Coeur d’Alene senior Ryan Drappo appointed to Merchant Marine Academy

A Coeur d’Alene High School senior has landed one of the most selective appointments in the country. Ryan Drappo was one of just 230 students chosen for the United States Merchant Marine Academy from more than 1,800 applicants nationwide.

The appointment matters far beyond a single congratulations. Kings Point, the academy’s campus in New York, is a federal service academy that trains future leaders for the nation’s national security, marine transportation and economic needs. It is also a place where the pathway is tightly controlled: academy admissions materials say the Secretary of Transportation may appoint up to 50 qualified applicants each year, and principal appointees must respond by May 1.

Drappo’s route ran through Idaho’s congressional delegation. Sen. Jim Risch included Drappo among Idaho nominees in his Jan. 15 announcement of Class of 2030 service-academy nominations, describing the nominees as Idaho’s “best and brightest” and praising their leadership, academic promise and commitment to defending U.S. freedoms. The Coeur d’Alene Press later reported that Drappo also received nominations from Sen. Mike Crapo and Rep. Russ Fulcher, a sign of how competitive and coordinated the nomination process can be for families trying to navigate the academy pipeline.

For Kootenai County students hoping to follow the same path, the local lesson is not simply that Drappo was accepted. It is that appointment to a federal service academy starts long before the decision letter, with congressional nominations, federal screening and a limited number of slots. The academy’s Sea Year program then sends midshipmen aboard operating U.S.-flag merchant vessels during their sophomore and junior years, giving the classroom experience a direct link to life at sea.

The academy itself has deep roots in national service. Its official history says the United States Merchant Marine Academy was dedicated in 1943 and became a permanent facility in 1956. For Drappo, the appointment places a Coeur d’Alene senior into a rare national pipeline that connects Idaho to Kings Point and, eventually, to the country’s maritime and defense needs.