Twenty-one Fifth District students are trading senior year nerves for service academy acceptance letters, and Strong is taking a well-earned victory lap on their behalf.
Strong announced this week that 21 students across North Alabama have accepted appointments to U.S. service academies or their prep schools — the kind of news that means a whole lot of proud parents and a whole lot of future officers with Tennessee Valley roots.
“The Fifth District never fails to produce skilled, patriotic student leaders, and this year’s class is no exception,” Strong said.
Here’s the full rundown of who’s headed where:
U.S. Military Academy (West Point)
Mark Andrzejewski, St. John Paul Catholic High School; Stephen Case, Excalibur Christian School; Alexander Cothren, Huntsville High School; William Crocker, Randolph High School; Judd Lunsford, Marion Military Institute/Randolph High School; Jacob Plitsch, Lindsey Lane Christian Academy; Richard Raleigh, Huntsville High School
U.S. Naval Academy
Matthew Kimmett, Decatur High School; Maria Sands-Pingot, St. John Paul Catholic High School; Frank Vegerita, Huntsville High School
U.S. Naval Academy Prep School
Harrison Lockett, Bob Jones High School
U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Scholarship
Matthew Matkin, Brewer High School
U.S. Air Force Academy
Kristianna Berger, Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering; Katherine Boyer, Sparkman High School; Eleanor Dykema, Georgia Military College; Antonio Little, U.S. Air Force Academy Prep School/James Clemens High School; Isabelle Park, Bob Jones High School; Caleb Shultz, Huntsville High School; George Youngblood, Decatur High School
U.S. Air Force Academy Prep School
Jacob Parks, Bob Jones High School
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Brennan Bowling, St. John Paul Catholic School
A congressional nomination is required before any student can even be considered for a service academy appointment, and it’s not just a formality — candidates have to clear academic, leadership and character benchmarks before a member of Congress puts their name forward. So every person on this list earned their spot.
If you know a rising junior or senior with academy dreams of their own, Strong hosts an Academy Day every year to walk students through the process — recruiters, ROTC reps, admissions officers from every branch, all in one room.
This year’s Academy Day is set for Saturday, August 22, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus in Huntsville.
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