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Trinity Cafe

Local woman hopes to make faith-filled impact on national level

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Zephyrhills resident Michele Bowman, raised in the Catholic Church, has always embraced faith as her life’s foundation.

“Really, it has given me everything,’’ Bowman said.

Now, she has a rare opportunity to give back.

Bowman recently was elected as one of nine National Directors for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas (CDA), an organization that promotes spiritual growth, charitable giving, community service and sisterhood.

Zephyrhills resident Michele Bowman recently was elected as a National Director for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, becoming the fourth Floridian to reach that level in the organization’s 117-year history. (Courtesy of Michele Bowman)

In the CDA’s 117-year history, Bowman is the fourth National Director from Florida.

Bowman, who worships at St. Joseph Catholic Church, has been active as a charter member of the 43-woman Court Mother Teresa in Zephyrhills. The chapter is one of CDA’s 1,150 local chapters. She has held several CDA positions on the state and local level, but said she’s looking forward to making connections on the national level. She’s beginning a two-year term.

“It’s a big deal and quite an honor for Michele,’’ said Kathy Brady, a regent with Court Mother Teresa. “She will be able to give her opinion and be a liaison at the highest level of our organization. She will be hands-on with a lot of big issues, and it’s going to be a great experience.’’

Bowman grew up in North Tampa, where her home parish was St. Mary Catholic Church in the Lake Magdalene area.

During her initial time as a Zephyrhills resident, she attended Our Lady of the Rosary in Land O’ Lakes when it was a small church, then saw it grow exponentially as the area’s population increased.

For nearly three decades, she has called St. Joseph home. When she first heard about the formation of Court Mother Teresa, she joined immediately. It became an important factor in her spiritual maturation.

“It appealed to me to be around a group of Catholic women, to grow in faith, to be of service to the community,’’ said Bowman, who was elected by mail voting as part of the CDA’s 58th Biennial National Convention, which was scheduled for Dallas but held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was a great way to meet people in my parish. I thought the faith-based emphasis, plus the service and social aspects, were really nice,” Bowman said.

“But, it became more than I would have imagined. It has really extended my self-confidence in speaking to people and meeting new people. At one time, I could look around my church and hardly not know anyone. Now, I look around and I know so many people, their stories, their backgrounds. I will now get a chance to do that on a national level. I wasn’t super shy, but this sort of involvement has made me more outgoing.’’

It has also given Bowman ideas about growing an organization.

At Court Mother Teresa, the group has worked with Meals on Wheels and the Trinity Cafe. It has organized a Christmas Toy Drive for children of migrant workers. It has held yard sales and bunco games to raise money for charities.

Fundraising is good.

Charity is good.

But, Bowman wants to expand those concepts. The membership must grow. And, it needs a youth movement.

Court Mother Teresa is one of only seven courts in Florida.

“There should be more, I think, probably many more, but getting things going might be a little harder than it looks,’’ Bowman said. “I think as a national director, that’s part of my job, but it’s part of all of our jobs, really. You have to continually reach out to people, go to parishes, ask the priests if you can give a talk. You try to get the interest going.

“There are many benefits not only to the church community, but to the individuals as well. I would absolutely like to see us increase our membership, and I believe we must attract some younger women. It’s a problem when your membership starts to age out. We may have to change the way we approach things, and I’d like to have a voice in this because I believe it’s a big issue. We should be proactive.’’

As a national director, Bowman will have oversight of several states and interaction with the CDA’s big-picture issues.

But, she knows local involvement is the key to growth.

“I would tell people who want to join a court that it’s a great way to make lifelong meaningful friends with like-minded values,’’ Bowman said. “It’s a way to provide service to others. You become unified in your faith and it empowers you in a way where you know you can make a difference.

“We’re connected by our Catholic faith. By working together, we reach out to each other, encourage each other and enhance our own faith. It’s always nice to pray together. You see how someone professes their faith and strength, how they handle themselves. We are always stronger when we work together. That’s always what I want to encourage,” she said.

For more information on Court Mother Teresa, contact Brady at (813) 625-5556 or Bowman at (813) 838-3804. For more information on the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, log onto CatholicDaughters.org.

