Saipan student offered appointment to West Point

A Saipan-born student, who was earlier nominated by Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has been accepted to the prestigious military school.

Northern Marianas Academy student Seung Hee Chong recently received notification from the military school that his application has been accepted.

Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr., U.S. Army Superintendent at West Point, wrote to Seung Hee Chong offering him an appointment to USMA as a member of the Class of 2009.

Seung Hee Chong is the son of Won Don Chong and Gab Du Chun. His interest in the academy began at age 16 and comes from a family where every man in his family has a military background.

Chong, a U.S. citizen and a resident of Saipan, is currently a senior at NMA and enrolled at Northern Marianas College. He will be graduating with both a high school diploma and a Liberal Arts degree this May 2005.

His ideology of becoming a soldier stems from his grandfather’s beliefs “to be a man, you have to be prepared to fight for your country at any time.”

“My goal at this time is to matriculate at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point,” Seung Hee Chong said in his letter to Resident Representatative Tenorio.

Tenorio said that Seung Hee Chong’s excellent academic record, favorable letters of recommendation, outstanding participation in sports, community services and student leadership activities lend full support of his nomination to West Point.

Chong was nominated by Tenorio in January.

“I am honored that one of my duties as Resident Representative to the United States includes nominating students to some of the best educational institutions in the world: the U.S. Military, Naval, and Air Force academies. My most recent academy appointees include Caroline Claire Lynch of Saipan Southern High School (USNA) and Jun Vicente M. Chong of Mount Carmel High School (USNA Prep School). The selection process is totally competitive, based on the academies’ requirements: excellent grades, high SAT scores, physically/medically fit and participation in athletic and extracurricular activities. Nominations are presented to the academies, who make the decision on appointments,” said Tenorio.

Northern Marianas residents between the ages of 17 and 23, interested in learning more about the U.S. Service Academy, or who wish to apply for nomination should contact Ana S. Teregeyo at the Saipan District Office at (670) 664-5451/2, fax (670) 664-5654 or Pete Torres in Washington, D.C. at (202) 673-5869, fax (202) 673-5873.