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
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