George Miller, who will graduate from Doherty High School next month, applied to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the Air Force Academy, in the hope that one of the prestigious schools would accept him.

To Miller’s surprise, he was accepted by all three.

“It was a shock,” said Miller, who will attend the Air Force Academy in the fall. “It was really unexpected and exciting.”

Applying to one of the five federally funded service academies — Navy, Air Force, West Point, Coast Guard or the Merchant Marine — is a highly competitive process, with acceptance rates ranging from 10%-15%. Getting accepted into one of these schools is a major accomplishment. Acceptance into multiple academies is exceptionally rare.

“It’s not something you see every day,” said David Miller, George’s father. “But George has always been highly motivated. I can’t remember him ever getting less than an A since he started school.”

A standout student and four-year member of Doherty’s Navy JROTC, Miller, applied to other colleges in-state, but service academies were his top choice, he said.

“The other schools were kind of a backup, just in case,” said Miller, who received congressional nominations from U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank and Sen. John Hickenlooper. “But I always knew I wanted to go to a service academy.”

Retired Navy Capt. Greg Thomas, who heads Doherty’s Navy JROTC, said Miller would be a valuable addition to any college or university.

“Cadet Miller showed both academically in his advanced courses while at Doherty, as well as his superb performance in Navy JROTC, that he will excel at any academy,” Thomas said. “Being selected by the Army, Navy and Air Force service academies shows what a special student and cadet George Miller was.”

Miller credits Doherty’s NJROTC with helping to develop his leadership skills.

“It was a good time,” he said. “I learned a lot about teamwork, tradition and helping others. It definitely helped me feel better prepared to attend a service academy.”

Miller decided on the Air Force Academy, in part, because he was impressed with its pre-health program, which prepares cadets for health care careers in the Air Force or Space Force.

“I did an internship with MC² (the Medical Career Collaborative Program) at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and that helped convince me that I want to be a doctor,” he said.

“I enjoyed the atmosphere. People there are very kind. Truly care about their patients, and about each other. I really enjoy that atmosphere, and I want to be a part of it.”

Miller hopes to become a physician with the Air Force Medical Corps, he said.

“I’m thankful that the Navy and Army academies accepted me, but Air Force is the choice,” he said. “I’m excited to get started.”