Collinsville High School senior Zach Auer once thought a person’s father had to be golf partners with a senator before he or she could be accepted to a military academy. Now, without the benefit of a single round of golf, Auer has been nominated by Congressman John Shimkus for acceptance at two military academies.

Madison County residents who received a Congressional Nomination from John Shimkus pose with the congressman. Left to right: Connor Cunningham of Edwardsville, Grant Camillo of Highland, Zachary Auer of Collinsville, and Spencer Murphy of Highland.

Auer was nominated for the Air Force and Naval academies, both of which require a congressional nomination (the United States Military and Merchant Marine academies also require congressional nomination). He was one of only four people from Madison County that Shimkus nominated.

Collinsville Unit 10 Superintendent Robert Green said receiving the nomination is a great accomplishment. “It’s a great honor for him and his family,” Green said. “Those things don’t just drop out of the sky.”

CHS principle Eric Flohr, himself an Air Force veteran, says a great deal about Auer. “It speaks to his character and leadership abilities,” Flohr said.

Robert Auer, Zach’s father, was in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Auer said he had always planned to be part of ROTC in college, like his father, until he did more research into the military academies and determined that he had a chance to receive a nomination.

Auer’s mother, Angela, said he pursued the opportunity on his own, including the research and completing the nomination process, which gets him one step closer to a goal he set for himself three years ago.

“He’s the type of kid that, if he puts his mind to something, he’ll accomplish it,” Angela said.

Receiving a nomination does not guarantee entrance into an academy. It is only a necessary step in a very selective process. Both the Naval Academy and Air Force Academy rank in the top 15 for lowest acceptance rates, according to U.S. News and World Reports college rankings for the fall 2012 entering class.

Only 6.8 percent of applicants were accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy, which ranked 5th. The Air Force Academy’s 9.9 percent acceptance rate ranked 15th. Harvard had the lowest rate at 6.1 percent. Other notable schools include Yale at 7.1 percent, MIT at 9 percent and Duke at 13.4 percent.

To increase his chances of acceptance, Auer has sought leadership roles in all extracurricular activities in which he has participated. “The main thing they (the academies) are looking for is a well-rounded person,” Auer said. “They would rather someone have a little lower ACT score, but show leadership.”

Auer’s composite ACT score of 30 is far from low. He is a drum major in the CHS band and a member of the battery in the winter drum line.

Intelligence, demonstrated leadership and a congressional nomination would be enough to get accepted at most colleges, but not the military academies. Applicants also have to prove they are physically able to handle the required extracurricular activities at the academies.

Under the corroborating eye of a CHS Physical Education teacher, Auer did pull-ups, sit-ups, pushups, the shuttle run, a mile run and a basketball throw from his knees. The results were submitted as part of his application.

A love of flying makes the Air Force Academy Auer’s first choice. Auer’s dad is a helicopter mechanic and his uncle flies helicopters, so he has always been around flying.

“My dream is to fly fighters, but I know that is very selective,” Auer said. “I’m keeping my options open. If I fly the bigger planes, maybe I can become a commercial pilot.”

Flying in the Navy is Auer’s second choice of college plans, followed by local ROTC programs. If Auer is not accepted into one of the academies this year, he will seek an ROTC scholarship at either Saint Louis University or Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and re-apply to the academies next year…and every year after that until he is accepted, or until he is 22 years-old and no longer eligible, he said. Auer plans to major in Computer Science.

The Auer family now waits for Zach’s collegiate fate. Both academies typically make final offers by April, although Auer was told some offers were made as late as May last year. Most college-bound seniors have already determined where they will be going to school this fall, but Auer must patiently await his fate.

“It’s hard, but worth it, to wait for that final result while my friends are getting their results around me,” Auer said.