Josh Camenzind headed to West Point Academy

The son of Joe and Kris Camenzind, Josh has worked toward this goal for years. His grandfather’s 20-year service in the U.S. Navy inspired Josh, but the foundation for his goal has been “service to country,” he said. “I’d like to give back.”

Josh began working toward an appointment to West Point by taking the SAT, a standardized college entrance exam, in his sophomore year. Last December, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler made the nomination on Josh’s behalf. Prior to the actual nomination, he received excellent guidance on the nomination process from Karla Webber, a 6^th District representative on the Washington State admissions team for the academy.

“Joshua is a great candidate,” Webber said. “He has everything an admission board is seeking in a cadet and eventual Army officer: Leadership, great SAT scores, success in team sports. It is a very difficult process and few kids are accepted. 

“He is a credit to his school, his community and his family.”

Webber’s son, Army Capt. Andrew Webber and a West Point grad, agreed in a letter of recommendation for Josh. “As an infantryman with over three years deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq and over a year of command time I can say, emphatically, Josh has everything required of our junior leaders. As the U.S. Army prepares for complex, quickly evolving security challenges men like Josh will be the cornerstones of success.”

Josh has compiled a history of success throughout his high school years, in academics – he’s just seven-tenths of a point shy of a perfect 4.0 grade average – as well as in athletics. He is the school’s current student body president, he attended Boys State last year and he has served as a Business Week CEO.

Former Raymond High teacher Mitch Cavender recalled, in a letter of recommendation, that Josh was “undersized for an offensive lineman” as a freshman, but he “never allowed his determination to waver…. Josh’s diligence and hard work paid dividends as he transformed himself from a scraggly freshman trying to find a place on the team into both a team captain and all-league selection as a senior.”

Camenzind joins other area graduates in his pursuit of officer training at prestigious U.S. military academies.

“Josh is one of four local kids attending academies right now,” Karla Webber said. Nicole Miller from Valley is finishing her third year at West Point. Alex Fletcher from North River is just getting done with his first, or Plebe year. Nathan Rogers is finishing his third year at the Merchant Marine Academy. 

“They have all obtained something very few people ever do,” Webber added.

Admitting to being “excited and nervous, but more excited” about West Point, Josh has a new short-term goal: staying injury-free.

He is still competing in sports: “I want to avoid injuries,” he said. “I don’t want to get derailed before I even get there. I’m not cutting back, just being careful.”