cadet blogs

AIM Opened My Eyes

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

I am really excited to be writing for the cadet journal since just one year ago I was reading the journal entries myself, recognizing a cadet from my AIM summer experience and realizing that these are real cadets telling real stories.

I actually applied and was accepted into the Air Force, Naval and Coast Guard Academies, and had the privilege of attending all three summer programs before my senior year of high school. I applied to Coast Guard on a whim; my mom said it was a good idea. I was diehard Navy, having grown up near Annapolis, but AIM opened my eyes to the Coast Guard and I was immediately hooked. The missions, lifestyle and community that the Coast Guard presents are difficult to disregard – the smaller corps, the humanitarian missions, the opportunities for flight school and family-friendly careers that the Coast Guard provides. Eventually the letter came and finally a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I had done it; everything I had been striving for since 2nd grade (when I visited the USS Klakring named after a relative), acceptance into a military Academy, had come true, but this was just the beginning.

My initial advice to you: use the web site to its fullest extent, it is extremely helpful. Take a virtual tour, read alumni stories and learn about the Coast Guard itself. This is a great place to go to school, but it is extremely tough, and without the goal in mind – the commissioning as a Coast Guard officer – it could prove hard to keep it all in perspective. Watch videos, read Coast Guard news, and become acclimated with the community in which you are attempting to immerse yourself because if you are like me, it will only make you more motivated and excited about starting this once-in-a-lifetime experience in which few people get to take part.

More about Mick.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/10/2012 12:20 PM