The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience
The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families. Through the perspective of a community of former graduates and Naval Academy insiders, this podcast will help you learn about life at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Through our shared experiences, Academy Insider guides families through the anxiety and frustration caused by lack of understanding, misinformation, and confusion. This platform is designed to better relationships between midshipmen and their loved ones. This podcast is not affiliated with the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy or Department of Defense. The thoughts and opinions are exclusively those of your host and his guests.
The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience
#091 - Welcome Aboard for the Class of 2029
As a Naval Academy graduate, I've experienced firsthand the transformative power of this institution. In this episode, I share insights on what makes the Naval Academy truly exceptional, especially in light of current world events that may be causing anxiety for incoming plebes and their families.
Drawing from my personal journey - from nearly leaving during Plebe summer to embracing the unique opportunities the Academy offers - I explore three key factors that set the Naval Academy apart:
The Power of Being a Midshipman
Learn how the challenging Midshipman experience shapes character and builds resilience. Discover the importance of:
- Pushing your limits and overcoming adversity
- Building strong bonds with classmates
- Accessing mentorship from experienced Navy and Marine Corps leaders
The Adventure of Being a Junior Officer
Explore the profound responsibility and impact of junior officers, including:
- Leading sailors and Marines in high-stakes situations
- Managing emotions and supporting others during challenging times
- Making a meaningful difference in people's lives at a young age
The Influence of the Naval Academy Network
Understand the long-term benefits of joining this prestigious alumni network:
- Lifelong connections with like-minded individuals
- Opportunities for success across various fields post-service
- Access to a supportive community throughout your career
This episode offers a candid look at the Naval Academy experience, emphasizing the growth, challenges, and rewards that come with choosing this path. Whether you're an incoming plebe, a current Midshipman, or a family member, you'll gain valuable insights into the unique journey that lies ahead.
Are you ready to embrace the power, responsibility, and influence that comes with being part of the Naval Academy? Listen now to discover how this decision can shape your future and impact the lives of others.
The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families.
Grant Vermeer your host is the person who started it all. He is the founder of Academy Insider and the host of The Academy Insider podcast. He was a recruited athlete which brought him to Annapolis where he was a four year member of the varsity basketball team. He was a cyber operations major and commissioned into the Cryptologic Warfare Community. He was stationed at Fort Meade and supported the Subsurface Direct Support mission.
He separated from the Navy in 2023 and now owns The Vermeer Group, a residential real estate company that specializes in serving the United States Naval Academy community with nationwide consulting and connection.
We are here to be your guide through the USNA experience.
Connect with Grant on Linkedin
Academy Insider Website
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If you are interested in sponsoring the podcast, have an idea, question or topic you would like to see covered, reach out: podcast@academyinsider.com.
Hey everyone and welcome back to the Academy Insider Podcast. I apologize for some of the delays in putting out new videos. I had a lot of really exciting stuff going on in my life recently and continuing to work on projects to support the military community, which I love dearly, but one of the things that I've been most excited about is the opportunity to speak and talk to a lot of incoming plebes and their families at the North Texas Parents Club Welcome On Board event and also the Southern California Parents Club Welcome and Abort event. And you know, the talk that I gave North Texas two and a half weeks ago is very different than the talk I gave at the Southern California Parents Club last weekend, and I wanted to kind of give the talk as well and just talk through some of the things again that I think make the Naval Academy really special, especially at a time like this, with some of the world events going on that may be making some families feel a little nervous, and so I wanted this opportunity just to share it with as many people as I could. At the end of the day, I'm just a dude, so take it all with a grain of salt, but I wanted the opportunity to talk about what makes the Naval Academy so darn special, and so I hope you enjoy it. If there's anything I can do to be of service to you and your family, please let me know. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much.
Grant Vermeer:For those of you who don't know my story, I was moments away from leaving the Naval Academy during Plebe Summer. If it wasn't for the kindness and curiosity of Lieutenant Burke, my Plebe Summer Company officer, I wouldn't be here today, proud of my accomplishments and really excited for yours. This proud of my accomplishments and really excited for yours this is why I am passionate about the midshipman experience, because over time, I fell in love with the Naval Academy and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities it provided me. So let me share with you today quickly about what makes it so darn special. There are three main factors that separate the Naval Academy from other life choices you could have made the power of being a midshipman, the adventure of being a junior officer. There are three main factors that separate the Naval Academy from other life choices you could have made the power of being a midshipman, the adventure of being a junior officer and the influence of the Naval Academy network.
