On Thursday Rep. Adam Schiff  announced that he has nominated fourteen students from the 28^thCongressional District for appointments to U.S. service academies for the class of 2018.  Four of the five United States service academies require a Congressional nomination in order to receive an appointment.

“Each one of these students has compiled an outstanding resume of accomplishments, excelled in extracurricular activities and sports, and demonstrated excellence in academics,” said Rep. Schiff.  “These students are deeply committed to serving our country, and I am extremely proud to have nominated these young men and women for our U.S. Service Academies. I’m confident they will be among the future leaders of our country.”

Below is a list of the students Rep. Schiff has nominated:

• Shane Michael Bell (Sun Valley resident, La Cañada High School) – Merchant Marine Academy
• Gabriel John Thomas Collison (La Crescenta resident, Crescenta Valley High School) – Naval Academy
• Madison Sky Stefaniuk DiDomenicantonio (Los Feliz resident, Ribet Academy) – Naval Academy
• Ricardo Antonio Francia, III (Sun Valley resident, St. Francis High School) – Air Force Academy
• Brittney Alison Gregg (Glendale resident, Glendale Adventist Academy) – Air Force Academy
• Gregory Grigoryan (Glendale resident, Clark Magnet High School) — Naval Academy
• Joseph Chance Mahler (Hollywood Hills resident, Flintridge Preparatory High School) – Naval Academy and Merchant Marine Academy
• Aaron Jeffrey Mellstrom (La Cañada Flintridge resident, La Cañada High School) – Military Academy and Air Force Academy
• Audra Yejin Paik (Glendale resident, Hoover High School) – Naval Academy and Air Force Academy
• Arron Joon Sung Pak (Glendale resident, Glendale Adventist Academy) – Air Force Academy
• Collin Spenser Ramani (La Cañada Flintridge resident, Loyola High School) – Naval Academy
• Henry Keebo Sim (La Cañada Flintridge resident, Crescenta Valley High School) – Military Academy
• Morgan Lee Welch (Sun Valley resident, Verdugo Hills High School) – Naval Academy and Air Force Academy
• Nathan Luke Williams (Tujunga resident, Granada Hills Charter High School) – Naval Academy and Military Academy

The four academies requiring a Congressional nomination are the Air Force Academy, the Merchant Marine Academy, the Military Academy at West Point, and the Naval Academy.  The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, does not require a Congressional nomination. All five academies offer young men and women a free college education at a highly-ranked, nationally-recognized academic institution, while preparing them for an officer’s commission in the armed forces.

Students interested in applying to a Service Academy next year, should call Congressman Schiff’s District Office at 818-450-2900 or 323-315-5555,  or visit http://Schiff.house.gov to obtain an application form.  The application deadline for next year’s class is November 14, 2014.