Abigail Cayton comes from a military family and is following in her father’s footsteps after graduating from Atascocita High School.
Cayton is attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy to study marine engineering and shipyard management before joining the Coast Guard like her father as a Coast Guard Marine Engineer.
Cayton, who decided to apply last summer, said it was a long but rewarding process to get into the Merchant Marine Academy.
“Stay on top of your application and stay focused in school,” Cayton said about her advice to others who want to pursue a military academy path.
The process to apply begins with sending in school academic information, SAT/ACT scores and then contact information for an academic evaluator, usually a guidance counselor, three teacher evaluators, who are from English, math and science, and a candidate fitness assessment evaluator, typically a JROTC instructor or a physical education teacher. Applicants are also asked to include all of their extracurricular activities on their application, along with a resume. Finally, they must submit an essay.
Once the application is submitted, an applicant must also receive a nomination from a United States House of Representative or Senator. Applicants also must complete a Candidate Fitness Assessment and a medical exam as well.
Outside of school, Cayton enjoys swimming, running and working out.