By Joey Johnston

Published September 02, 2020

Local man is named minority business person of the year

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Brian Butler was the only employee of his company — Vistra Communications — when he launched the business out of his home in Lutz in 2007.

It wasn’t exactly the best time to launch an ambitious plan.

The real estate market crashed and the nation’s economy cratered.

Brian Butler, president and CEO of Vistra Communications, pitches in during laundry day. Vistra provides ongoing support to the Laundry Project, which helps families in need through providing laundry services, converting coin laundries into community centers of hope. (Courtesy of Vistra Communications)

“I started my business in the toughest economy we’d seen in 30 years,” he recalled.

There were days when he considered giving up.

But then, as now, the business leader said anyone starting a new venture needs to stick with it.

“You can’t afford to give up,” said Butler, who is president and chief executive officer of his company. “There are opportunities out there. You’ve just got to have a plan.”

Vistra Communications now has about 70 employees with offices in Lutz, Tampa, Miami and Washington D.C.

And, on May 4, Butler will receive the 2018 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minority Business Person of the Year — for the state of Florida and the South Florida District.

He is one of nine recipients who will be honored at a luncheon during the 31st annual Government Small Business Conference at the Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore.

Butler began thinking like a business owner early on.

During his formative years, while growing up in Palm Beach County, he had newspaper routes — flinging newspapers onto lawns.

Even then, he flexed his organizational skills.

“I was business-oriented as an elementary school kid,” Butler said. “I hired two friends to fold, so I could deliver more newspapers.”

Brian Butler reads to children at Mort Elementary School. Butler serves as CEO Mentor for the Mort Elementary School principal through The Council for Educational Change.

He followed a straight path into a business career in marketing and communications.

After he graduated from high school, he attended Hampton University, a historically black college in Virginia that was founded in 1868 to give education to freed men.

He decided to attend the college after visiting a friend who was going to school there.

He knew immediately it was the place for him.

“The campus is just beautiful,” Butler said.

The opportunity to earn a college degree there “just resonated with me,” said Butler, who received a Bachelor of Science in marketing.

Butler received a three-year scholarship from the university’s R.O.T.C. program, and upon graduation was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He commanded combat troops in Kuwait during Desert Storm in 1990.

There were lessons learned from the military that translated to his values in running a company later.

“I’m focused on treating people right. And, I operate (my business) with values found in the community,” he said.

He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University and a master’s in national security strategy from the National War College.

He stepped back into civilian life in 1988 and spent a year at the Washington D.C., powerhouse public relations and communications firm Fleishman & Hillard International Communications.

He put his uniform back on after that, and served as spokesman and chief of communications for the U.S. Army secretary. He was on the staff and communications team for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

After 22 years of military service, he retired as a colonel in 2006.

However, retirement was more like a transition to a new beginning.

The next year, he founded Vistra Communications.

In the early days, Butler frequently worked with nonprofits.

Brian Butler spends some time with students at Mort Elementary School.

One of his first accounts was the private charter school, Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School. The school was founded by former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Derrick Brooks and former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, Jr.

Butler also won a contract with Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, providing communications and consulting services.

Vistra’s clients today include businesses in health care, information technology, transportation, airports, entertainment, sports, and local and federal government.

Over the years, Butler and Vistra have received many honors and awards.

Tampa Bay Business Journal ranked Vistra as the No. 1 public relations firm in 2016 and 2017. It was the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year in 2016, for 21-50 employees. Vistra also was singled out in 2016 as the SBA South Florida District Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year.

Last year, Vistra acquired Tampa-based Marketing Associates USA. The Tampa company is now a division of Vistra.

A shared interest in Trinity Café brought Butler together with Jeff Darrey, president of Marketing Associates.

Darrey founded Trinity Café, a nonprofit restaurant that feeds the homeless.

Butler believes that community service is a basic foundation of a successful business. To that end, he serves on several boards and committees, including Florida Hospital Tampa Foundation, Minority Enterprise Development Corporation, Mort Elementary School Cabinet and Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. He also is a founding member of USO (United Services Organization) Tampa Bay.

Butler is especially proud of the Laundry Project, an effort of the Florida nonprofit Current Initiatives.

Volunteers come to area coin laundries in Tampa Bay and pay for laundry fees, help with laundry services and create a community day.

