Luján Announces Nominations for U.S. Service Academies 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M), announced student nominations from New Mexico to enter the United States Service Academies. 

“New Mexico has a long and proud tradition of serving in our Armed Forces. It’s a distinct honor as a United States Senator to nominate some of New Mexico’s best and brightest to U.S. Service Academies,” said Senator Luján. “Each student nominated has demonstrated a commitment to serve New Mexico and the country, and I am confident that each student will represent our state with great pride.”

Senator Luján’s 2022 Service Academy nominees include:

U.S. Air Force Academy – Colorado Springs, CO

Taryn Aguilar – Santa Fe

Sahil Bhakta – Albuquerque

Samantha Bigger – Albuquerque

Ava Carpentier – Albuquerque

Elijah Griego – Rio Rancho

Gordon Lee – Albuquerque

Eri McClain-Yu – Albuquerque

Kaden Nguyen – Albuquerque

Sofia Sanchez – Albuquerque

Charles Xu – Albuquerque

U.S. Naval Academy – Annapolis, MD

Diego Aragon – Mora

Sebastian Chavez – Albuquerque

Trevon Del Ferraro – Las Cruces

Violet Francisco – Rio Rancho

Diego Garcia – Albuquerque

David Gorman – Silver City

Carson Hick – White Rock

Truitt Lemon – Santa Fe

Natalia Sabal – Gallup

Kelly Wetteland – Los Alamos

U.S. Military Academy – West Point, NY

Thomas Chung – Albuquerque

Camden Cox – Rio Communities

Ahava Goldfein – Tijeras

Kayla Gray – Albuquerque

Gatlin James – Waterflow

Dylan Mamawal – Albuquerque

Brycelyn Martinez – Chama

Iris Matthews – Albuquerque

Korbin Moyer – Albuquerque

Nicolas Tenorio – Albuquerque

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy – Kings Point, NY

Kelvin Alarcon – Roswell

Sean Avilucea – Las Cruces

Hayley Dougherty – Albuquerque

Joshua George – Albuquerque

Justin Holmes – Farmington

William Lechman – Albuquerque

Jacob Mirabal – Santa Fe

Connor Myerson – Albuquerque

Ethan Roland – Santa Fe

Lauren To – Las Cruces

Senator Luján’s Service Academy Selection Board considered all the applications from young New Mexicans interested in attending the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, or the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Interviews took place in early Fall.

Academy nominees submit an application that includes a personal statement, resume, letters of reference, academic transcripts, and standardized test scores. If nominated by Senator Luján, applicants must meet the individual admission requirements for each academy. Students may be selected for more than one service academy. The academies make the final decision on who will receive an appointment of admission.

Selection to U.S. Service Academies is among the most competitive and rigorous in the country; regardless of the number of qualified applicants each Member of Congress nominates, only a select few are accepted by the service academies each year. Those selected will enter the academies in 2023.