Kang finds academic success a world away at Fishburne

Fishburne Military School Cadet Cpt. Min Chang Kang had some convincing to do before coming to the States for his high school years.

“When I was in middle school, my grades were upsettingly low, and I had no idea what I was going to do in the future,” said Kang, who will graduate on Saturday as the Class of 2016 salutatorian at Fishburne Military School.

A teacher handed him an FMS pamphlet, and Kang sold himself on the idea of military school in the United States as the path that he needed to take.

Mom and dad were decidedly not sold at the outset.

“Convincing them was the most difficult thing in my life, but I was able to change their minds because I had a feeling that if I went to Fishburne, I would have a chance to better my life,” said Kang, who arrived at Fishburne not able to speak a word of English.

The four years to get from there to graduating second in his class passed by in a flash, Kang said.

“I had bad and good days at Fishburne. At the start, every day when I woke up from my bed because of that annoying Reveille, I wanted to get out of here as fast as possible,” Kang said. “It felt like I was a living automaton that was repeating the same day over and over. However, now that I’m about to graduate, in my head I can only think about the good times that I spent with my brothers, faculty, and staff.”

Story and video by Chris Graham

Fishburne Military School is the oldest and smallest of all military schools for boys in Virginia. Its college-prep curriculum is built upon the structure of an Army JROTC program. FMS is designated as a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction and may nominate qualified candidates to the United States Service Academies. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.