REPORTING FOR DUTY: Windermere Prep graduate to attend West Point

When Windermere Prep graduate Sidney Provencher received her acceptance letter to Emory University, she thought her college decision had been made. After all, Emory was her dream school — the one that had captivated her for nearly her entire life.

But then, she did something she never imagined she’d do: She turned it down.

What’s more, she turned it down to venture down a lesser known — and much more intimidating — path: the United States Military Academy at West Point.

The prestigious military school wasn’t on Provencher’s radar. But once she learned more, she realized it was the place she knew held her future.

“What really sold me was when I went on my visit once I was accepted,” Provencher said. “It was just really cool to see all the people — you have this vision of it being so intense and scary — and it was really cool to see that they are very much like me. I saw myself in a lot of them.” 

Provencher — a triple-sport athlete for the Lakers (cheerleading, weightlifting and lacrosse) and a rower for the Orlando Area Rowing Society — will report to the school later this month.

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FINDING WEST POINT

Provencher, 18, always pictured herself living the traditional college experience. In fact, she didn’t even know about West Point until she received an email from the prestigious school. 

“Most people start the (application) process in January of their junior year,” she said. “I didn’t start until about September of (my senior year), so I was very late. … There’s a lot of steps; it’s a very long process.

“I got into Emory, Georgia Tech, Florida State University, University of Central Florida, Rollins College, Drake University, (among others),” she said. “It was West Point and FSU where I got a full ride. So, I toured FSU, and I’ve never been a big state school kind of person.

“I always loved Emory; it was my top choice,” she said. “But at the end of the day, it’s super expensive and … if I graduated from Emory, I’d have a lot of debt, and I probably wouldn’t have a job and just financially, in terms of life, it was just a smarter decision. … I just never thought that I’d get into Emory, and I never thought I’d turned it down.”

Provencher is the second female student-athlete from Windermere Prep to be appointed to West Point (Grace Bennett was the first in 2019) and the first member of her family to make the decision to serve her country. 

“She’s a very motivated, very determined individual,” her mom, Laura Provencher, said. “As she started to get a number of her college acceptances, she ultimately was looking for more, and I think West Point kind of went above and beyond, which is kind of her personality. She was ultimately just looking for a different experience than kind of just the traditional college routes. 

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“When we did the college visits … that’s when she really said, ‘This is my kind of people; I can see myself here.’ So I think that’s when she started to really identify her own personality and ultimately, where she wants to go in life and what she wants to do. I think that’s when she started to see that West Point was going to be the place to really get her there.”

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

Besides attending West Point for her academics — she is still debating whether to study international affairs or psychology — Sidney Provencher will be a part of the Army Mules cheerleading team. 

“Sidney represents girls who are breaking down barriers and stereotypes, demonstrating that women are equally capable and deserving of pursuing their passions in athletics and academics,” said Kirsten Anderson, Windermere Prep’s seventh-grade science teacher. “This enforces our commitment at WPS to creating an environment that recognizes and supports the passions of all our students.” 

Looking into the future, Sidney Provencher is excited to continue building her character and become part of a group of individuals who eventually will become family. 

“Everyone in there is just absolutely amazing,” she said. “To even get in is to be above and beyond, but (West Point) just puts everyone at the same level to start. I feel like it kind of grounds you and all of the activities help with character building. I’m a little bit nervous, but I know West Point is just an entire new family that I’ll be a part of.” 

PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE

Sidney Provencher will report June 26 for “R Day” and to start training. That’s also when she will be assigned to a company and matched with her future roommates.

“(Because) I have just absolutely no military knowledge at all, it’s very intimidating to kind of go into this situation,” she said. “Just not necessarily not know what to expect . … It’s very weird to think about all these people who are going to be yelling at me, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to pack my backpack and how I’m supposed to walk and that sort of thing. It really scares me.” 

Sidney Provencher still is unsure as to what military branch she would like to go into but is hopeful she will find her purpose at West Point. 

“There is a five-year requirement where you get branched and stationed somewhere, which is really cool, because when I went there on my visit, it was Post Night,” she said. “That’s when all the seniors find out where they are going to be posted for five years. So it was really cool to see them all so exited and talking about it. … Depending on your class rank — the higher you rank — the more likely that you’ll go where you want to go. … I would like to go into military intelligence, I think, but I don’t really know yet.”