Kotila earns nominations to four military academies

Amanda Kotila counts a good afternoon as sitting by the fire reading a book that takes her on an adventure. The 17-year-old’s greatest adventure could be just around the corner after being nominated for enrollment at four different military academies.

“I’m so content to be home and read,” she said. “I never thought of myself as adventurous, but whatever I’m reading is an adventure. I’ve realized that what I thought I like to do at home through reading is actually what I would like to do in person.”

Last month Kotila, 17, received a nomination from Sen. Max Baucus to the Merchant Marine Academy, the Military Academy at West Point and the Naval Academy at Annapolis. She also earned Sen. Jon Tester’s nomination to the Air Force Academy — her top choice.

“God knocked my socks off,” she said when that final letter came confirming her nomination to the Air Force.

Kotila is the daughter of Todd and Deanna Kotila. Last fall Kotila submitted her applications for nomination to the military academies. To be eligible for appointment to one of the academies, candidates must obtain nomination either from their U.S. Senator or Representative, the Vice President or the President.

She completed a panel interview for the nominations at the beginning of December. Shortly after a rejection letter from Rep. Denny Rehberg’s office arrived in the mail. She resolved herself to the fact that she wouldn’t be getting a nomination.

A week later a letter arrived from Baucus stating that she had received nominations for three military schools. Although excited, she was disappointed that her top choice wasn’t on the list.

“It was so close, but so far. At the same time I knew I would take them because I just wanted to go,” she said. “I decided if this is what God wants for me then I’ll take it. Then the final letter came on Christmas Eve.”

Between now and March Kotila should find out whether she has been accepted to one of the academies. The number of students accepted depends on the number that will graduate this year. She’s hoping for the Air Force, but will be happy attending any of the academies.

Military service doesn’t run in the family and about a year ago Kotila had never considered entering the military. Kotila is homeschooled, but works with a math instructor who suggested the Air Force as an option after high school.

“I have great respect for the military, but I never thought I wanted to be military,” she said. “Then I looked into it and as senior year approached I’ve been thinking about it more. The academies have a whole level of challenge that I crave.”

After completing school at the academy, candidates are required to complete five years of military service and then reserve service. At this point, Kotila said she isn’t planning a full military career because there are other opportunities she’d like to explore in life.

“I want a career in science,” she said. “Right now I’m thinking meteorology. There’s quite a lot of variety in it. It’s very supportive for the military — they need a lot of meteorologists.”

The process for earning a nomination is rigorous. In addition to the paperwork, Kotila was interviewed by a five-member panel with most the members having connections to the military. She was asked about the details in her application and why she thinks she is right for the job.

The panel wanted to know more about Kotila’s goats that she raised for several years. She raised five of a miniature breed of goats.

“I wanted goats for a long time,” she said. “I’m one of those children that is always trying to get one kind of pet or another. My Mom had all sorts of rules about no reptiles or rodents. I heard about goats and that you could make goat’s milk soap.”

Kotila found that getting milk from the goats proved challenging because the goats have to be bred — something which one assumes comes naturally, but didn’t seem to for her goats. Finally one of the females gave birth, but abandoned her babies and only produced a small amount of milk.

Kotila was able to make the soap and sold it while giving a 10 percent tithe from the sales to the Study Bibles For Soldiers program that provides study Bibles for military chaplains of deployed military units.

“I don’t like the soap — to me it smells like goat,” she said with a laugh. “No one else thinks it does, but having milked them it smells like that to me.”

Eventually, Kotila decided that raising goats wasn’t for her and prepared to sell them. While gathering their pedigree information, she was feeling sad about giving them up until she heard one “bah” from her backyard.

“I realized then that I was feeling sad for the goats in my mind that were perfect pet goats,” she said. “That was totally different from the goats I had. I realized I was doing the right thing by selling them.”

Although the endeavor didn’t go as planned, Kotila enjoyed the experience. Now, she has ducks and finds that she enjoys caring for them even when it calls for cleaning muck out of the ducks’ water tank that serves as a duck pond.

Kotila has been looking at purchasing a different breed of ducks in the spring, but with her possible departure to military school in June she has decided not to add to her flock.

In the meantime, she is waiting to hear from the Air Force and filling out her applications for the other academies. She is continuing her schoolwork for her senior year of high school and works at Naturally Clean dry cleaner.

“There’s more waiting now,” she said. “It’s just fantastic that I have so many options. It’s going to be an adventure.”