COLUMBUS (WCMH) — For the first time Franklin Heights High School’s graduating class includes a senior on her way to the United States Naval Academy.

Maddy Castle was 17 when she decided that the Navy was her future and that the Academy was a dream worth pursuing.

“It was hectic, very busy, and sometimes stressful,” said Maddy.

It was Maddy’s desire to serve that pushed her through the process. “I know I making a difference I’m having an impact on something that’s greater than myself.”

Maddy will attend naval academy preparatory school for 10 months starting in July and will start at the Naval Academy in Annapolis the following fall. She has already enlisted for six years active duty in the Navy and when she graduates she will be an officer.