Apply now for a service academy nomination

Sablan

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) is once again accepting applications for nominations to the U.S. service academies. The deadline to apply for a congressional nomination is Dec. 8, 2017, for the school year beginning in the fall of 2018.

“Every year, young people in the Marianas have the opportunity to obtain a congressional nomination to attend one of the service academies,” Sablan said. “For students who are interested in attaining a fully funded, world-class college education and serving in our nation’s armed forces, the educational and career opportunities offered by the service academies are unparalleled.”

Service academy cadets and midshipmen graduate as commissioned officers and are committed to serve at least five years in the armed forces thereafter. To be eligible for a congressional nomination and service academy appointment, an individual must be a U.S. citizen, a high school graduate, from 17 to 23 years old, unmarried, with no dependents. Highly qualified applicants should be able to demonstrate a well-rounded record of academic excellence, physical fitness, leadership, and service.

Five slots are currently available for Marianas students: two at the Military Academy in West Point, New York; one at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; one at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and one at the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

The congressional office has been conducting a series of service academy outreach sessions at high schools throughout the Marianas since August. In September the congressional office hosted Service Academy Nights on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota that featured presentations by Coast Guard Academy graduates Lt. Christine Igisomar and Lt. Jonathan Girot, as well as video testimonials from Air Force cadets Jordan Butcher and Eufemio Feria, and West Point graduate 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Lee. Army Lt. Col. Lawrence Camacho, who chairs Drexel University’s military science department, also presented and answered questions about the Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program as another option for obtaining a college education and serving in the armed forces.

Sablan expressed his appreciation to all of the military officers and service academy cadets who participated in the congressional office’s outreach program this year.

“For young people who are exploring their options, thinking about applying to the service academies and wondering what it’s like, there is really nothing like hearing directly from those who have been there and done it,” he said.

In addition to offering free informational sessions for high school and college groups upon request, the congressional office can help prospective applicants connect with military academy graduates and cadets to learn more about the admissions process and academy life.

Expanding service academy opportunities was one of Sablan’s earliest priorities upon entering office, and he has been able to increase the number of slots reserved for Marianas students from one each at the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, and Military Academies in 2009, to a total of three each today. The Merchant Marine Academy reserves one slot for Marianas students every year. The Coast Guard Academy’s admissions process is competitive nationwide, and does not require a congressional nomination, though the congressman may submit letters of recommendation.

Applications for service academy nominations are available on the congressional office’s website, www.sablan.house.gov, and completed applications should be delivered to any of the district offices on Saipan, Tinian, or Rota by Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. For more information, contact the congressional office at 323-2647, email kilili@mail.house.gov, or visit www.sablan.house.gov. (MP)