Cadet Shin attended Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL and now attends the United States Naval Academy
Tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Sam Shin and I grew up in Northbrook, Illinois. I went to Glenbrook North High School. I have been swimming competitively since 4th grade, and was on my school’s varsity team. I joined the Sea Cadets in 9th grade to learn more about the Navy.
My most memorable training was the Basic Medical Training in Cambridge, Minnesota. It was right after my boot camp, and I applied because it lined up with my schedule. The biggest challenge for me was the rigorous schedule since we were up early and were in the classroom in the morning, then spent the afternoons doing medical drills in the field. There was very little downtime, but through this, I made a lot of new friends very quickly.
The people definitely made it memorable, since I met Cadets from Florida, California, and many other states. On the last day, we drove to a beach and played football and swam all day, which was a great end to a great week. I highly recommend this training to anyone interested in a short, fast-paced experience.
After School
I have entered the United States Naval Academy as a member of the Class of 2024. I’ve been to Annapolis many times, for trips and summer programs at the Academy, and I have wanted to be a Midshipman since 7th grade. I’m very honored to have this opportunity to study and grow at the Naval Academy, and I plan on majoring in applied mathematics or mechanical engineering.
Share a few things about you!
I have been collecting and selling mechanical wristwatches for several years. This hobby and interest led me into leathercraft — I make small leather goods, mainly watch straps, and sell them online.
I have also played violin for around 13 years and was the Vice President of the Glenbrook Symphony Orchestra, which is the bands and orchestras of both Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South high schools.
I was born in South Korea and moved to Chicago at the age of 2.
I was naturalized as a US citizen in 2015.
Finally, I closely follow current events and politics. I have strong views and created Open Forum—the politics discussion club—at my school. This interest has led to many opportunities, most notably my participation in Boys Nation this summer where I traveled to D.C. to meet elected officials and represent Illinois in a mock federal government.
Update from 2021: Samuel finished his plebe year successfully at USNA. In summer, he is teaching data science to high schoolers in a virtual STEM camp and will spend his July in San Diego exploring various service communities.