Lawnside Historical Society Salutes First West Point Cadet: Jasmine Walker Motupalli '06

Jasmine Walker Motupalli '06 is the first and only Lawnside resident appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The 2002 alumna of Haddon Heights High School was commissioned a second lieutenant when she graduated from the Academy in 2006 with a B.S. in operations research.She gave a talk about her West Point experience, Lawnside and her Army career. Among her accomplishments, MAJ Motupalli '06 commanded combat units in Iraq and Afghanistan and worked in Army Intelligence at the Pentagon. Reflecting on her career, she wrote: “I have my father to thank for everything…He was the first to encourage my obstinate character. He said that I would become what I wanted, not despite, but thanks to the power of who I am—an African American, a woman, a human, a fighter, a leader, and a writer.” Read more.