02.06.24

Durbin Announces U.S. Service Academy Nominations

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the names of 43 individuals whom he has nominated to attend four of the nation’s service academies for the upcoming school year.

“Each year, I have the privilege to nominate some of Illinois’ best and brightest young leaders to our nation’s esteemed service academies,” said Durbin. “I know that they will make their families—and our nation—proud as they continue their education and serve our country.”

The academies include U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York; U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado; U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. Students hoping to be considered for the nation’s military academies must first obtain the nomination from one of a few sources, including a U.S. Senator. Students must complete a written application and participate in an interview process with Durbin’s Service Academy Selection Committee, a nonpartisan board that meets annually in December to review applicants. The Committee then selects and submits its recommendations for Durbin to make the final decision.

U.S. Senators are allowed a maximum of five appointees at a given service academy at any time—except for the Merchant Marine Academy, which is based on a state quota. Durbin is allowed to nominate 10 candidates for each vacancy and does so by selecting nominees for admission on a competitive basis. The service academies will then choose one nominee for each vacancy and offer them an appointment.

Durbin nominated the following Illinoisans to attend U.S. service academies:

MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT (one vacancy)

Kwamee Matthew Amoo-Otoo, Plainfield

Thomas Allan Gray, Simpson

Olivia Grace Hebron, Naperville

Jonathan Andrew Isoniemi, Downers Grove

Edward John Kurtz, Geneva

Dylan James Monagan, Glenview

Annabella Angeles Ramirez, Burr Ridge

Donovan Emory Danger Scott, Springfield

Kathryn John Tracy, Chicago

Summer Nikole Wilson, Waterloo

AIR FORCE ACADEMY (two vacancies)

William Beck, Prospect Heights

Peyton Caster, Schaumburg

Thomas Costello, Champaign

Samantha Findysz, Hoffman Estates

Michael Frieri, Lockport

Allison Gustilo, Glenview

Steven Kaszuba, Naperville

Caleb Kim, Roselle

Amelia Martin, Scott Air Force Base

Megan Morrison, O’Fallon

Carson Quigley, Bourbonnais

David Rindfleisch, Chicago

Franchesca Rodriguez, Streator

Samuel Rosenstein, North Aurora

Sophia Rowan, Chicago

Elizabeth Scharpf, Berwyn

Alexis Seymour, Glen Carbon

Steven Strandberg, Western Springs

Patrick Weaver, Cary

Bennett Williams, Princeton

NAVAL ACADEMY (one vacancy)

Lucas Stryker Adams, Lake Villa

Animesh Chandra Bijawat, Hawthorn Woods

Jackson Clark Dunn, Plainfield

Leah P Gaidos, Deer Park

Robert O Glenn IV, Naperville

Sean Frances Harres, Chicago

Kynan Mccabe-Wild, Naperville

Harrison James Newman, Lake Forest

Jun Lee Park, Deerfield

Alexander Paul Hill, Chicago

MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY (one vacancy)

Brendan Baser, Cary

Maxwell Corral, Oak Forest

Bryan Lukaszczyk, Chicago

-30-