West Point Cadet Graduates at the Head of Her Class
When Rebecca Elizabeth Marier tossed her white cap into the air at graduation Saturday, she did it as the first woman at the top of the class in the U.S. Military Academy’s 193-year history.
That puts her in distinguished company, including the likes of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard.
To make it to the top, Marier led the 987 other cadets in academic, military and physical programs, school spokeswoman Andrea Hamburger said.
Marier, 21, of New Orleans had insisted on going to West Point when her parents preferred Harvard University.
“I knew Harvard would be an academic challenge, but I thought this place would be an all-around challenge,” she said Friday.
“I promised them when I left high school, I would make them proud,” Marier said. “And that’s one of the best parts about this. They’re so proud.”
Marier will attend Harvard Medical School, only the second West Point graduate to do so, Hamburger said.
Women have been attending West Point since 1976.
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