Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon) hosted his annual reception for high school students who received a nomination to attend the United States Service Academies.
The reception was held at Rep. Kinzinger’s Ottawa District Office the evening of December 14th. Students wishing to attend one of the nation’s Service Academies must receive a nomination from either their Congressman, Senator, or the Vice President. Congressman Kinzinger provided 13 nominations to the Academies this year.
“Our nation’s service academies have the highest admissions standards and the nomination process is one of the first steps to becoming cadets or midshipmen. This process is very competitive and nominees must be academic leaders and leaders amongst their peers,” said Congressman Kinzinger. “As a Representative and a current member of the Air National Guard, I am honored to give nominations to these students, so they have the opportunity to become future leaders in our military.”
The nominees were selected based on their applications, test scores, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, and the specific requirements of each U.S. Service Academy. Potential nominees were also individually interviewed by Rep. Kinzinger. Each Service Academy will determine who will receive an appointment of admission. The majority of the nominees should receive notice of their admission by the Spring of 2016.
16th District Service Academy Nominees
U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
Drew Barto of Peru
Joel Bottarini of Ottawa
Seamus McGettigan of Ottawa
Michael Stocksdale of Dixon
Christian Zarnke of Rockford
U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado
Hannah Cerny of Kingston
Andrew Jepsen of Channahon
Nicholas Kissick of Rockford
Samuel Lesak of Streator
Brendan Schoonover of South Beloit
U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland
Matthew Grushkin of Mazon
Joseph McGraw of Rockford
Christopher Pedersen of Malta
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