An Iowa Mennonite School student has been nominated by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) to be considered for appointment to a U.S. service academy.

Payton Hart of Riverside has been nominated for appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Hart says she wants to become an epidemiologist for the U.S. Army, “Working as an epidemiologist for the army I would hope to work at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) which is outside of [Washington] D.C. At USAMRIID they do research on level four biocontainment viruses such as ebola and zika as well as flu. And teams are dispatched from there to work with academics along with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).”

Hart is one of 44 Iowa students nominated for service academies. She said she is thrilled about the nomination. The U.S. service academies will send appointment offers in March.