Identical twin sisters Lexie and Sarah Carven knew from a young age they wanted to attend a military academy after graduating high school. Now, with West Point offers secured and the Naval Academy’s decision looming, they might have a new challenge — choosing separate paths.

The 17-year-olds are seniors at C. Milton Wright High School and have been immersed in military culture for most of their lives. Their mother, Kristin, is a civilian employee for the U.S. Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and their father, Sean, has been in the Army reserves for more than 20 years. Before moving into their first house, the Carvens spent their early years living at APG.

“I would see parents at the youth center wearing their uniforms and I’d think, ‘Wow, are these guys superheroes?’ and then I’d think about what they would do during the day,” Lexie said. “One of my friends had told me about his dad who was over in Iraq, and I could see the pride in his eyes when he talked about his father serving. I was like, ‘This is something I want to do.’ ”

The sisters agreed during a tour of the U.S. Military Academy they took in seventh grade, their joint ambition to eventually join the military became a definite goal. Although the application process required years of preparation, Sarah said the hard work only strengthened her determination.

“Since it’s so difficult, I knew that if I was putting this much effort in now, then this is something that I really want to do,” she said.

Lexie and Sarah not only had to stay on top of their academic work through middle and high school, they also had to become heavily involved in extracurricular activities. In addition to being members of the Pioneers 4-H Club with their older sister, Bridgette, and serving as counselors at the Harford County 4-H Camp, the pair joined several other clubs when they reached high school.

Both sisters are involved with C. Milton Wright’s Student Government Association. Sarah serves as the secretary, while Lexie handles responsibilities as the parliamentarian. Lexie also recently joined the Harford County Regional Association of Student Councils and is a student workshop coordinator.

They also joined the Civil Air Patrol, the official civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, in 2021. The sisters have spent years earning promotions and both hold the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, just one rank away from becoming officers in the program.

Knowing the application processes for U.S. military academies also require vigorous physical fitness evaluations, Lexie and Sarah participated in sports too. Lexie ran cross country in her junior and senior years (serving as team captain this past fall) and played tennis as a freshman and sophomore. Sarah is a mountain biker, played field hockey for four years and was on the track and field team as a freshman, sophomore and during the winter of her junior year.

The sisters completed their candidate fitness assessment in November under supervision of their gym teacher. To their knowledge, no other students at C. Milton Wright prepared for the test this school year, meaning they only had each other to train with once preparations began in September.

“It was nice to have each other, because we both knew what we had to do to get there,” Lexie said. “There was definitely an aspect of competition, like ‘Oh I got a faster mile than you, but oh wait, you got more push ups than me.’ We tried to compete with each other to get our best scores for it.”

One such test the academy requires is throwing a basketball while kneeling down to determine how far applicants can launch it. The sisters said they spent many late nights in the yard with their father throwing basketballs across their yard and spotting the distance with flashlights.

“It was quite a sight, but we’re glad he was so supportive with us to do that,” Sarah said.

After submitting their transcripts, SAT scores and participating in interviews with USMA graduates, their next step was to wait for the academy’s decision. The sisters would receive their offers, called “Letters of Assurance,” weeks apart. Lexie got a phone call while in class with her sister in September, before completing her CFA. She was notified that as long as she passed her physical examinations, she would have a spot in the academy.

“I said I was going to the bathroom and then I got on the call. I broke out into tears. I was so happy because this is something I wanted for so long,” she said. Lexie was officially accepted into West Point at the end of November.

Sarah received a call from a regional commander at the beginning of December while attending a student government event at North Harford High School with her sister. She admitted that she, too, cried happy tears, prompting a teacher to check on them while passing by. “It was really nice,” she said.

Now accepted into the academy, Sarah said she hopes to pursue a career related to military intelligence or international relations. Lexie has an interest in chemistry and said she hopes to be involved with the Army’s Chemical Corps, which specializes in defending against chemical weapons from foreign countries.

Both are keeping an open mind about whether they see themselves as military members or eventually, civilians, over the spans of their careers.

“We’re just excited to serve,” Sarah said.

They now await Letters of Assurance from the U.S. Naval Academy, which they expect to receive by April. The sisters plan to wait for their final admission decisions before committing, but they acknowledged that West Point has been their goal since middle school.

West Point has just a 12% acceptance rate, according to its website. The College Board lists the U.S. Naval Academy’s acceptance rate slightly lower, at 9%.

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