Super Chat: Helix Grad Debates Bolts with Obama at Army-Navy Game

Saturday’s Army-Navy football game was exciting enough. But it was unforgettable for one Helix Charter High School graduate.

Juliann Hitt sat next to her commander-in-chief—President Barack Obama.

What did the Highlander and the president talk about?

“He asked me why I chose the Naval Academy, and I attempted to convince him that the Chargers could still win the Super Bowl,” she said. “He wasn’t convinced and told me that it wasn’t going to happen this year.”

Hitt is a midshipman third class (a sophomore) at the service academy in Annapolis, MD.

She said most of their chat was about sports, and “he told us that the Army-Navy game was the first football game he had been to in six years.”

Her “once in a lifetime experience” included a gracious gesture by the vice president, said the daughter of John and Linda Hitt.

“Overall, everyone I met was extremely nice and amiable,” she said. “Vice President Joe Biden impressed me the most because of how friendly and excited he was.

“Also, he encouraged me to call my mom in the middle of the game and then spoke with her about what a great job she did raising her kids. My mom was extremely excited and I was very grateful.”

Her U.S. Naval Academy company—the group of 150 midshipmen she lives and trains with—was chosen for a halftime ceremony after it ranked first out of 30 companies for a combination of academics, athletics and military training.

“Originally, we were going to line the field and salute him as he walked from the Navy sideline to the Army sideline,” said Hitt, Helix Class of 2010.

“My company then got promoted to providing 10 midshipmen to sit with him for the first half. I had volunteered for rendering honors and my chain-of-command was gracious enough to bump me to the seating list.”

At first, Hitt says, she was in the row in front of Obama, “but Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was nice enough to switch seats with me so that I could be in the seat next to the president.”

She sat beside the leader of the free world for about 15 minutes and then moved to the row behind him so one of her friends could sit next to Obama.

“Overall, he sat with us for about 45 minutes,” she said Monday via email.

Her classmates were all extremely excited by the experience, she said.

“There was a running joke that someone had to be brave enough to give him a fist bump or chest bump just to see the Secret Service’s reaction,” she said. “No one was willing to do it.”

Citing rules against members of the military making political statements, Hitt declined to say whether she had voted for Obama.

But she shared her political career goals:

“I’m a political science-international relations major, and when I graduate in two years I want to be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. I’d like to make the military a career, but if I decide not to I would like to work for a government think tank.”

Asked about her Helix days, she replied:

“My favorite memories were with Helix varsity soccer and golf. I definitely have to give a shout-out to Julie Weber (my calculus teacher who made my three semesters of calculus here much less painful), Frank Theroux, Renee Milburn, Mark Faulk, Robert Berg (my government teacher who cemented my decision for a poli sci major), Giff Asimos and Dr. [Douglas] Smith.”

Hitt added: “I can honestly say that I would not have the opportunities that I have today if I didn’t attend Helix. The school did an amazing job preparing me for the rigors of an Ivy League education, and I never had a poor teacher.”

She called the Scotties staff  “the reason I’m still involved with the school whenever I’m in town.”

Hitt’s parents still live on the hill overlooking La Mesa Middle School. Her sister was a 2007 Helix graduate.

During Christmas vacation, she’ll start out in Berkeley, visiting her sister and a friend—who enlisted in the Air Force.

“When I’m back in town, I’ll probably be helping the Helix women’s soccer program and keeping in shape.”

And who won Saturday’s game in Landover, MD?

Hitt’s Midshipmen beat the Black Knights 27-21—Navy’s 10th victory in a row.