lasting, negative effects of colonization on the continent of Africa cannot be understated.