SAIPAN – Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds is encouraging Northern Marianas students who want to serve in the military to apply for nominations to the nation’s prestigious service academies ahead of a December 5, 2025 deadline.
In a recent video message, King-Hinds said she has the honor each year of nominating some of the Commonwealth’s “brightest young men and women” to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. She described them as world-class, tuition-free universities that prepare students for leadership and a lifetime of service.
Graduates of these academies earn commissions as officers and go on to serve the United States in uniform. King-Hinds emphasized that the application process is highly competitive and that securing a congressional nomination is one of the first steps.
She said students considering this path should be between 17 and 23 years old, U.S. citizens, high school graduates, unmarried, and ready to demonstrate strong academics, leadership, and physical fitness.
Under congressional rules, King-Hinds can nominate up to 20 students to West Point and up to 10 students each to the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy. She clarified that she does not decide who is appointed: each academy’s admissions board makes the final decision on who receives an offer. Her role is to nominate the most qualified candidates from the CNMI so they can compete at the national level.
King-Hinds called the nomination process one of her favorite responsibilities in office, saying it helps the next generation of Marianas leaders take their first steps toward “something extraordinary.”
The deadline to apply for a nomination from King-Hinds is December 5, 2025. Application details and materials are available on her official website at king-hinds.house.gov, and students or parents may also visit her district offices on Rota, Tinian, or Saipan for assistance.
