Sarah Kladar knew she wanted to attend the United States Naval Academy since sixth grade, but her desire to help others dates back more than 10 years.

"I originally wanted to go into medicine," said the Coeur d'Alene High School senior. "I don't remember what grade I was in when Hurricane Katrina happened, but I was watching the National Guard lift people off their roofs after Katrina and I figured the military might be a better place for me to help."

Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005, and after visiting the USS Midway Museum in San Diego about six years ago, Kladar made a connection with the Navy.

"After that I started doing my research of what I had to do to be in the Navy and I came across the Naval Academy," Kladar said. "I thought that sounded like a good fit, so I hit the ground running and I haven't stopped."

Kladar graduates high school today as she prepares for a five-year academy career, beginning with a year at the Naval Academy Preparatory School, located in Newport, R.I., before heading to the Naval Academy In Maryland for the class of 2021. At the academy, Kladar plans to double major in political science and Arabic.

In preparation for the academy, Kladar joined the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet in 2011, and for the past year was the cadet commander of her unit.

Kladar plans to stay in the military after the academy, and said she wants to go into the United States Marine Corps, working in foreign relations and "hopefully" putting her Arabic to use.

Receiving the appointment to the academy is a mix of feelings, Kladar said, including accomplishment and relief after all the years of preparation and more than a year of enduring the application process and being "on the edge for so long — just waiting."

"It's probably the second-biggest feeling of accomplishment I will ever feel in my life, second only to graduating from the academy," Kladar said.

The Press published a list Monday detailing the appointments of five other local high school seniors to military academies, including Cameron Cates, Erin Hague, Grace McInturff, Jesse Whipple and Robert Gaines. Coeur d'Alene High School did not respond to The Press' inquiries the week prior to publication as to whether any students had received appointments.