Norton to Hold Service Academy College Fair and Sendoff of Six D.C. Graduates to the Academies, Monday
WASHINGTON, DC – The office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that Norton will hold her annual Service Academy College Fair and Sendoff and present her 2013 nominees to the service academies on Monday, June 10, 2013, from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m., in 2168 Rayburn House Office Building. The fair is an opportunity for prospective students in grades 6-11 and their parents to speak with service academy representatives and alumni as well as the D.C. students on their way to the academies.
This year's six appointees include five young men and one young woman – Albert "Jackson" George Wilkinson Biddle, IV (U.S. Military Academy/St. Albans School), Jacob Arthur Bishop (U.S. Military Academy/St. Albans School), Tess Jung Heimerman (U.S. Coast Guard Academy/Bishop O'Connell School), Patrick Anlon McGuigan (U.S. Naval Academy/Gonzaga College High School), Natalie Anne Herbert (U.S. Military Academy/School Without Walls), and Roy Wallace Seitz-McLeese (U.S. Naval Academy/The Field School).
Two D.C. high school alumni of the academies will speak about the experience of transitioning from a D.C. high school to a rigorous military academy. They are U.S. Navy Lieutenant James Billings, a 2005 Norton appointee, who graduated from Wilson High School and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and James Rimensnyder, a 2000 Norton appointee, who graduated from Wilson High School and the U.S. Naval Academy, and is now a D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer. Service Academy admissions officers and D.C. alumni from the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and U.S. Air Force Academy will be there to explain how one applies for a nomination, how one prepares to be a top candidate, and the advantages of being an academy graduate.
"Nominating young men and women of the District to our service academies is one of the great honors I am given as part of my service as a member of Congress," said Norton. "Our appointees have brilliant futures in serving our nation and continuing to make our city, their families, and schools proud. We combine the service fair and sendoff for a reason – young prospective students will be inspired by D.C. students who are just a few years older than they and who have shown that admission to the academies is achievable. The perspective students and their parents can then pivot and speak with academy admissions officers and alumni during a one-stop evening. On Monday evening, we will have the whole package there for our residents."
Every year the Congresswoman makes nominations for the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and U.S. Air Force Academy, who compete for appointments to which they have been nominated. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy uses a direct appointment system.
In January, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, which contains a provision Norton sought requiring the armed services to display the District of Columbia flag and the flags of the territories whenever the flags of the 50 states are displayed. "Now, these graduates are assured that their service will always be honored by the appropriate display of the D.C. flag," said Norton.
Published: June 7, 2013