James T. Kirk/Starfleet career/Academy

In 2252, Kirk entered Starfleet Academy, with help of , whose son later served under Kirk. () He also often spoke of his father as being his inspiration for joining Starfleet. ()
As a plebe, Kirk soon caught the attention of a boisterous and bullying Irishman named Finnegan. The upperclassman evidently hazed "Jimmy-boy" mercilessly throughout their shared time at the Academy. Fifteen years later, the Shore Leave Planet sensed Kirk's antipathy for Finnegan and produced that Kirk could pummel for satisfaction. ()
As a cadet, Kirk participated in a successful peace mission to , for which Starfleet Command awarded him with the Palm Leaf of Axanar Peace Mission. ()
When he was a midshipman, Kirk began a friendship with his instructor, Lieutenant Benjamin Finney. Their relationship was so important to the two men that Finney named his daughter, Jame, after Kirk. ()
Kirk's physical training included tests he had to pass for working in an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, as well as hand-to-hand combat. (; ) He was also trained in hyper-power circuits. ()
His academic studies introduced him to several men that he encountered later in his career. Among them was John Gill, a noted history professor and cultural observer. () Kirk studied the exploits of Garth of Izar, a famous captain who joined Kirk's pantheon of heroes. () The "Pasteur of archaeological medicine", Dr. Roger Korby, became a man Kirk wanted to meet. () Kirk also studied the military strategies of Klingon General Korrd. () He also attended lectures at the Academy on the Nomad space probe. ()
During his time in the Command Training Program, Kirk confronted the . He refused to accept his first two defeats. Before making a third attempt, he secretly reprogrammed the simulation computer, consequently becoming the only cadet in Academy history to beat the "no-win" scenario and earning a commendation for original thinking. ()
Kirk's graduating class was represented with such future officers as Corrigan, Mike, Teller, and . () One of his former classmates, R.M. Merik, was dropped in his fifth year for failing the psychosimulator test. ()
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