“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.”

Those words, spoken by motivational speaker Eric Thomas, inspired me after I was rejected by The United States Military Academy at West Point when I first applied as a high school senior. Nevertheless, I did not lose my focus, my resolve, or my commitment to attend West Point because I wanted to serve our country and to fight for the rights and freedoms of others. Following the route of General George S. Patton, who attended West Point after a year at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), I went to VMI.

VMI is an institution known for its challenging first-year experience, known as the “Rat Line,” its sexist history (United States v. Virginia et al., 1996), and its military support of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. As an African-American cadet, I had to come to terms with VMI’s past and the constant reminders on its campus that glorified supporters of slavery. For example, as a “rat” (a freshman who has not yet earned the title of “cadet” by completing a crucible known as “Breakout”), I was required to salute the statue of Lieutenant General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson—a Confederate officer who taught at VMI and who believed that African-Americans were incapable of becoming disciplined soldiers—prior to the statue’s subsequent removal on December 7, 2020. I was also required to participate in an annual celebration of the ten VMI cadets who died for the Confederacy during the Battle of New Market on May 15, 1864. At this celebration, my classmates and I were ordered to reenact a Confederate charge and seizure of a hill that was occupied by Union artillery forces, which I did with disdain.

My VMI experience was grueling. I was forbidden to use pronouns such as “I,” “me,” or “we,” and instead, could only identify myself as “this rat” when referring to myself, or “these rats” or “brother rat” (regardless of gender) when referring to my freshman classmates. I was quite popular among the upperclassmen, and as such, I was regularly summoned at around 11:30 pm on school nights to endure brutal physical workouts. Moreover, I needed permission to eat meals, could not talk outside, possess a cell phone, use social media, or listen to music. Each day of the Rat Line, I was told to quit, that I was too stupid, too undisciplined, and that I would never make it at VMI. However, despite these challenges, I earned one of the highest grade point averages in my class, attaining a 4.00 GPA in my major and a 3.79 GPA cumulatively, received several academic awards, and was qualified to join the Institute Honors Program and to receive an Army ROTC Scholarship. My success at VMI was my own defiant salute to “Stonewall” Jackson’s statue, as well as my sincere salute to all those who fought and died for civil rights in our country. I wanted them to know that their sacrifice was not in vain, and I wanted “Stonewall” Jackson to know that he was wrong. Ultimately, my performance at VMI—an institution saturated in inequality—propelled me to West Point and was my first step towards becoming a civil rights attorney. 

My experience at VMI was invaluable. It taught me to never quit, to never be governed by fear, to fight for myself so that I can fight for others, and to always uphold my values. In furtherance of those ideals, I tried out for and made the Army Boxing Team during my freshman year at West Point. While on the team, I trained alongside the team’s national champions and helped us win the National Collegiate Boxing Association’s 2017-2018 National Championship. Although I took pride in that achievement, my grades suffered considerably. I practiced anywhere from two to four hours daily, taking blows to the head and body, and still had to manage West Point’s academic, physical, and military rigors. The physical toll on my mind and body, combined with the demands of West Point, led to subpar academic performances during my freshman and sophomore years. I made the decision to give up competitive boxing in order to improve my grades because my ultimate goal of becoming a civil rights attorney was more important. 

To that end, I redirected my efforts to becoming a writing fellow for the West Point Writing Program. As a Senior Writing Fellow, I studied a diverse range of compositions and literary disciplines, as well as led over 100 hours of writing consultations, which enhanced the writing of cadets from all graduating classes and academic majors. Through the Writing Fellows Program, I learned that there is truth to Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” I can have a greater positive impact on the lives of others through writing, communicating, and litigating than I can through physical violence. This has been further supported during my first few weeks at Boston College Law School in every one of my classes, each of which teach the importance of not just learning and understanding the law to fight for the rights of others, but also the importance of questioning the law in ways that allow us to consider how we can help it to change for the better.

While my experiences at VMI and West Point taught me the significance of living by the seven Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor, integrity, and personal courage—all qualities that I will contribute to the learning environment of Boston College Law School—the inspirational words of Eric Thomas still guide me. My drive to help people like Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, George Floyd, and Tyre Nichols receive fair and equal justice is relentless. I will not stop pursuing this mission until our society makes it safe for people like them to breathe without fear of discrimination or injustice. I thank VMI, West Point, and all the leaders, instructors, and cadets who trained me and who challenged me. Because of you, I unearthed a strength and a zeal that I never thought possible.

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Justin Sells is a first-year student at BC Law and brand new Impact blogger. Contact him at sells@bc.edu.

Featured image: Boston College Veterans Memorial