Grant Vermeer:You will soon discover the benefits of the midshipman experience. It will teach you life lessons that will elevate you amongst your peers. While your friends are at their freshman orientations, partying, having fun, you will be training, pushing the boundaries of your limits. While your friends are thriving with their new classmates, you will be struggling with yours. While your friends are rushing their sororities and fraternities, you'll be fighting through trials and tribulations with yours.
Grant Vermeer:The midshipman experience is hard, at times grueling and overwhelming. You will run into storms that seem never ending Shoot. You may even want to send home a letter, just like I did, a letter that says I hate this place. I just want to be happy. Please save me, mom. Look, it probably won't be that bad for you.
Grant Vermeer:I've always had a little flair for the dramatic In classic Academy sarcasm. Whenever asked how I was as a midshipman, I'd always respond with you know, I'm living the dream. Whenever I sat at, my roommate Jeremiah would look at me and say dude, nightmares are dreams too. I think that really captures the plebe experience. But the beauty is that you will never face these nightmares alone.
Grant Vermeer:The power of being a midshipman embodies itself in the form of incredible Navy and Marine Corps leaders who are there to teach, coach and mentor you. No matter your personality type, there will always be someone who can speak to you and connect with you in your own unique language that you understand. Whether it's the analytic brain of the submariner, the chill attitude of the helicopter pilot, the no-nonsense directness of a surface warfare officer, the stoic mindset of the Navy SEAL or the polished and motivated persona of a Marine, there will be someone there ready to invest into your life and help you navigate the leadership challenges in your path. The Naval Academy is special because of the density of wisdom and leadership experience on campus and the instructors. They have one primary mission to share their knowledge, to guide you through your own personal and professional development. Take advantage of these opportunities, be proactive, be observant, find someone whose personality and leadership style is intriguing to you and then reach out, because, at the end of the day, you need to create these relationships. You need to pour into the experience, not shy away from it. You are never alone at the Naval Academy. There is always someone there to help you when you choose to invest in the people surrounding you in Annapolis.
Grant Vermeer:The pressure will not destroy you. It will mold you. Look, I almost made an emotional decision that would have cost me everything. When it gets hard, really hard, and you want to quit, remember this Never make a permanent decision based on temporary emotion. The storm, no matter how brutal, always passes. When you come out the other side, you will be stronger, wiser and tougher, handling the hard aspects of life. It's a skill, it's a muscle that needs to be trained, and Plebe Summer will train that muscle a lot.
Grant Vermeer:You may want things to get easier, and many people wait their whole lives for things to get easier. Think in your life if you've waited for something to get easier, ah, I just got to get through junior year, and then classes will get easier. I just need to get through the spring of my senior year, then it'll be easy. I just got to get through plebe summer, and then the rest of the experience will be easy. It's what we do. We wait for stuff to get easier, but the Naval Academy and life it never gets easier. What happens is you learn to handle the hard moments of life better. The power of being a midshipman is becoming that someone who handles hard moments better.
Grant Vermeer:Lieutenant Burke advised me to stay for just one more day. He knew by staying for just one more day, my storm would settle and I'd get one more rep at overcoming adversity. He did not allow me to make a permanent decision based on temporary emotion. Choosing the Naval Academy was the best decision of my life. Had I left, I would have never experienced the next piece of what makes it so special the adventures of being a junior officer.
Grant Vermeer:I like talking about the adventures of being a junior officer. It's fun, it's lighthearted. I usually share a story and picture of my good friend Troy with a Japanese blacksmith after being gifted a custom-made samurai sword. It's literally the coolest thing I've ever seen. I love getting to talk about world travels and great memories, but this past weekend, at the Southern California Parents Club, I went a little bit off script and I'm going to again right now. The focus of today's talk is about the responsibility of being a junior officer and the importance of embracing the ethos of being a man or a woman for others, because in the previous week, israel launched preemptive strikes into Iran.
