Chicago – Mark Boyle, a current West Point Military Academy cadet and 2002 alumnus of Mount Carmel, returned to his high school alma mater March 8 to offer words of wisdom to Mount Carmel students.

Speaking to Mount Carmel scholars who received Straight “A’s” on their Second Trimester Grade Reports, Boyle informed his audience about life at West Point and challenged the students to immerse themselves into their four-year high school experience.

“Leaders are people who take advantage of all the resources around them. You can only be led so far,” Boyle said. “When it comes down to it, you have to take advantage of things. At Mount Carmel, I forced myself to have a well-rounded experience.

“I wasn’t focused solely on academics. I was an athlete, I served on the Student Council and I was in school groups. Doing all of these things made me a competitive person. In the end, I was accepted into West Point, the Naval Academy and I had a four-year R.O.T.C. scholarship.”

Boyle will graduate from West Point in May. It just so happens that President Bush, who only comes to West Point’s graduation ceremonies once every four years, rotating between the four military branches, will be at Mark’s graduation, and will hand Mark his diploma.

After graduation, Mark will head to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and will join the 101st Airborne Division, an air assault division in the infantry made famous in the HBO series “Band of Brothers.”

“In my opinion, being an infantry officer is the mission of the Army,” Boyle said. “I’ll have the most opportunity for leadership. This is the most physically demanding group and the most intensive, and I’ll have the chance to lead 40 soldiers in my platoon.”

As Boyle wraps up his time at West Point, he can’t help but be thankful for his upbringing, which prepared him for success in college.

“My time at St. Barnabas and Mount Carmel laid the foundation to allow me to be where I’m at today. I learned the value of a work ethic,” Boyle said. “Mount Carmel, more than any other school in the area, presents students with opportunities. If I had gone to a bigger school, I don’t think I would have been encouraged as much to take advantage of opportunities before me.”

Boyle, who scored a perfect “Five” on two AP History Exams in high school, didn’t even have to take any History courses at West Point.

“There are so many parallels between Mount Carmel and West Point, but the most prevalent ones are the discipline, the work ethic, and the family atmosphere, even scholastically.

“At Mount Carmel, I learned just as much from my fellow students than I did from the teachers. We were all Honors students and we competed for the top class ranks, but we all pulled for each other to do well. I get this same feeling at West Point.”

Contact Info:
Matt Kellam, Director of Communication
P: 773-324-1020  x245
F: 773-324-2468
mkellam@mchs.org