Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) proudly announced that seven of her nominees have received appointments into a service academy for the upcoming school year.

“It is one of my greatest honors to provide Tampa Bay area students with a nomination to one of our prestigious U.S. Service Academies,” said U.S. Rep. Castor. “These young men and women are our community’s best and brightest, and have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the classroom and in our community. This year’s appointees include JROTC leaders, outstanding athletes and young people who are following in the footsteps of service  of their parents. Others have dedicated themselves to volunteer work in areas like the arts, humanitarian organizations and fundraising for medical research. All are committed to serving America.”

As a Member of Congress, every year U.S. Rep. Castor nominates qualified students from Florida’s 14th Congressional District for appointment to the U.S. Service Academies. As part of this process, every year U.S. Rep. Castor hosts “Academy Day” at MacDill Air Force Base to serve as an information session for students and parents, and where they can meet with service academy recruiters as well as local recruits.

The following students were accepted for appointments to U.S. Service Academies after receiving an official nomination from U.S. Rep. Castor:

The process required to receive a nomination by U.S. Rep. Castor is extensive and students interested are encouraged to begin the process in their junior year of high school. Parents and students can learn about the nomination process and Academy Day to be held in the fall by clicking here. The nomination authorities vested among Members of Congress and the Vice President, number of appointments, and criteria establishing the qualifications of potential service academy appointees are set in federal regulations [10 U.S. Code § 4342(a)(4), 10 U.S. Code § 6954(a)(4) and 10 U.S. Code § 9342(a)(4)] as well as policies established by each academy.

Every year, fewer than 5,000 students are admitted into either the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs or the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis for tuition-free, four-year undergraduate education that will prepare them to become officers of U.S. military services.

###