cadet blogs

National Conferences and Government Travel

(Academics, Extracurricular Activities and Faith-Based Involvement, Class of 2012) Permanent link All Posts

Last month, I was given the unique opportunities to travel to another military academy and a fellow service academy. The amount of work required to stay ahead in my classes while missing numerous lectures, hours of project work time, and an exam was far outweighed by the incredible travelling, learning experience, and Coast Guard representation I was able to accomplish during the two conferences. First, I spent two days at the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, in Charleston. The conference was entitled Principled Leadership, which in essence means learning to effectively lead others while maintaining your core values. The Coast Guard’s Core Values, which every cadet learns to live by during their time at the Academy, are Honor, Respect, and Devotion to Duty. No matter what the situation entails, these Core Values are never flexible and are not up for debate. My time at the Citadel was eventful and full of beautiful Charleston weather. I expanded my repertoire of leadership techniques as I prepare for my cadre experience this summer. Also, I met a variety of Citadel students entering all branches of the service, Army ROTC cadets from southern schools, other service academy cadets, and even civilian students from select southern universities.

Next, I was fortunate enough to travel with my Academic Advisor, CDR Singleterry, the United States Military Academy at West Point. This conference’s topic was Negotiation, particularly in tactical or combat situations when stress is high, tempers may be flaring, and two parties need to reach a sustainable agreement. Once again, the two days were jam-packed full of panel question and answer sessions with junior U.S. Army officers recently returned from the Middle East; group discussions and presentations; and expert speakers. In addition, I had the opportunity to interact with cadets from all five U.S. armed forces and the Canadian Forces (Royal Military College of Canada). Attending a U.S. service academy and particularly Coast Guard, because of its small size, offers cadets once-in-a-lifetime experiences, which other civilian students would simply not have available.

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Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/2/2012 3:39 PM