“It’s part of my foundation and part of our company,” Butler said. “It’s exciting to make a difference right at home.”

Published May 2, 2018

There are plenty of ways to help this season

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If you would like to help someone else during the holidays, there are plenty of ways you can do that.

Here’s a look at some of the efforts underway that could use more support.

Donate a Bicycle
This effort, spearheaded by Caroline Contractors LLC, is seeking donations of money, bicycles or helmets. Those wishing to donate bicycles or helmets can drop them off at these locations:

  • Caroline Contractors LLC, 18039 U.S. 41, Suite B, Lutz, 33558
  • Hungry Harry’s Family BBQ, 3116 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes, 34639
  • The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, 2810 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes, 34639
Todd Caroline of Caroline Contractors LLC gets ready to deliver new bicycles during a Christmas Bicycle Drive. Caroline and his wife, Cindy, began giving new bikes to children from less fortunate families several years ago. (File Photo)
Todd Caroline of Caroline Contractors LLC gets ready to deliver new bicycles during a Christmas Bicycle Drive. Caroline and his wife, Cindy, began giving new bikes to children from less fortunate families several years ago.
(File Photo)

Bicycles must be dropped off by Dec. 10. If you can’t drop off your donation, Caroline Contractors will pick it up. If you don’t have time to shop, Caroline Contractors will be happy to take your cash donation and do the shopping for you. For more information, call (813) 931-4611.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tax collector helps Toys for Tots
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano is collecting Toys for Tots at the county’s five tax offices. The Toys for Tots program is run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve. It seeks new, unwrapped gifts for children and teenagers.  Bring your donations to these locations by Dec. 22.

  • West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive, Room 120, New Port Richey, 34654
  • Gulf Harbors Office, 4720 U.S. 19, New Port Richey, 34652
  • Central Pasco Government Center, 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. (U.S. 41), Land O’ Lakes, 34639
  • Wesley Chapel Office, 4610 Pet Lane, CIOI, Wesley Chapel, 33559
  • East Pasco Government Center, 14236 Sixth St., Room 100, Dade City, 33523

Home builder helps Toys for Tots
CalAtlantic Homes is hosting “The Great Toy Drive” for the Toys for Tots program. Participants can make a donation of a new, unwrapped toy to any CalAtlantic community through Dec. 11. For locations, visit CalAtlanticHomes.com.

Auto repair shop helps Toys for Tots
Ice Cold Air Discount Auto Repair is trading free oil changes and tire rotations, or $20 in auto repair services, for a new unwrapped toy to benefit Toys for Tots. To find a list of locations, visit IceColdAir.com.

Santa’s Tree
The San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union is partnering with local children’s charities to help make the holidays brighter for children. This year’s effort benefits the youth of the Thomas Promise Foundation.

Stop by any of the credit union’s offices in San Antonio, Dade City, Zephyrhills or Wesley Chapel to pick a gift tag from Santa’s Tree. Purchase the item listed. Return the gift tag and unwrapped gifts to the credit union by Dec. 16 before 6 p.m.

The credit union will do the wrapping and distribution, along with its partners at Thomas Promise.

Blanket Tampa Bay
New or “gently used” blankets are needed for Blanket Tampa Bay’s second annual Blanket Drive. The blankets will be passed out to Tampa’s homeless on Dec. 24 at the Trinity Café in downtown Tampa. For more information, call (813) 300-9277.

Published December 7, 2016

Kids share kindness, through cookies, around Tampa Bay

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Eleven-year-old Angel Rosas and her 6-year-old brother, Ronaldo engaged in a somewhat unusual project over the summer.

They baked 1,500 cookies and delivered them around the Tampa Bay area.

It was their way of spreading kindness, and unconditional love, to those they encountered.

Their mom, Christine, came up with the idea for the project.

Christine Rosas and her children, Rolando and Angel, dispensed kindness, unconditional love and 1,500 cookies across Tampa Bay this summer. Here, they are making a stop at Trinity Café, which feeds homeless people. (Photos courtesy of Christine Ross)
Christine Rosas and her children, Rolando and Angel, dispensed kindness, unconditional love and 1,500 cookies across Tampa Bay this summer. Here, they are making a stop at Trinity Café, which feeds homeless people.
(Photos courtesy of Christine Rosas)

But, the kids were involved in everything from coming up with a tagline, designing a graphic and shooting a YouTube video.

