There is a rite of passage for new cadets at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. First-year cadets have to work together to form a human pyramid to ascend a greased-up monument.

The goal is to get a white hat – known as a “Dixie Cup” – from the top of the monument and put an upperclassman’s hat in its place.

August Russo, a cadet from New Jersey, was the first person to get on top of it.

“A lot of those guys were saying, ‘You’re tall.’ I’m a skinny guy. I’m only 180 pounds, but I’m 6’5,” so they said, ‘You go up,’ and I agreed,” said Russo.

Russo is a 2023 graduate of Oratory Prep in Summit.