Photo courtesy of Aidan Simao.
Aidan Simao grew up around inspiring military heroes. One of his grandfathers served in the Portuguese Army in Portugal while the other grandfather served in the U.S. Navy and his uncle served in the U.S. Marines. With his eyes set on helping others and serving his country, Simao’s acceptance into the West Point Military Academy is also nothing short of inspiring. His SkillsUSA experiences and achievements helped pave his way toward this exceptional career path.
Simao attended Coventry High School in Rhode Island where he took criminal justice classes. He met his instructor and SkillsUSA advisor, Earl Read, for the first time in the 8th grade and decided he would take criminal justice classes starting in the 9th grade.
Read’s goal was to involve as many students in SkillsUSA as possible, so at his urging, Simao competed in the SkillsUSA Job Interview competition during his sophomore year, junior and senior years. “I was grateful to Mr. Read for pushing me outside of my comfort zone to compete. It helped me a lot.”
Read also encouraged Simao to run for state office and he was elected as the 2022-23 parliamentarian for SkillsUSA Rhode Island. He attended the 2022 SkillsUSA Washington Leadership Training Academy (WLTI) in Washington, D.C. and met several Rhode Island elected officials including Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Rep. David Cicilline and Rep. Jim Langevin. Simao was proud to earn the SkillsUSA National Statesman Award at WLTI, recognizing the demonstration of SkillsUSA knowledge and civic involvement, as well as leadership skills — all tools he took with him on his military journey.
Simao also attended the 2023 SkillsUSA national conference in Atlanta where he participated in leadership training and served as a delegate. “Going to WLTI, competing in the Job Interview contest and becoming a state officer gave me excellent experience and exposure to a different world,” he says. I’m naturally not very outspoken and I kind of keep to myself, but these experiences helped with my professional development and confidence. I’m grateful to Mr. Read for encouraging me because I learned how to act like a professional.”
With a West Point admissions rate of just 12%, applicants must be on the top of their game to gain acceptance. They must have outstanding grades, participation in extracurricular activities and a congressional nomination. Simao received all As in his honors classes and was the captain of the soccer team. He was also involved in the American Legion Little Rhody Boys State & Nation Program, a selective educational program of government instruction for U.S. high school students.
Simao received two congressional nominations. “Because of WLTI, I had met my representatives before I needed to request a nomination for the application process for West Point, so I already had my foot in the door. My application had to show that I was well-rounded in different areas of life and involvement with SkillsUSA was a big part of that for me.”
Reflecting on Simao’s transformation from freshman to senior year, his SkillsUSA advisor Read says, “I saw a change in Aidan that I hadn’t recognized in a student before. I don’t think you could find a more driven, committed, professional, mature student than Aiden and SkillsUSA helped to pave his way. I originally told him to stick with it, telling him that it is what will set you apart . . . and it did.”
“What was my driving force to attend West Point? I feel like I have an intrinsic debt to our country for everything that it has given me and all the privileges I have by being born here,” Simao says. “I feel blessed to have grown up and lived in the United States. My driving purpose in life is to help as many people as possible. I had to pinch myself when I woke up in the morning realizing that I got into West Point. It was a dream come true.”
Simao is currently studying international relations and fulfilling his contract to be an infantry officer at West Point Military Academy. He says his purpose in life is to help others and he plans to work for the state department, and ultimately advocate for the United States on a worldwide stage.
