{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://castor.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=404396", "Castor Announces her 2023 Nominations to U.S. Military Academies", "2023-11-28", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Kathy Castor", "C001066", "castor.house.gov", "castor", "https://castor.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) announced the 21 Tampa Bay area students who received a nomination for admission into our nation\u2019s prestigious military academies: Air Force Academy (USAFA), Naval Academy (USNA), West Point (USMA) and the Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). These outstanding student leaders hail from more than ten local high schools in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.\n\n\u201cThese talented student leaders are crucial to the future of America. Their interest in serving our country brings great pride to our patriotic Tampa Bay community,\u201d said Castor. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for the service of my diligent Nomination Committee, which thoroughly reviews every application and interviews interested students. I am confident that this year's nominees will represent Tampa Bay and our nation well in all their future endeavors.\u201d\n\nPhotos of the nominees can be found here.\n\nReceiving a nomination to one of our nation\u2019s military academies is an essential step towards receiving an appointment to the academies. Nominations are earned based upon each student\u2019s interview with Castor\u2019s Nomination Committee, their academic record, participation in extracurricular activities and demonstrated leadership qualities. Because of the stringent application requirements, many students begin working on what it takes to apply as early as their first year of high school.\n\nBased upon the process established by federal law, all U.S. military academies, except the Coast Guard Academy, require either a service-connected or Congressional nomination (from their Member of Congress, U.S. Senator or the Vice President of the United States). Parents and students interested in the nomination process can work with their school guidance counselors and find more information at Service Academy Nominations | U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (house.gov).\n\nCastor will announce official appointments at a later date after being notified of appointments by the academies. Today\u2019s announcement is the conclusion of Castor\u2019s 2023 competitive nomination process. The nominees who receive an appointment from a U.S. military academy will attend their respective academies in the 2024-2025 school year.\n\nU.S. Rep. Castor granted her nomination to the following students for one or more of the U.S. military academies:\n\nFelix Fudge Jr., Shorecrest Preparatory School \u2013 USMA\n\nTayten Moore, Canterbury School of Florida \u2013 USMA\n\nAiden Smith, Northeast High School \u2013 USNA\n\nElyna Brackin, St. Petersburg High School \u2013 USMA\n\nGabe Long, Hillsborough High School \u2013 USMA\n\nKatherine Merrill, Academy of the Holy Names \u2013 USNA and USAFA\n\nLogan Virgil, Robinson High School \u2013 USMA and USAFA\n\nJack Wittmer, Robinson High School \u2013 USAFA\n\nJake Prabhakaran, Jesuit High School \u2013 USNA and USMA\n\nIsabel Salas, Academy of the Holy Names \u2013 USMA and USAFA\n\nJace Jreisat, Bayshore Christian Academy \u2013 USMA and USAFA\n\nRogan Kane, Plant High School \u2013 USAFA (not pictured)\n\nTerry Weaver Jr., Jesuit High School \u2013 USMA and USAFA\n\nGavin Paglieri, Jesuit High School \u2013 USNA\n\nAdrian Salazar, Steinbrenner High School - USNA\n\nCayleigh Reid, Berkeley Preparatory School \u2013 USNA and USAFA\n\nLogan Kijanski, Plant High School \u2013 USAFA\n\nGrayson Stone, St. Petersburg High School \u2013 USNA\n\nDanielle Donis, Plant High School \u2013 USNA\n\nSean Murphy, Plant High School \u2013 USAFA\n\nElla Kirk, Stuggart High School \u2013 USMA (not pictured)", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://castor.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=404396"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6841236501932144, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}