Washington, D.C.— Congresswoman Aumua Amata, sent out her heartfelt congratulations to two American Samoan students who were offered fully qualified offers of appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Her office was notified on Tuesday by the Naval Academy.

“I am very proud of Mr. Hyun-Duck Oh and Miss Kalala Jennings for this outstanding achievement. It is extremely tough to get into any of the five service academies and only the cream of the crop are offered the opportunity” said Amata. “Their acceptance into the United States Naval Academy is a testament to their hard work, the support of their parents and their teachers,” she concluded.

Mr. Oh and Ms. Jennings were both nominated to the academy by the Congresswoman and they will be graduating from the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island later this week. 

This summer, they will enter the U.S. Naval Academy and begin their four-year journey to become officers in the United States Navy. After successfully completing four years of school, they will graduate with Bachelor of Science degrees and commissions as ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. 

The Naval Academy is a fully funded federal academy; all students are on full scholarships and in return, they will serve in the Navy for at least five years of active duty following graduation.

Kalala Jennings is the daughter of Philo and Epenesa Jennings. She was the valedictorian for the class of 2016 of Fagaitua High School. 

Hyun-Duck Oh is the son of Shi-Yeong Oh and his wife Jin Sook Lee and is a 2016 graduate of South Pacific Academy. 

“Kalala and Hyun have made all of American Samoa very proud and I wish them well as they begin this tough journey. I also want to thank their parents, teachers and their community for the outstanding job that they did in raising and molding these two young people to be successful,” concluded Amata.