Andrew Kydes

Classroom

Kydes is enrolled in the Civil Engineering Honors program at West Point. He has a cumulative grade point average (which at West Point averages physical, military and academic scores) of 3.90. He studied abroad in the spring of 2009 at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, where four out of five engineering classes he took were taught in Spanish. He is a three-time Superintendent’s Award for Excellence winner for ranking in the top five percent of his class academically, physically and militarily. He is a three-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recipient and an NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete All-Region selection in 2008.

Character

Kydes is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi national collegiate honor society. He served as Close Quarters Combat Commander during Cadet Basic Training and Cadet Field Training this past summer and was responsible for teaching more than 2,500 incoming freshman and sophomores the combatives curriculum. He served as a squad leader in his company, responsible for the military, physical, academic and moral-ethical development and training of six freshmen and sophomores during the 2008-09 academic year. He has served as the Assistant Company Commander and Executive Officer for a company of 419 Initial Entry Training soldiers with the 264th Medical Service Battalion at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in the summer of 2008. He aspires to one day engineer a water recycling system that can be used to turn toilet and shower water back into clean, drinkable water to help eliminate shortages in Third World countries and around the world.

Community

Kydes has been a Company Tutor for the last three years, helping other cadets that were having trouble in their math, science or technology coursework. He has helped run the bi-annual Army Youth Soccer Clinics for the last three years and has extensive community service background in his home state of Connecticut, including working for the Breast Cancer Foundation, serving as a “Big Brother” for the Family Children’s Agency and volunteering at the Fairfield Soup Kitchen during the holidays. He also participated in Habitat for Humanity, which included constructing a new church in Belize from 2003-05.

Competition

Kydes is a starting midfielder for the Black Knights. As a junior, he started 15 of Army’s 17 games, tallying one goal. He also saw action in every game during his freshman and sophomore seasons, including a total of 14 starts. He is a three-year letterman.