Grant Vermeer:Iran retaliated multiple times with strikes that impacted in Tel Aviv. Negotiated meetings have continued to get canceled and, quite literally, as I'm recording this, about 20 minutes ago, it was just announced that the US launched strikes onto three nuclear facilities in Iran. At the end of the day, we're about to go to war. Prior to getting on that stage in Southern California, I was supposed to be flying from LAX to Vietnam that night to visit my wife, another Naval Academy grad, in her port visit. But guess what? That port visit was canceled and she was moving all ahead, flank, towards the Middle East, towards potential war. And she's still moving in that direction today.
Grant Vermeer:I know that she's nervous, I know for darn sure that I'm nervous and without a doubt my in-laws are nervous. But you know who else is nervous Her sailors. And you know who else is afraid the moms and dads of those sailors. And it'll be your responsibility as a junior officer to love them, to take care of them and to lead them in combat. It'll be your responsibility as a junior officer to process and manage your own emotions, to be able to shoulder the burden of theirs. That's what it means to be a man for others or a woman for others. That's what it means to be of service.
Grant Vermeer:And that's why being a midshipman at the Naval Academy is so darn special Because it sucks, because it's super hard, because it will prepare you for that exact moment. It's not about one specific training or tactic. The Naval Academy experience will prepare you to handle the hard moments of life better, so you can carry someone else's fear in addition to your own. The experience is designed for you to be prepared to be of service to your sailors and marines. There is nowhere else in the world where, at 22 years old, right after graduation, you will have the ability to make such a direct, positive impact in the lives of real human beings. So lean into the power of being a midshipman and be ready to bear the responsibility of being a junior officer.
Grant Vermeer:Being a junior officer is important. You will get teased for knowing nothing, but your leadership will matter. Never underestimate the impact you can make in your sailors or Marines lives with simple actions and that impact will be meaningful. I can assure you that your services are needed and your opportunities to lead are unlimited. To achieve a life of purpose and success. You are in the right place. Forged by these common experiences, by the storms you will sail through, by the mission and purpose that you will have in your life, you will be bonded to other grads for the rest of time.
Grant Vermeer:The Naval Academy alumni is the greatest network in the world. The day will come where you wear the uniform for the last time, yet the support it'll continue. Your tenacity, resilience, strength and desire to serve will keep you connected to those who share the same values. In finance, law, medicine, real estate, entrepreneurship, naval Academy graduates win. They excel and they take care of each other. You may not realize it yet, but the Naval Academy is not just a four-year decision. It is a 40-plus year decision, 40-plus years of camaraderie, mission purpose, fulfillment and success. If you pour into the alumni network and invest in the relationships with other grads, you will have the power to do anything. Capitalize on the influence of the Naval Academy Network.
Grant Vermeer:Congratulations on accepting your appointment to the Naval Academy. You have chosen the hard path. You decided to prioritize long-term fulfillment over short-term comfort and fun. As a result, you are embarking on a journey that will be filled with personal and professional development, adventure and success. In Annapolis you'll face real adversity that will make you question your choice, but that adversity will be the catalyst in your transformation into a Navy or Marine Corps officer. All of the storms, they will be worth it. Lean into the power of being a midshipman, embrace the responsibility of being a junior officer and capitalize on the influence of the Naval Academy Network. Invest in this process and you will live a fulfilled and meaningful life.
Grant Vermeer:To my parents listening congratulations, I know after paying for my sibling Stanford and Yale tuition, my parents really enjoyed the price tag associated with my choice, but I think you will be happiest, proudest of the life your son or daughter will lead A life of service, a life that has purpose, and a life that has purpose and a life filled with success. I wish each and every one of you the best in your Naval Academy journey, fair winds in following seas and, as always, beat Army. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Academy Insider Podcast. I really hope you liked it, enjoyed it and learned something during this time. If you did, please feel free to like and subscribe or leave a comment about the episode. We really appreciate to hear your feedback about everything and continue to make Academy Insider an amazing service that guides, serves and supports midshipmen, future midshipmen and their families. Thank you.
