Zach Polliard was finishing up his senior year of high school at Brighton High School in 2015 when he received the news that he had been denied admission to his dream school, the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is based in Kings Point, New York and trains midshipmen to serve as officers in the United States Merchant Marine, officers in any branch of the military, and the transportation industry.

The news of being denied admission was disappointing, but Polliard had a back-up plan. He joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of Wyoming. After attending UW for a year, he simply did not feel fulfilled.

“Wyoming was a good place to start and had its positive aspects, but I knew I was capable of success at the academy. At times, it was frustrating wondering how they passed on me.”

His dream of attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy was still alive, leading him to apply again for admission. This time, Polliard was granted admission. However, there was no such thing as transferring to the academy, which meant he would have to start back as a freshman even though he would technically be a sophomore at other colleges and universities.

Polliard was not daunted by the fact that he had to start over. Instead, he saw this as an opportunity to bounce back from his lowest point, which was the day he learned he had been denied admission as a high school senior. He knew if he could overcome this, he could overcome anything.

His persistence and determination led him to graduate with honors from the Merchant Marine Academy with a bachelor’s degree in science, a commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy, and with a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner license. This license allows him to pilot any ship in the world.
Polliard became really focused on his goals and he had a new-found sense of purpose which powered him through to meet his goals. There was a spark inside Polliard that led to a fire of determination.

What was the source of that spark? Polliard says it started at 27J Schools. In fact, that spark was kindled at Northeast Elementary School.

“I recall the drive to do better during timed multiplication tables at Northeast Elementary. Though it wasn’t a competition in the classroom, a few of my peers treated it as such. To be the first one done with correct answers was a great feeling, but short lived when the next day, someone else would beat me. That’s the first place I learned that success feels good, but success takes constant effort even after you achieve it initially.”

Polliard had just moved into the district and fondly remembers how the staff, specifically his teachers at Northeast Elementary School made him feel that he could relate to, trust, and talk to them about anything.

“Mr. Jeff Dodd was my third and fifth grade teacher at Northeast Elementary and is the one that I can remember most fondly from my time there. He genuinely cared about me and went out of his way to make me feel valued. It felt nice to have an adult treat me like an equal at that age.”

As the years progressed and he grew older, his relationships with his teachers at the 27J Schools he attended grew stronger and shifted into support and advice that encouraged Polliard to push himself both physically and mentally.

Today, Polliard works as a Logistics Management Specialist for the United States Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and is an Ensign in the reserve for the U.S. Navy. NAVSEA is the largest of the U.S. Navy’s five “systems commands,” or material organizations. NAVSEA’s primary objective is to engineer, build, buy, and maintain the U.S. Navy’s fleet of ships and its combat systems. Polliard is currently working on the ship production side of NAVSEA.

Looking back to his time at 27J Schools, Polliard remembers fondly the great times he had with friends, but most of all, the support and guidance that fueled his ambitions and led him to where he is today.

“I believe in 27J because 27J provides students with the ingredients needed for success… all that is needed is an ambitious student to reach their full potential,” said Polliard.