From Baldwin Park to West Point

Attending the prestigious military academy at West Point in New York, which has graduated two presidents, 18 astronauts, hundreds of generals and 74 gold medal winners, might seem like an unattainable dream to many.

However, for Baldwin Park's Christopher Caballero, the dream to study in the major leagues was achieved by effort and dedication. 

He was admitted this year to the same military academy where Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ulysses S. Grant studied, thanks to a full scholarship valued at almost half a million dollars.

"I am very excited and nervous", said Caballero. "There is this sense of pride and honor knowing im going to the same school people like [Civil War General] Robert E. Lee and [World War II General] Douglas MacArthur, went to".

Based on basic requirements for admission, Caballero's achievements seem even more impressive.

Applicants must meet very high academic, medical, physical and leadership requirements. They also must obtain a nomination from a member of Congress or the Senate.

"I contacted [congresswoman] Judy Chu's office and after completing their application and their interview I was given a nomination", Caballero added.

"My father and I looks up the top ten colleges in the nation and West Point came up as number one so we sent them an email and we went from there," he said.

The new West Point cadet has long-standing ties to Baldwin Park, even though he graduated from West Covina High School.

As a kid, Caballero attended , playing baseball for the local little league, and even got a purple belt from the

Caballero is now part of the 8 percent of Latino students who have been admitted to the military academy.

According to school's numbers, this year there were more than 15,000 applicants, of which only 1,183 were accepted. Of those, only 115 are Hispanic.

"My parents are proud and excited for me," Caballero expressed. "Being my parents eldest son it's going to be tough for them but it is going to be something to be proud of," he added.

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