Richard Vanscoter, a junior at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, was selected to be among 1,000 attendees at West Point’s prestigious Summer Leaders Experience in June.

More than 5,000 juniors nationwide applied to SLE, which offers outstanding high school juniors the opportunity to experience life at West Point. SLE attendees live in the cadet barracks, eat in the cadet mess and participate in academic, leadership, athletic and military workshops. The one-week seminars are designed to help juniors with their college selection process, while giving them an idea of the importance of leadership and sound decisionmaking.

All SLE attendees participate in virtual-reality war simulation and military and physical fitness training, and, in addition, each student selects three of the 15 offered workshops.