They called the project Kookies 4 Kindness.

They wore T-shirts emblazoned with the logo.

They created a label for the plastic bag holding the cookies. It read: “We baked these cookies with love. It it is our hope that you share the same unconditional love with at least one person. Love, Angel and Ronaldo Rosas.”

The kids also baked the cookies, made from store-bought dough, in the kitchen of their Seven Oaks home in Wesley Chapel.

That’s where they bagged them up, too.

Then, they made deliveries to Tarpon Springs, to the Waffle House in Wesley Chapel and to Ybor City and the fire station there.

They also visited two Trinity Cafés, the Dade City Police Station, The Well, Corpus Christi School, and recruiting stations for the Navy, Air Force and the Marines.

They dropped by a Hillary Clinton campaign office. They tried to visit a Donald Trump campaign office, but they couldn’t find it.

They gave cookies to all kinds of people. Some were young; others, old.

Some wore military uniforms; others, tank tops.

One wore a cowboy hat; another, a baseball cap.

They gave cookies to men, women and children. Some were white, others black, Hispanic or Asian.

As the kids approached people, some were friendly and readily accepted their offering.

Others were warier.

Some thought there was some sort of catch, Angel said.

She attributes their suspicion to the clipboard her mom was carrying around.

These cookies are ready to pack into plastic bags and deliver across Tampa Bay.
These cookies are ready to pack into plastic bags and deliver across Tampa Bay.

Christine had the clipboard because she wanted to get the email address for anyone wanting a link to the YouTube video they planned to post about the project.

Once the clipboard was kept out of sight, people dropped their guard, Angel said.

There were some that turned down the cookies, Angel said. “Some people said they had allergies,” she said.

“Some people thought they had to pay for them,” Angel added. “We said, ‘No. No. We’re just passing them out. Their faces just kind of lit up, and they said, ‘Oh, thanks.’”

While they didn’t come up with the project themselves, the kids had ideas about where they should go.

Rolando wanted to help the poor and to make a stop at Corpus Christi, where he’s in first grade.

Angel, a sixth-grader who attends the same school, wanted to be sure to deliver the chocolate chip cookies to people who serve in the military and work in law enforcement.

“To find police officers was tricky. They were all out,” Christine said. Finally, they just dropped off some cookies at the Dade City Police Department.

And, the department acknowledged the kindness by sending a thank you note.

Christine hopes that the project will leave an impression on her kids.

She knows, in some ways, it already has.

“After the first day we went out, she (Angel) said, ‘You know mom, the people with all of those tattoos and piercings — they’re softies.’”

The whole idea is to introduce some kindness into a world that obviously needs it, Christine said.

“We have traveled a lot. We’ve lived in Australia and Saudi Arabia. We just came back to the U.S., in January,” she said.

She didn’t realize how many places in public continually play the news, she said.

“They’re constantly seeing all of this violence on the news and on the TV, and it makes them fearful,” Christine said.

“I just feel that there’s so much noise going on with a lot of different situations. We don’t need to be treating each other this way.

“I wanted them to see and experience positivity,” she said.

See the YouTube video of two kids sharing 1,500 cookies to spread kindness in Tampa Bay at tinyurl.com/hmlbuhl.

Published August 31, 2016

Freedom student is going to West Point

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A Freedom High student recently received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point.

Dean LaGattuta received word that he’d been accepted into the prestigious service academy on Jan. 20. He accepted the appointment on Jan. 31.

Ironically, LaGattuta, 18, was visiting the West Point, New York campus when he received the good news.

Freedom High senior Dean LaGattuta received his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy on Jan. 20. He accepted his appointment on Jan. 31. (Courtesy of Dean LaGattuta)
Freedom High senior Dean LaGattuta received his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy on Jan. 20. He accepted his appointment on Jan. 31.
(Courtesy of Dean LaGattuta)

“It was just complete disbelief. I really couldn’t believe that I found out while at West Point,” the high school senior said. “It was just a dream come true that I was appointed.”

LaGattuta will report to West Point on June 27, shortly before his birthday.

