Washington, DC - Congressman John Barrow (GA-12) today announced the names of the ten high school students from Georgia's 12^th District he has nominated for admission to the service academies for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Merchant Marine.

"Being nominated to one of our nation's service academies is an honor awarded to America's best and brightest," Barrow said.  "The students I've nominated are committed to their community and their country and are ready to learn the skills that will turn them into leaders.  I'm proud of them, and they should be proud of themselves for this tremendous accomplishment."

U.S. Military Academy Nominees:

Tiffany Mincey, Metter, GA

Stephen Michael Phillips, Vidalia, GA

John Bradham, Pooler, GA

U.S. Naval Academy Nominees:

Ashley Sparks, Milledgeville, GA

Bradley Boyd, Rincon, GA

U.S. Air Force Academy Nominees:

Shawn Patrick Leonard, Hephzibah, GA

Monique Pal, Savannah, GA

Julianne Germain, Rincon, GA

Travis Cody Miller, Guyton, GA

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Nominee:

Bradley Burzumato, Savannah, GA

Members of Congress can nominate a limited number of candidates to the U.S. Military, Naval, Air Force, and Merchant Marine academies each year. The four Academies require a Congressional nomination as part of the application process, but the service academies reserve the final say on who is admitted.

To be considered, applicants must reside within the 12th Congressional District and meet the necessary admissions requirements.  In addition, applicants submitted an application and essay and underwent an interview process. The nominees were chosen based on their academic performance, leadership ability, moral character, and commitment to attending a service academy.

The nominees will now compete for appointments to their respective Academies for the class of 2013.

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