ABOUT CADET
CADET is modern magazine for the USMA community, created by West Pointers. Each volume of the magazine is 100+ pages of stories, essays, photos and illustrations about West Point culture and tradition.
Our magazine is for all West Pointers - cadets, parents, grads, civilians - it’s for you.
CADET is independent, bi-annual and self-published. You can help keep CADET STRONG, DARING, & INDEPENDENT - Shop at our Store + Subscribe donate below to the publication, we will not disappoint.
THE ORIGIN STORY
CADET started nearly 20 years ago when Chris was in his cow (junior) year at West Point. Back then CADET was just an idea in a notebook, a doodle in the middle of Ancient Philosophy notes.
Then it became the topic of a paper in his Contemporary Creativity class.
Over the years this idea evolved into a online shop of West Point prints, and then in 2014 Chris published a photo essay, on Jeff Monken’s first Army-Navy Game, was published on MEDIUM.COM.
From there a third West Point photo essay on Army Boxing brought Caroline + Chris together in a serendipitous and impactful way (TL;DR - Wrigley Field, Pearl Jam, a One-way Ticket, and eventually Marriage).
Together they created Homegrwn Creative - a boutique creative agency focused on photography and visual communication through website, social media, and newsletters creation and development. Their first project was to bring CADET to life (which they did in the spring of 2017 as a soft launch website). They published VOL I of CADET in December of 2017 and began creating a community.
VOL I was solely the work of Caroline + Chris. VOL II saw contributions from 11 West Pointers and VOL III blew the doors open with 21 contributors from across 6 decades of the Long Gray Line and 5 contributors from the greater West Point community.
CADET has now grown to include a strong daily social media presence, a weekly blog, a monthly newsletter, a bi-annual print magazine and a community including hundreds of patrons, an online community of well over 10,000, and an "in-real-life" community spanning West Point Societies, Alumni Groups, Reunion committees, Parent Clubs, Sports teams, current cadets, AOG, Admissions, and on and on and on.
CADET takes its inspiration from several existing or extinct media: Victory Journal, The Pointer, 99% Invisible. Three West Point books played a large role in the story of CADET: Marcia Lippman’s 2002 masterpiece “West Point”, the spectacular 2005 monograph “Athlete/Warrior” by Jonathon Anderson and Edwin Low, and the wildly unexpected “West Point Sketch Book” from 1976 by MAJ Ernie Webb, CPT John D. Hart and 1LT James E. Foley.
ABOUT US
the OPTIMIST
CAROLINE
USMA '10 | TRACK+FIELD | x00058
Managing Editor
Caroline is the co-founder of Homegrwn Creative, and a photographer, social media consultant and blog coach at CarolinePestel.com.
From Medford, New Jersey
Was #8 because of Cal Ripken, Jr.
Loves Elvis and Field Hockey
A USMA 2010 honor graduate
Captain of the Women’s Track Team
Served 6 years active duty as an Military Intelligence Officer with deployments to Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait
Graduate of Stanford’s Ignite Program
Co-Founder of Homegrwn Creative
US Army Reserves - currently on active orders at the Pentagon
Currently obtaining a Masters in Policy Management from Georgetown
the PESSIMIST
CHRIS
USMA '03 | FOOTBALL | x35527
Editor-in-Chief
Seeks stories to be told. Neither too young or old. Loves Helvetica Bold. From Chicago, it's mostly cold. Might bend, will never fold. Rocks the black-gold.
From Lombard, Illinois
Was #19 because of Lance Allworth
Loves Elvis and Baseball
A USMA 2003 graduate
WR for Army Football
Served 5 years active duty as a Field Artillery Officer
Professional Independent Photographer for 12+ years (Nike, ESPN and many others)
Former Photo Editor and Page Designer for Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
Former Director of Communications at Montini Catholic High School
Co-Founder of Homegrwn Creative
