In late March, Eric and Deanna Victor, the parents of Jacob Victor, Linn Valley, read an article in the Linn County News regarding a program offered by the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and that was just the beginning.

"It was fast. The deadline to apply was April 15. I looked for other articles in papers from the area," said Deanna Victor, Jacob’s mother, "trying to find more information, but the Linn County News had the only one."