“I’ll be spending my nineteenth birthday getting my head shaved,” he said, with a chuckle.

LaGattuta also applied to the U.S. Naval Academy, but has yet to hear back about his appointment status.

However, he has always viewed the U.S. Military Academy as his top choice for post-secondary education.

“Just hearing from West Point so early, and then speaking with my admissions major, he’s the one that really sold me on West Point—that they really wanted me—and that’s what really encouraged me to go there,” LaGattuta explained.

The ambience of the campus and its rich history were two aspects that stood out to LaGattuta, as he was weighing his college options, which also included the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, George Washington University and Georgetown University.

“I love the seclusion of the area. I love being by the Hudson River. It’s just an incredibly beautiful campus, surrounded by rolling hills—something we don’t have here (in Tampa),” he said.

“I was always a history buff, and it’s all the same architecture as it was 200 years ago. Even the new buildings they’re constructing—they’re matching the architecture to the previous buildings. I just love that feel that you’re not just in history, but you’re also becoming part of history,” he said.

To be considered for the service academy, LaGattuta underwent an application process that seeks to identify candidates who demonstrate leadership skills, have strong moral character, excel in academics and can surpass the required physical fitness standards.

In December, he was one of 14 students nominated for appointment to a United States service academy from the 15th Congressional District by U.S. Rep. Dennis A. Ross.

Eight Tampa area students were nominated, along with four from Valrico and two from Lakeland.

Appointments by service academies are usually made between January and April, and sometimes as late as May, according to Gary Clark, chairman of the District 15 Nomination Board.

Clark said a U.S. service academy (Military, Naval, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and Air Force) typically accepts only between 1,000 to 1,200 applicants out of the 17,000-plus that are sent in from across the country.

Last year, the District 15 Nomination Board nominated 12 students. Seven received appointments.

A 2014 study by the U.S. News and World Report found the U.S. Military Academy to have a 9.5 percent acceptance rate — the fifteenth most selective among all colleges and universities in the United States.

Knowing that his college years will be spent at the U.S. Military Academy is a weight off of LaGattuta’s shoulders.

“I still have to focus on my (high school) grades, but having that uncertainty of where I’m going to be in the coming months gone, I’m so relieved. It’s just really a blessing,” he said.

The appointment means LaGattuta is obligated to spend at least 10 years in the military, including four years at the Academy and six years on active duty.

“This is really going to be the start of a long journey, and I hope for a long career,” he said. “I definitely see myself surpassing the required amount of years of service, and I’m really looking forward to the years ahead.”

While keeping his career options open, LaGattuta is intrigued by some professions within the military.

“Right now, I’m interested in doing…Army Intelligence or something with cybersecurity, because it’s such a growing necessity, especially in an increasingly technological world in warfare,” the high school senior said.

For now, LaGattuta will be busy for the rest of the school year and over the summer.

He’s currently on the Freedom High varsity tennis team, and is serving as chairman of Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn’s Youth Leadership Council.

Over the summer, he’ll teach leadership classes at the council, serve meals to the homeless at the Trinity Café and work with underprivileged children at A Brighter Community, the oldest nonprofit preschool in Hillsborough County,

He’s also aware that he needs to take advantage of the time he can now spend with family and friends.

“For the next four years, there’s going to be a limited amount of time that I can see my family and friends once I go up (to West Point),” he said.

Published March 9, 2016

Student is military academy nominee

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Dean LaGattuta’s interest in attending a U.S. Service Academy first piqued when he was an adolescent and he learned his grandfathers, on both sides of his family, served in the Navy.

His interest in joining the service deepened through watching programs on the Military Channel and History Channel.

“The family legacy and then getting into military history really sparked my interest in serving in the military,” said LaGattuta, a senior at Freedom High School.

Dean LaGattuta poses for a photo with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn while volunteering for the 2015 Tampa Bay Heart Walk. (Photos courtesy of Dean LaGattuta)
Dean LaGattuta poses for a photo with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn while volunteering for the 2015 Tampa Bay Heart Walk.
(Photos courtesy of Dean LaGattuta)

LaGattuta is one of 14 students nominated for appointment to a United States service academy from the 15th Congressional District by U.S. Rep. Dennis A. Ross. He was nominated for both the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy,

Eight other Tampa area students were nominated, along with six from Valrico and two from Lakeland.

