As long as she could remember, Little Silver resident Christina Betancourt has always loved the ocean, ships and maps. Also gifted with an uncanny sense of direction she decided one great way to combine her passions and skill was to attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). The application process was rigorous, and Christina was able to obtain multiple sponsorships from U.S. Congressman Rush Holt and Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg. Her high grades, SAT scores and well-rounded high school record at Red Bank Regional High School (she played violin and volleyball and was a member of the Tri-M Music and Spanish National Honor Societies) enabled Christina Betancourt to become one of an elite group of plebes enrolling in the Merchant Marine Academy in the fall at Kings Point, NY. (Freshmen are known as plebes while all students are called midshipmen in service academy parlance.) According to the College Board, The USMMA has an acceptance rate of only 26%. It also maintains a very small enrollment as compared to other educational institutions, with fewer than 1000 total undergraduates. As with the other service academies, enrollees receive a 100% scholarship for attending.