CONCORD, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) Several students from the Monadnock Region are among 25 New Hampshire high school seniors nominated by Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander to attend one of the nation’s elite service academies.
Goodlander, D-N.H., announced the nominations following a reception in Concord recognizing the students and their families. The nominees are seeking appointments to the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
From the Keene area, two Keene High School students received nominations to West Point: Ryan Anthony Cowher of Keene and Wade T. Plaskiewicz of Surry. Jacob Levesque of Jaffrey, a student at Conant High School, was also nominated to the U.S. Military Academy, as was Kyle A. Paolino of Rindge, who attends Our Lady of Mercy Academy.
Marlborough is represented by Ruby A. Neutra, a student at Northfield Mount Hermon School, who received a nomination to the U.S. Naval Academy. Dublin’s Gavin C. Niemela, a student at Contoocook Valley Regional High School, was nominated to the U.S. Air Force Academy.
“These are young people who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and a desire to serve something bigger than themselves,” Goodlander said in a statement. “Their communities should be incredibly proud.”
In total, Goodlander submitted 10 nominations to the Naval Academy, nine to West Point, five to the Air Force Academy and one to the Merchant Marine Academy. A nomination is a required step in the application process, though final appointments are made by the academies themselves.
Goodlander, who served for more than a decade as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, sits on the House Armed Services Committee and has made military and veterans issues a central focus of her first term in Congress.
