Today New York First Congressional District Representative Nick LaLota (R-Suffolk County), a Navy Veteran and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, gave remarks at a ceremony for the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) units at Southold, Greenport, and Mattituck-Cutchogue High Schools. During the remarks, LaLota surprised five cadent-students by informing them they had each earned a nomination to one of the U.S. Service Academies.
“As a proud graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, one of my most cherished parts about serving in Congress has been to meet so many students who set the goal of attending our nation’s service academies. It was truly an honor to inform these deserving students of their nominations in front of their family, friends, teachers, and classmates,” said LaLota. “All of these NJROTC students have dedicated countless hours to bettering themselves and our community. I wish them the best in their future endeavors, I know they will make us all proud.”
Background:
The Southold/Mattituck/Greenport NJROTC students who received service academy nominations from LaLota this year include:
- Jackson Frend, Mattituck-Cutchogue, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- Sofia Gillan, Southold, U.S. Air Force Academy
- Nathaniel Stevenson, Greenport, U.S. Air Force Academy
- Grace Zehil, Southold, U.S. Naval Academy
- Tristan Zugmeyer, Southold, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
The NJROTC program is conducted at accredited secondary schools throughout the nation, by instructors who are retired Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel. The NJROTC curriculum emphasizes citizenship and leadership development, as well as our maritime heritage, the significance of sea power, and naval topics such as the fundamentals of naval operations, seamanship, navigation, and meteorology.
The NJROTC mission is to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment. This year, there are 220 students participating in the NJROTC program between Southold, Greenport, and Mattituck-Cutchogue, out of a total of 840 between the three high schools.
