I handled Congressional nominations for 23 years for two MOC. I was fortunate that both Members had great respect for the US Service Academies and took great pride in the young people seeking to achieve their goal of being a serving. We had great success in many time having multiple nominees receive offers of appointments. MOCs should pay serious attention to the youth in their district and put staffers in charge of their nomination program who are willing to learn the process, have good relationships with the Academies, attend and host Academy forums, and be committed to run a fair and competitive program. I was proud of the scores of students I watched over the years gain admission and still, after 30+ years have contact with some. I always believed that how an applicant looked on paper was important but we did interviews and those conversations showed commitment. Educational excellence is the brain; commitment is in the heart and gut.