College Profile: Muya Kahiga '19 headed to West Point
“It will be a great honor to be a part of the armed forces and have the ability to build my education and career with professionals with the number one military academy in the country.”
Rabun Gap senior Muya Kahiga is on his way to one of the top service academies in the United States.
Muya, a boarding student from Buford, GA, has been accepted at the United States Military Academy at West Point. West Point is one of five service academies in the U.S. and is known for developing high-caliber leaders.
Muya’s journey to West Point began last year. As a rising senior, he was one of 1000 selected from 6,000 applicants to attend the Summer Leadership Experience (SLE) at West Point. Last summer, he experienced the life of a cadet firsthand and found instructors that truly cared and were personally invested in growth and development. He also established lifelong friendships with fellow cadet candidates going through the program.
“At Camp Buckner, we completed various team building exercises including human bridges, teamwork obstacle courses, scoping and reconnaissance exercises, and combatants training. We camouflaged our faces in army paint and got down into the trenches. I still have a small container of face paint that serves as a reminder of the challenges we went through and the people I did it with,” Muya said. “Squad bonding had us playing games like ultimate frisbee, football stadium, going through the ‘Beat Navy’ tunnel where you have to shout West Point slogans, learning army cadences, and marveling at the beauty of the Hudson River especially during sunset.”
Getting into West Point is a highly selective process that requires a nomination from either your state’s senator, congressional representative or from the Office of the Vice President. After an interview and on the criteria of academics, leadership/extracurricular, and physical aptitude, Muya was nominated by Congressman Rob Woodall.
“This process is very competitive because each senator/representative can only choose one candidate per district, per state. This interview was the single most important thing I have ever prepared for,” Muya said.
During his two years as a student at Rabun Gap, Muya has been an integral part of the music program. He is a member of the orchestra, plays the trumpet, saxophone, piano, and french horn, sings bass in choir, Gap 8, and the barbershop quartet, and performs regularly in chapels, the musical, and other events. It’s a passion he hopes to continue while a cadet at West Point.
“One that I know for sure [that I want to be a part of] is the West Point Band,” he said. “This is The Army's oldest active-duty band, founded on the beautiful and historic grounds of the United States Military Academy in 1817. They have performed at President Eisenhower Inaugural Parade as well as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.”
Muya would like to pursue behavioral sciences with an interest in psychology. He one day hopes to receive a post-graduate degree in psychology and build a career in music therapy.
“I am keen on studying psychology and currently exploring majoring either the industrial psychology track focused on applying knowledge of psychology to select and develop leaders, and improve the effectiveness of groups, teams, and organizations. One of my major goals is to secure a professional certification from the American Psychological Association (APA),” he said. “I am eager to learn how music can be used therapeutically to treat patients with physical and emotional issues, and I plan to hone my music skills so that I may be qualified to do so.”
West Point will provide Muya access to a top-notch leadership development program and the potential for internships through the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership program, which coordinates over 100 opportunities a year across the United States and various foreign countries with organizations like the FBI, NASA, NSA, The Army Research Institute, Office of Surgeon General and Fortune 500 corporations.
As a boarding student at Rabun Gap, Muya said the School’s project-based, college-preparatory curriculum, and school community has more than prepared him to be a cadet at West Point. He said he’ll miss the camaraderie at Rabun Gap and performances.
“True to its title of college-preparatory school, Rabun Gap helped me to be accountable to myself and others,” he said. “Every day is a busy day, fully engaged in an academic activity, after-school activity, service-oriented activities, and working collaboratively with students and instructors. I expect the same going into college.”
In addition to his involvement in the music program, he’s also played soccer, ran sprints and competed in long jump on the track team, worked on campus in the dining hall, and earned high academic honors. He’s also been inducted into the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the National Society for High School Scholars. In his local community, Muya has been committed to volunteering with youth as a camp aide and counselor.
“I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to the Rabun Gap counseling office, my academic advisors, coaches, instructors, and Chaplain, with a special thanks to Mr. Paul Sperry, Ms. Jennifer Jones, Ms. Cheryl Barber, Mr. Rutledge Long, Mr. Woody Malot, Mr. Mike Cook, Ms. Christina Mooers, Mr. Cody Honeycutt, Ms. Allegra Boggess and anyone who has been instrumental in guiding and building me on this path to future success,” Muya said.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School
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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.
