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Sing It Rascal Flatts!

(Choosing the Coast Guard Academy, Class of 2012) Permanent link All Posts

"I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow, And each road leads you where you want to go, And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you…"

That’s from the Rascal Flatts song "My Wish." I know it’s getting to be that time when all the high school seniors are choosing where they’re going to go and making other decisions that will affect the rest of their life. I remember driving home from work one night during my senior year and hearing that Rascal Flatts song on the radio. I know it may sound cliché, but when I heard it, things pretty much just clicked in my head. I had been on the fence for awhile about going to the Naval Academy or the Coast Guard Academy. Throughout the application process I had my hopes set on the Naval Academy. When I got accepted to both schools, however, there was something that held me back from signing on the Navy’s dotted line immediately. I felt like there was something missing.

I decided to come to the Coast Guard Academy for several different reasons. Probably the most important reason was because of its humanitarian and security-focused missions. I know the schools are important, but I tried to focus more on the career afterward. College is only four years, but your career can be anywhere from five to twenty years or even more. I thought about the jobs I would have after graduation, and the leadership opportunities each service had to offer. Obviously, in the end I chose the Coast Guard. I’m really glad with that decision, and I think it’s because I chose the thing that means the most to me: having the opportunity to save lives and defend our country. Not that the Navy doesn’t do these things, I just like the Coast Guard’s methods better.

Good luck to all the seniors and people making difficult life decisions in the next few months. Ask around, do your homework, but most importantly, figure out what’s most important to you.

More about Katie.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/8/2012 3:20 PM