Congresswoman Aumua Amata has nominated eighteen students to one or more of the military service academies.
Selection was based on the students overall academic record, essay and letters of recommendations from their teachers, church leaders and local community leaders and verification that they have applied separately to the academy or academies of their choice as only those applicants who have applied to the academies could be nominated if qualified.
The service academies include the US Military Academy, US Air Force Academy, US Naval Academy and the US Merchant Marine Academy.
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination as part of its application process.
The service academies are fully funded federal colleges whose mission is to train future officers and leaders to serve in their respective armed service.
The process to gain admission into one of the service academies is extremely competitive as the academies are looking for candidates with high potential to become leaders as commissioned officers in the United States Armed Forces.
Amata stated, “I would like to congratulate all the students selected for a nomination to the service academies. Their hard work and outstanding records resulted in their nominations and I am very proud of their achievements. I wish them luck and hope that this is a stepping stone to greater things for these students.”
Of the twenty one completed applications received, eighteen students were nominated by the Congresswoman to compete for an appointment to the service academies.
This year the Congresswoman did not hold a board because after an initial internal review of all the records, the applicants were all highly qualified to receive nominations .
Some applicants received nominations to more than one service academy as reflected below.
- Amosa, Taavili (Tafuna) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA); United States Military Academy (USMA)
- Barber, Tedy (Fagaitua) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA); United States Military Academy (USMA);
United States Naval Academy (USNA); United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA); - Faamoe, Dianne (Leone) United States Naval Academy (USNA)
- Faga, Pepe (Fagaitua) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) United States Military Academy (USMA)
United States Naval Academy (USNA) United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) - Ham, Seon Woong (Manumalo) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) United States Military Academy (USMA) United States Naval Academy (USNA)
- Jennings, Kalala (Fagaitua, USNAPS) United States Naval Academy (USNA)
- Jennings, Rita (Fagaitua) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) United States Naval Academy (USNA)
- Kweon, Soo Ahn (SPA) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)
- Le’au, O’Riley (Fagaitua) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) United States Military Academy (USMA)
United States Naval Academy (USNA) - Liang, Dongni (SPA) United States Military Academy (USMA)
- Liang, Kevin (SPA) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)
- Mata’u, Ali’ileleimatumua (Samoana) United States Military Academy (USMA) United States Naval Academy (USNA) United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA)
- Oh, Hyun-Duck (SPA & USNAPS) United States Naval Academy (USNA)
- Pan, Jacob (ASCC) United States Military Academy (USMA) United States Naval Academy (USNA) United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)
- Pritchard, Lillian (Leone) United States Naval Academy (USNA)
- Shallout, Sulufaiga (Kanana Fou) United States Naval Academy (USNA)
- Tanuvasa, Marquerita (Leone) United States Military Academy (USMA)
- Tulifua, Mutiatai (USNAPS) United States Naval Academy (USNA)
The next step now for the nominees is to await the decisions of the academies.
Congresswoman Aumua Amata congratulated the nominees and wished them the best of luck as they compete for an appointment to one of these prestigious schools.
She also thanked and congratulated parents for a job well done in raising such great young men and women, as well as their teachers and counselors for making education a top priority .
