WASHINGTON – Congressman Connie Mack, FL-14, announced Thursday that five students from Southwest Florida have received appointments to the U.S. service academies and will be honored at a reception on Sunday, June 13, in Estero.
“Attending a United States Service Academy is truly an admirable way for young people to serve their country,” Mack said in a prepared statement. “All of the students who received appointments showed an incredible depth of talent, have reached high levels of academic and athletic achievement, and are very active in their schools and communities. I am extremely proud of the caliber of students in Southwest Florida, and their success is a tremendous reflection on our community.”
The following students from Southwest Florida will be attending a U.S. Service Academy in the fall:
– Taylor Allen of Naples; Naples High School; U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY
– Kristen Hernandez of Naples; Gulf Coast High School; U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY
– Connor Timmins of Naples; Community School of Naples; U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD
– Derek West of Cape Coral; Ida Baker High School; U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY
– Richard Zyvoloski of North Fort Myers; currently a student at Edison State College and a graduate of North Fort Myers High School; U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY
One of the responsibilities of Members of Congress is to nominate outstanding young men and women to the four U.S. service academies. The process of securing a nomination is highly competitive — each applicant for nomination must demonstrate evidence of integrity, exceptional scholarship, leadership, physical aptitude, and medical fitness, and strong motivation to attend an academy. A nominating committee comprised of community officials from Southwest Florida objectively rates each nominee, and Mack then nominates the best candidates to the academies.
Students must also apply to the academy and meet their competitive standards in addition to applying for a nomination from a Member of Congress.
More information about the service academy application and nomination process is available on Congressman Mack’s website at http://mack.house.gov/ .

Source: Office of Connie Mack