More than a dozen Colorado high school students are heading to U.S. service academies thanks to a nomination from Representative Scott Tipton.  He says it’s an honor just to nominate these talented and deserving students.

The 19 students nominated each met and exceeded the requirements for their chosen academy and Tipton’s office.

For Leah Gates, a senior at Palisade High School, Air Force Academy is her dream school.

She wants to go into the military but doesn't want to enlist. Her parents are alumni there, which only adds to her passion for flight.  Leah’s goal is to be a pilot.

“I joined the Civil Air Patrol about two years ago,” Leah said. “They took me up in a little Cessna airplane and I had so much fun with that and I knew I wanted to fly.”

Leah, like all the other students nominated, got a call from their state representative giving them the good news.

Representative Tipton says they're all very impressive individuals.  He’s confident they will go on to achieve great things.

The nomination only gets Leah and the other students part of the way.   They still have to be accepted to the individual schools.