Three Female Students at HCVSD Gain Military Academy Acceptances

FLEMINGTON, N.J. – Hunterdon County Vocational School District (HCVSD) is celebrating the early acceptances of three of its top female students to United States Military Academies. With these acceptances, these young women, students at HCVSD’s Biomedical Sciences Academy (BSA) and Computer Science and Applied Engineering Academy (CSAEA), have been identified among the top high school seniors in the country.

Audrey Bors, a BSA senior, has received a Congressional nomination to the United States Naval Academy and now awaits official acceptance. CSAEA seniors Alexis Colasurdo and Gillian Cascio both have been accepted to the United States Coast Guard Academy. Alexis also received a Congressional nomination to the United States Air Force Academy and awaits official acceptance.

Tanya Nalesnik, HCVSD’s Director of Grant Management, Admissions & Security and Supervisor of the Bartles Campus, is a retired military officer with 25 years of experience with the United States Coast Guard. She said the Congressional nomination process for this country’s military academies is fiercely competitive, especially in the state of New Jersey. According to Nalesnik, there are hundreds of applicants in each Congressional district seeking a handful of nominations allotted to each representative.

“Audrey and Alexis were among those successful in obtaining a Congressional nomination for their respective academies against a pool of highly qualified applicants,” said Nalesnik. “Both of them should be proud as they are now among an elite group of highly qualified applicants who not only demonstrated academic achievement, but also leadership skills, physical aptitude and extra-curricular accomplishment. Their strength of character and unending motivation will serve as core values in guiding them through their academic and professional journeys while representing the United States of America’s next generation of leaders.”

Also, as a former college admissions officer, Nalesnik said having three students considered for the country's top military academies not only is impressive, but speaks to the quality of the HCVSD programs' curriculum and instruction.

Bors, the daughter of Jeaneen and Steven Bors and a resident of Bethlehem, hopes to serve as a Navy officer commissioned into the medical corps with a focus on trauma/emergency medicine. She believes the BSA has provided not just outstanding academics and a devoted faculty and staff, but opportunities for personal growth. She explained, “I have learned the value of failures and how they are the steppingstones to success, to challenge myself to go one step further, and how to work together collaboratively on topics that I am truly passionate about. BSA has given me the opportunity to succeed, and I intend to make the most of it.”

During the summer of 2020, Colasurdo and Cascio both participated – virtually – in the United States Coast Guard Academy’s AIM (Academy Introduction Mission) Program to gain a better understanding of expectations for the USCGA.

A Milford resident, Colasurdo is the daughter of Chris and Jennifer Colasurdo. She is interested in the Coast Guard Academy because of its small classes, new cyber systems major, military ethics and real-world educational opportunities. She plans to major in cyber systems to become a cyber operations or intelligence officer in the Coast Guard.

Colasurdo said, “The collegiate-level curriculum and independent projects at CSAEA have prepared me for the rigor at a service academy.” Her mother, Jennifer Colasurdo, agreed, noting, “I believe Alexis’s exposure to a diverse group of hard-working individuals passionate about the field of computer science is what has prepared my daughter for college and encouraged her to challenge herself every day. I am very proud of my daughter and cannot wait to see her succeed in the military academy of her choice.”

The daughter of Leigh Anne and Larry Cascio, Gillian Cascio lives in Kingwood and wants to attend the Coast Guard Academy to be “part of an environment where hard work, dedication and passion are what drive everyone around me.” She also plans on studying cyber systems and believes CSAEA has provided opportunities to test her knowledge and to learn how to persevere when the tasks have become difficult. “The [CSAEA] has shaped me into a more focused, hard-working individual, and has given me the discipline necessary to be successful in a military setting.”

Cascio’s parents said the CSAEA has helped their daughter learn how to handle the fast pace and rigor of this caliber of class, beginning her freshman year. They think it “quickly sharpened her time management skills through self-discipline.”

“We are proud not only of these young women’s collegiate achievements, but of their career aspirations to serve as future leaders of our country,” said HCVSD Superintendent Dr. Todd Bonsall. “Their success is the result of a collaborative effort including the strength of career and technical education through our district’s Academy model and the selfless dedication of our past and present staff including administrator, Tanya Nalesnik, who volunteered her time, evenings, weekends, and even vacation time, to meet with students and assist them in pursuing their collegiate and career goals.”

The district’s Academy model was established in 2015, and blends career exploration with high-level academics through an evolving curriculum. Bonsall emphasized, "In the few years this model has been implemented in our county, the curriculum has adapted to industry demands, demonstrating HCVSD’s commitment to academic excellence and in preparing strong STEM students to gain Congressional nominations and acceptance to our country’s top STEM colleges. As Mrs. Nalesnik notes, less than 30 years ago, there were less than 8% of women represented in the branch of military she joined, which is telling of the achievement of these young ladies from one school district.”

Hunterdon County Vocational School District offers three full-time, science-based Academies: the Biomedical Sciences Academy (BSA), the Computer Science and Applied Engineering Academy (CSAEA) and the Environmental Sustainability and Engineering Academy (ESEA). The district’s largest school is Hunterdon County Polytech Career and Technical School, a shared-time high school that prepares students for a seamless transition to college and career paths. HCVSD also operates an Adult & Continuing Education school. Learn more at www.hcvsd.org.

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All pupils will be given equal opportunity for enrollment in programs operated by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender, religion, disability, or socioeconomic status (34 C.F.R. Part 100, Appendix B, Section IV-A). No qualified handicapped person shall, on the basis of handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity which receives federal financial assistance, et seq (34 C.F.R. Part 104.4(a)(b).