SJS News

Jacob Versino ’26 and Jayden Yates ’26 will both take the next step in their education and leadership journeys at the United States Military Academy at West Point, one of the world’s most respected institutions for developing leaders of character. 

For Saint James, whose mission is to build leaders for good in the world, Jacob and Jayden’s appointments are a powerful reflection of the School’s values in action.

Admission to West Point is exceptionally competitive. In addition to academic strength, applicants must demonstrate leadership, athletic ability, character, physical readiness, medical qualification, and receive a congressional nomination. For Jacob, the process was both demanding and humbling.

“It was like a whole other application process,” he said, describing the congressional nomination requirements. “You have to send all your transcripts, essays, answer questions, and have interviews and phone calls. That was probably the hardest part.”

Jacob first became interested in West Point after learning more about it from a neighbor and from his father, who had served as an EOD specialist in the Air Force. By his fifth form year, he began taking the possibility seriously and started the application process.
Jacob’s SJS experience made him a strong candidate for West Point. Recently inducted into the Cum Laude Society, he excelled academically while also distinguishing himself as a three-sport varsity athlete in soccer, lacrosse, and wrestling, where he earned All-MAC honors in wrestling.

But when Jacob reflected on what best prepared him for West Point, he pointed first to his role as a prefect with younger boys in Mattingly Hall.

“I think being a prefect is what really helped me,” he said. “When I was talking to senators and congress people, that was where they were most impressed—how I was able to adapt to live on my own so quickly and how I was able to work with younger kids in the dorms.”

Jacob plans to major in mechanical engineering and is looking forward to the challenge of cadet life, even with its intensity. 
“Honestly, I’m kind of scared,” he said, “but I’m excited for everything.”

Jayden’s path to West Point began differently. A standout football and basketball player at Saint James, he was recruited to play football for the Army Black Knights. The opportunity came quickly after an Army coach saw his film and reached out.

“It really happened within three or four weeks,” Jayden said, from the first message to the official visit. “It was kind of surreal.”

Jayden will begin at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School, located at West Point, where he will continue his academic, athletic, and military preparation before joining the Corps of Cadets. He is considering a future major in cyber-related studies, drawn by his interest in math and computers.

Jayden said the appeal of West Point went far beyond football.

“I would just say how much weight the degree holds,” he said. “Just how many connections they have, how many alumni have graduated from there and are just amazing people.”

Like Jacob, Jayden also served as a prefect, an experience he described as especially meaningful.

“Being a prefect this year was really big,” he said. “In the past I’ve been captains of teams, but being a prefect, that’s schoolwide.

aving that ownership in the dorm and holding myself to a higher standard 24/7—not just on the football field or basketball court.”
For Jayden, the similarities between Saint James and West Point stood out immediately: the structure, the shared meals, the honor culture, the community, and the expectation that students lead one another well.

“There’s so many things similar to what they do there to what we do here day-to-day,” he said. “That’s just a place where I want to be.”

Most of all, Jayden is grateful.

“I really think Saint James has prepared me for this opportunity,” he said. “I’m very grateful for being able to come here and then that leading to me being able to go to West Point.”

At Saint James, leadership is practiced in dormitories, classrooms, the chapel, the stage, fields, courts, and everyday acts of responsibility. For Jacob and Jayden, that formation has prepared them for one of the nation’s most demanding paths—and for lives of purpose, service, and to be leaders for good in the world.