If St. Mary’s prepared Swampscott’s Codi Butt for one important aspect of life at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, it was how to live and lead honorably.
“I learned how to care for others at St. Mary’s,” said Butt, who graduated in 2019. “The culture was very family-oriented. In the Army, they say people are your top priority, so I’ve been continuing in that mindset of ‘people first.’”
Butt is entering her junior year at West Point, where she is the fifth St. Mary’s graduate — and the only woman from the school — to attend. Over the summer, she assumed a leadership role in cadet field training, overseeing 180 younger cadets.
“I really learned about different styles. What motivates one trainee might not motivate another,” she said. “I’m proud to have had the opportunity to practice peer leadership, and I’m looking forward to finding my stride and trying to be the best leader I can be.”
Butt is currently on a pre-med track, but is also intrigued by aviation, if she were to be chosen for that branch. She is on the rugby team, having walked on as a freshman, even though she had never played the sport. This past spring, she totaled 10 points — the second-highest total on the team.
As a three-sport athlete at St. Mary’s, it’s not surprising rugby came naturally to Butt. She played lacrosse, hockey and soccer, was captain of the lacrosse and hockey teams and was coached in lacrosse by her mother, KC Butt, a physical therapist.
“My mom stepped up and started coaching my freshman year and she’s still doing it,” said Butt, who was also a member of the school’s National Honor Society, Student Council and Spanish Club.
Butt graduated from St. Mary’s as salutatorian, earned athletic all-star honors and received the Harvard Book Award. She had been interested in joining the military from a young age, having seen two of her uncles serve — one deployed overseas as an Army officer and the other a commander in the Navy. She attended the Summer Leadership Experience at West Point prior to her senior year at St. Mary’s and that confirmed her decision.
Jack King, a graduate of St. Mary’s (1966) and West Point (1970), was instrumental in helping Butt navigate the admissions process.
“Codi emailed me after she finished eighth grade,” said King, an alumni admissions representative for West Point in the 6th Congressional District. “I met with her and her father and she did all the talking. She was incredibly mature and knowledgeable.”
Butt did everything King suggested throughout her high school career at St. Mary’s. She completed the application, medical tests and interviews with local congressional offices, and was selected as U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton’s official nominee and was accepted.
“Codi is an amazing young person,” King said. “I’ve probably worked with 40 kids from the 6th District who have gone to West Point and she is in the top three. She wants to serve and she wants to lead.”