“It is one of the highest honors I have as a member of Congress to assist deserving constituents in seeking appointment to a U.S. service academy,” Ross said in a news release.

If students who’ve been nominated receive an appointment from one of the five U.S. service academies (Military, Naval, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and Air Force), they have a 10-year obligation to the service, including the four years in whichever academy they attend and six years of active duty.

“We’re looking for young people who are committed to being military officers,” said Gary Clark, chairman of the District 15 Nomination Board. “We’re looking at that from a standpoint of being an ‘officer for life,’ whether they want to serve a career and retire, or if they just want to serve in the reserves or the guard.”

Dedicating at least 10 years of his life to the military wouldn’t be an issue for LaGattuta, who sees himself working in public service for a long time.

“The military academies offer an incredible opportunity to not only serve my country, but give back, too, through the opportunities that I’ve been lucky enough to have, because I was born in such a great country,” said LaGattuta, who is expected to hear about whether or not he’ll be appointed in the next few months. “Also, it helps me develop my leadership skills and potential, and further my love for service.”

To even be considered for a nomination from Ross, LaGattuta and the other students underwent an arduous, in-depth application process.

“You have to get specific teachers from your school to fill out certain forms and get recommendations from them,” LaGattuta said. “You have your cadet’s fitness assessment. For the U.S. Military Academy, I had three essays of 500 words, and for the Naval Academy I had one essay.

Dean LaGattuta, wearing No. 25, competes in a soccer game against Wharton High School.
Dean LaGattuta, wearing No. 25, competes in a soccer game against Wharton High School.

“It’s just incredible how lengthy the process is,” he added. “But, it’s well worth it, and I understand why they do it. They want to make sure the people who are appointed really want to be there.”

For those seeking a congressional nomination, the application process tries to identify candidates that demonstrate leadership skills, have a strong moral character, excel in academics and can surpass the required physical fitness standards.

“Somewhere in the neighborhood of three out of every four young people cannot qualify for military service because of physical capabilities, because of criminal records and being unable to pass the academic or aptitude standards,” Clark said. “So, we’re talking about a small subset within a smaller subset.”

Clark added, the nomination board reviews about 50 applications, narrowing the candidates down before conducting interviews and then making nominations.

Appointments by service academies are usually made between January and April, and sometimes as late as May, Clark said.

The odds of receiving an appointment based on a nomination are still relatively low, Clark said. Each service academy accepts between 1,000 and 1,200 applicants out of the 17,000-plus that are sent in from across the country.

“Last year, we nominated 12 (students), and we got 7 appointments.” Clark said. “So, if we can hit 50 percent, we feel pretty good that we’ve made some pretty good selections.

“The academies get the final say, which is why we try to put forward the very best (candidates) that we have to offer.”

LaGattuta appears to fit the bill as a desirable candidate, balancing academics, athletics and community service.

In addition to being a captain of both Freedom High’s varsity tennis and soccer teams, LaGattuta also serves as chairman of Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn’s Youth Leadership Council, where his experience allowed him to be more informed about the probing issues within the Tampa community.

As part of the youth council, LaGattuta served meals to the homeless at the Trinity Café and also worked with underprivileged children at A Brighter Community, the oldest nonprofit preschool in Hillsborough County.

“It really grew and developed my passion for public service,” said LaGattuta, who’s surpassed 300 community service hours. “I love giving back to my community, and I think the most gratifying feeling a person can have is seeing they made a difference in someone else’s life, no matter how small it may be.

“And, all of these experiences have helped me build my application, build my file to hopefully make me a pretty good candidate (for appointment).”

Students not chosen for appointment by any of the five service academies could spend a year in college and reapply the following year, Clark noted. For some, it may serve as a blessing in disguise in terms of maturing enough to take on the rigors of service.

“That can go a long way towards developing their leadership and self-discipline, and things like that,” Clark said.

While the future of earning an appointment is still uncertain for LaGattuta at this point, the prospect of serving in the military is “all I see doing right now.”

“If I’m lucky enough to be appointed, I see myself making a career out of the military academy and public service, and serving my country,” he said.

Published December 30, 2015