Armstrong announces service academy nominations

Nov. 12—GRAND FORKS — U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., has nominated a current Grand Forks Central High School student and a 2023 graduate for appointment to U.S. service academies, according to an announcement from his office.

Nicolas Armendariz-Lotito, a 2023 graduate of Grand Forks Central High School, has been nominated for admission to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is attending the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School in Colorado Springs.

A member of the National Honors Society, Armendariz-Lotito was involved in high school extracurricular activities including wrestling, football, track and field, and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. He also holds black belts in karate and kickboxing.

Ryaan Alshami, a senior at Grand Forks Central High School, has been nominated for admission to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Also a member of the National Honors Society, Alshami is involved in high school extracurricular activities including soccer and track and field, and is captain of the school's swim team. He served as a volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program, the Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's, and the United Way Foundation.

Kelly has also nominated Marc Steinberg of Fargo to admission to the U.S.Military Academy at West Point in New York. Steinberg, a senior at the Liberty University Online Academy, is a member of the Fargo South Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, where he serves as squadron support officer.

"Nicolas, Ryaan and Marc have answered the call to serve our country. I'm proud to nominate them to the service academies," Armstrong said in a news release. "As their journey to become future leaders of our armed services begins, I join their family, friends, neighbors, and all North Dakotans in thanking them and wishing them the best."

All the service academies, except for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, requires a nomination from their U.S. representative, one of their U.S. senators, or the vice president of the United States to attend. Each academy admission board will determine final appointments.