Rep. Scholten's Oct. 5 update: service academy nominations due Oct. 30, spring internships due Nov. 2

U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), who represents Michigan's 3rd Congressional District (Grand Rapids and Muskegon areas), sent her weekly "Monday Minute" newsletter on Oct. 5, 2026. Here are the parts with dates and things residents can act on.

Service academy nominations: applications for a congressional nomination to the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy are open for the Class of 2031. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. The Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination. The application packet and eligibility rules are on the office's Service Academy Nominations page.

Spring internships: the office is taking applications for Spring 2027 internships in Washington, D.C., and the Grand Rapids district office. Applications are due Monday, Nov. 2, and the newsletter says spots are limited. The office's internship page says to send a resume, cover letter, and two references as one PDF.

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Congressional Award: young people ages 14 to 24 can earn the Congressional Award for goals in volunteer service, physical fitness, personal development, and exploration. Yes, that camping trip you were going to take anyway might count.

Help with a federal agency: the office says its casework staff closed 131 constituent cases last week involving agencies such as Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits, and the IRS. Residents of the district who are stuck with a federal agency can request help at scholten.house.gov/help or by calling the Grand Rapids office at 616-451-8383.

Also in the newsletter: the House is in recess this week with no votes scheduled. Scholten highlighted $850,000 in federal funding she secured for the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's new Hub for Latino Economic Advancement and Talent Development, which held its grand opening, and $850,000 for Muskegon Community College's new Student Success Center. She also listed visits with the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute summit, SECOM on Grand Rapids' Southeast Side, the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, and West Michigan school superintendents.

Coming up locally, per news coverage linked in the newsletter: East Grand Rapids' annual Harvest Festival returns to Gaslight Village on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Sources: Rep. Hillary Scholten, "Monday Minute," Oct. 5, 2026 (web version): https://scholtenforms.house.gov/news/email/show.aspx?ID=LXMUPQWIJR5TM ; Service Academy Nominations: https://scholten.house.gov/service-academy ; Internships: https://scholten.house.gov/services/internships ; Congressional Award: https://scholten.house.gov/congressional-award ; Help with a Federal Agency: https://scholten.house.gov/help

Photo: "City on The River," the Grand Rapids skyline and Blue Bridge over the Grand River at night, by Russell Sekeet, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.