Griffin accepted into Naval Academy
Philadelphia’s Talease Griffin was officially accepted into the United States Naval Academy on April 16 after receiving a nomination from U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and U.S. Rep. Michael Guest in January.
Griffin, 18, was the first female and African-American to receive a service academy nomination in Philadelphia High School history.
She plans to attend the United States Naval Academy Prep School (nicknamed NAPS) in Rhode Island this July and will start at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in the summer of 2022.
She will be graduating from Philadelphia on May 20.
Griffin will be receiving a full ride from the academy, where she will get a room, textbooks, equipment, and a guaranteed job after she graduates.
“Being accepted into the academy was such a great feeling. I was in absolute shock,” Griffin said. “I just so happened to check my phone and saw an email from the academy telling me that I had been accepted. I started screaming around my house since I was so excited.”
Griffin said she’ll be attending the prep school to give her a boost on her academics. She plans to study chemistry, English and other basic subjects before moving to the academy in Maryland. She has not yet decided what her major will be.
She is well-respected by her peers and teachers at Philadelphia High and has a long list of accomplishments there, including being the vice president of the Mississippi Beta Club, the captain of the Bible Bow Team, and was selected to be a part of Leadership Neshoba, an organization designed to help juniors with knowing their potential and being involved in the community.
“For anyone that has a dream or goal, it’s never too late to accomplish it,” Griffin said. “Take the time, stick with it, and everything will pay off.”
David Carter, Griffin’s “Blue and Gold” officer, her admissions counselor at Philadelphia High School, said he is beyond excited for Griffin and complimented her as a leader of the community.
“She is highly respected by her peers and she’s been a special project over the years,” Carter said. “She’s put in a lot of work and hasn’t given up. I’m very proud of her, and it’s great to see her hard work pay off.”