AHS Graduate Focused on West Point Future

There was never any question in Joe Kopp’s mind that he’d serve his country in some capacity. It just took a little while to sort out all of the options.

The Arundel High senior will graduate Wednesday with his classmates, and has committed to attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. It was a decision he made after weighing offers from both Columbia University and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. 

At first, Columbia was at the top of his list, as he received an offer to play football there.

But then he received an acceptance letter from the Coast Guard, causing him to re-think his decision. Another change of heart came a week later, when the Army sent its own letter of acceptance.

“At first, I was like, alright, Coast Guard!...then a week after that, I got a big thing in the mail from West Point, a big envelope saying I’ve been accepted,” he said. “So we sat down again, and it was like ‘alright.’”

Kopp is familiar with the notion of service to country. His father is a career employee of the state department. His grandfathers have served in the Army and Air Force and he has other relatives involved in public service in some capacity.

In the final analysis, West Point turned out to be the best fit for Kopp, as he’ll be following the path of a cousin and a former football teammate who currently attend the academy. He received a nomination from Sen. Ben Cardin.

“I always knew I’d join the military at some point, and this seemed like the way to do it,” he said. “You get an awesome education. I think it was a better fit for me.”

The Army could send Kopp to places all over the world, and that’s fine with him. He was born in Alaska, then spent time in Seattle and Mexico as he followed his father’s job with the State Department. Shortly after he starts with the Army, his family will relocated to Indonesia.

Kopp was a standout offensive lineman for Arundel’s football team, helping the Wildcats to make several deep playoff appearances while running a high-scoring offense. But he has decided against pursuing football at West Point, because the commitment would leave little free time.

“Although I like football, I didn’t feel like dealing with the added stress,” he said. “You don’t get any breaks.”

After attending West Point, Kopp will be bound to at least five years of active duty in the Army, leaving open the chance of service hostile regions of the world. It’s a commitment he has few reservations about.

“I don’t want to say I’d love to go, but if that’s what my country wanted me to do, I would not hesitate for a second,” he said. “I’m nervous, but it’s nothing that’s going to change my mind. For me, it’s absolutely the best choice. It’s the best mix of academics and physical fitness, but the best part is that it incorporates the fact that I will be serving my country.”