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CNMI midshipman accepted to US Marine flight school
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Posted on Dec 13 2004
Adrian Evangilista, a 2000 graduate of Tinian High School and now a First Class (senior) Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, has been accepted to a Marine aviation helicopter training after his scheduled graduation in May 2005.
Evangilista is the son of Antonio and Evelyn Evangilista of Tinian.
Upon graduation from Tinian High School, Adrian sought an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy from Gov. Juan N. Babauta who was then the CNMI’s Washington Representative to the United States. With Babauta’s recommendation, Evangilista was appointed to attend the Academy in 2001.
“We are all very proud of Adrian’s accomplishments,” Babauta said, “and wish him well in his career development as an aviator.”
As Washington representative, Babauta lobbied for several years to have the students from the CNMI appointed to military academies. From 1985 through 1995, attempts were made to have legislation passed in Congress that would allow the CNMI’s Washington representative to appoint local students to the academies. In 1995, with the backing of Guam’s Congressional Delegate Robert Underwood in the U. S. House of Representatives and Hawaii’s Sen. Daniel Inouye in the Senate, legislation was introduced in both Houses of Congress.
In February 1996, President Bill Clinton signed Public Law 104-106 giving CNMI students the same opportunities as students from other states and territories. Since 1997, five CNMI students have met the arduous requirements to be selected to attend U. S. military service academies.
