McMickens completes one journey, graduating from U.S. Military Academy

MOUNT UNION — The United States Military Academy vows to develop leaders of character through a 47-month process through its rigid academic, military and physical programs.

Tavin McMickens had a few detours along his way, but the Mount Union Area High School product recently graduated from the prestigious West Point, N.Y., school on Dec. 20, concluding one portion of the journey with the Army after 67 months.

“I was thankful for it. It’s an experience that most people won’t ever get,” said the 24-year-old McMickens, who now begins his service obligation as an engineer in Fort Leonard Wood, located in the Missouri Ozarks. He will then be permanently stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas.

It was an assignment that he wasn’t sure would receive. McMickens broke his finger playing high school football during his senior year of high school in 2017. Despite the injury, McMickens wanted to wrestle and run track, so doctors inserted a pin in his finger.

However, McMickens was medically disqualified from West Point with the injury — so he decided to enroll at Division III Elizabethtown College for a year.

McMickens became a standout on Elizabethtown’s relay teams in addition to running the individual 400-meter race.

Once healed, he reapplied to West Point and received another nomination. McMickens ended up going to the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School for a year then was finally admitted into West Point.

“Of course, there are lots of ups and downs at West Point,” McMickens recounted. “It was hard to get in, and it was even harder to keep up with the rigors of West Point.”

But there were certainly exhilarating moments as well, such as meeting and becoming engaged to his fiancée, Melanie Yell, from Mobile, Ala.

“My family and friends kept me going,” McMickens added. “It’s one of the reasons why I wanted to go to West Point in the first place.”

He describes the notion of serving his country and journey that he has taken as “life changing. It’s not just rewarding, it’s spiritually, mentally and physically changing; it’s indescribable.

“It’s something that will stick with me forever, it will change me forever,” McMickens added. “When I look back on this in the future, it’s something that I can always take with me permanently.”

A few other special memories include being part of a group of engineers that was published for their work on a risk-predicting model; and coaching his company team – similar to intramurals – to the brigade finals.

There were also trying times, such as competing on the boxing team as a freshman and sophomore as well as committing an honor code violation which ended up delaying his graduation for six months.

The experience taught McMickens one valuable lesson, as he explained: “Setbacks are temporary. The journey is worth the walk because the things you learn and the friends you make are all worthwhile.”

West Point proved to be more than McMickens ever thought it would be. “It’s a completely different world when you’re a part of it,” he said. “The weight of your responsibility becomes quite real, when you put on that uniform, go to classes or do things in public like attending the Army-Navy Game.

“You are representing the entire U.S. and become part of something larger than yourself,” added McMickens, the son of Keith McMickens and Shakira Tatum.

And something to be very proud of.