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Today – Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16), member of the House Armed Services Committee, announced her nominees to four of the five United States Service Academies: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point.

To be considered for an appointment to a service academy, applicants must be nominated by an authorized nominating source, which includes Members of Congress. Admission to the United States Coast Guard Academy, also a federal service academy, does not require a congressional nomination.

“Each year, I have the privilege to nominate remarkable El Pasoans to our nation’s service academies, and this group is outstanding,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “Receiving a nomination and attending a service academy is an incredible honor and path of commitment. I cannot wait to see each of these nominees continue their journey in service of our country.”

As part of the nomination process, the nominees were evaluated by a panel on their academic record, test scores, leadership ability, extracurricular activities, and desire to serve their country.

The full list of nominations is below: 

United States Military Academy – West Point

Steele Lechner – Damascus High School

Daniel Perez – Hanks High School

Matthew Gunning – Montwood High School

United States Naval Academy – Annapolis

Elias Duncan – Andres High School

Isabelle Cortez – Silva Magnet Health High School

Marco Hernandez – Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS)

William Jin – Americas High School*

Leon Molina – Carlsbad High School

William Pirk – Franklin High School*

Derek Porras – Eastlake High School

Galilea Rodriguez – Harmony Science Academy*

Andrea Velazquez – El Paso High School

United States Air Force Academy – Colorado Springs

Devin Wehmhoner – Franklin High School

Anthony Barrera – Andres High School

Samahri Foster – Chapin High School

Jocelyn Hernandez – Del Valle High School

Rodrigo Macias-Mejia – Montwood High School

Gerd Medina – Marine Military Academy

Ivan Negrelos-Duarte – Tecnologico de Monterrey

Angelo Rivera – Franklin High School

United States Merchant Marine Academy-Kings Point

Christopher Vega – New Mexico Military Institute*

*Nominated to multiple service academies.

More information on the U.S. Service Academy Nominations can be found here.