NEWTON FALLS — Bailey Adams, 18, is the first female student from Newton Falls to be accepted into the United States Military Academy at West Point and only the second Falls student accepted in the academy since the 1970s.

Serving in the military while earning an engineering degree is something Adams decided to do while still in middle school, and she never really wavered from that commitment.

“I work really hard, and I’ve always believed I could do whatever I wanted to do, because I never give up,” Adams said. “I started thinking about going into a service academy when I was 13.”

At West Point, Adams expects to major in chemical engineering with a minor in terrorism studies.

Providing service to country is something Adams has always known she wanted to do.

“I’m proud of my country,” she said. “I want to give back some of what I’ve been given. I decided on the Army, in part, because I have many family members — grandparents, uncles and aunts, on both sides of my family — who were and still currently serve in the Army. Some made a career and retired. Others served for a shorter time.”

“I saw the pride they had in providing freedom to others through their service,” she said. “I want to give that same level of freedom to those coming after me.”

It was early on that Adams became focused on West Point.

“We went to a program at which representatives of the academies were there, and the representative from West Point already knew my name and some of my background when I first approached him,” she said. “It was at that point I became focused.”

Adams did not apply to any of the other military academies. It either would be West Point or one of the other colleges or universities she applied to.

Adams ran track, played soccer, was a cheerleader and was a member of the National Honor Society during the four years her family has lived in Newton Falls.

Brian and Patricia Adams have three daughters. They are not surprised their middle child has a strong desire to serve others.

“Our family has a love for country and a respect for the military,” Patricia Adams said. “They have been protecting our freedoms and our rights.”

The family moved to Newton Falls from Georgia about four years ago to be closer to family.

Brian Adams grew up in Waverly, Ohio.

“We moved here from a city that has three high schools that each had more than 1,000 students to a township that has three traffic signals. “It has been an absolute joy living in Newton Falls,” he said. “The people here have been wonderful to our family, and this is a close-knit community. We’ve had a wonderful experience since moving to northeast Ohio.”

Bailey Adams will begin her six weeks of basic training in late June and then classes at West Point shortly afterward.

Newton Falls Principal John Crowder describes Adams as a well-rounded student whose parents researched the school before enrolling their children.

“They wanted a school with high academic standards,” Crowder said. “She (Bailey) immediately became involved in school activities. She is the type of student who wants to make things better. She has balanced her academics and participated in nonacademic activities.”

Crowder described her as being unafraid to take a leadership role when necessary.

Bailey Adams has a 4.0 GPA and is one of the district’s top students. She is one of the school’s valedictorians.