Captain Mustafa Effendi, working as a mathematics teacher in this school, added the name Kemal in the end of his students name to stress the difference between him and other children bearing the same name in the classroom. Now, the young student was called Mustafa Kemal.
Mustafa Kemal, after having graduated from Salonika Military Secondary School, entered Manastir Military High School in 1896. He and Ömer Naci became friends there. This person, who was to become famous as an orator played an important role in Mustafa Kemals love of speech and literature. Ali Fethi (Okyar), who was going to be one of his close friends, was also a student in this school. Young Mustafa Kemal did not neglect his foreign language education besides his military education, and took French lessons when he turned back to Salonika in summers.
Young Mustafa Kemal was admitted to Military College on 13 March 1899 in Istanbul, having successfully completed Manastir Military High School too. After a successful Military College education, he graduated from this school as a lieutenant on 10 February 1902 and continued his education in War Academy. He became a first lieutenant in 1903. He graduated from the War Academy as a Staff Captain on 11 January 1905.
He made himself known by his friends and teachers in the Military College and War Academy with his intelligence, skills and high personality, and gained their heartily love and respect. He was interested in and inclined to mathematics, literature and speech along with his great concern to Military lessons. His being concerned with country and nation ideals in Military College and War Academy and his not refraining from expressing his thoughts bravely, he was known as an intellectual and revolutionary officer.
In days after his graduation from War Academy, his thoughts and position against despotism and sultanate regime caused suspicion and he was arrested for a few months in Istanbul, and then he was appointed in Damascus in Syria, on 5 February 1905, as a kind of place of banishment. Within three years he stayed in Damascus, he traveled nearly in all places of Syria and saw disorganization of country government, and lacking points in education and training of the army. Mustafa Kemal founded the secret Native Land and Freedom Community with some of his friends he trusted in October 1906. He expanded the community they founded in Beirut, Jaffa and Jerusalem together with his these friends.