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West Point Character Development Essay

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Over the course of my thirty-eight months at West Point thus far, character development played a prominent role in my successes and failures alike. The Periodic Developmental Review (PDR) system helped me realize which areas needed focus and careful attention to capitalize on my potential as a future officer. The five facets of character – civic, social, performance, moral, and leadership – are essential groups of personality traits for any effective leader to have in mind when considering character development courses of action. In my experience, performance is the facet of character in which I am strongest, while I have several shortcomings in the leadership category, making it my weakest. In order to become a more capable leader of …show more content…

The most relevant display of resiliency during my time as a cadet has come from my constantly changing family dynamic. Growing up, I spent most of my time with my grandparents. I was fortunate that both my paternal and maternal grandparents lived within 10 miles of my home, which led me to virtually daily visits for eighteen years. They served as the baby sitters and taxi service for games, practices, and medical appointments. I was the only grandchild on my paternal side and the only one that lived in the lower forty-eight states on the maternal side, resulting in a closer bond as I was the only grandchild they were able to spend time with. As I got older, the roles started to reverse. As I hit middle school, it became me changing their diapers rather than the other way around. I was driving them to the medical appointments, taking care of their house and lawn care, and so on. Needless to say, my grandparents became the center of my life. Having lived with them when I was younger, I had more or less been raised by them, which contributed to how natural it felt having to take care of them as if they were my own aging parents. Unfortunately, their age began to catch up to them during my time at the Academy. The two grandparents I have left are living down the hall from one another at Vancrest Nursing Home in my hometown, neither

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