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NNOA and ANSO Conference

(The Cadet Experience, Class of 2012) Permanent link All Posts

During the summer, I volunteered to attend the first annual National Naval Officers Association/Association of Naval Services Officers (NNOA/ANSO) Joint Conference in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is true that my generation is different and less racially oriented, but it is also irresponsible to claim that the issue of racial and ethnic discrimination is completely solved. Furthermore, the word diversity haunts cadets because it is associated with trainings that cadets feel they do not need, because they argue “I am not racist!”

Yet, what I learned at the conference is that diversity is much more than having people of different races, ethnicities, and genders. Diversity can be anything that makes someone a unique contributor to a group – experiences, hometown, family structure, values, religion, organizational participation, etc. I learned that in no way does the USCGA recruit and accept students based on race, ethnicity, and gender. There are no quotas to fill. Rather, recruiting in an effort to encourage diversity is accomplished by visiting those areas never visited before, both inland and coastal. Already the corps of cadets is become more diverse and saturated with people with many different cultures and experiences.

The best part of the trip was meeting with Admiral Papp (Commandant of the Coast Guard) several times that week and having personal conversations with him, as well as with many other admirals, captains, and officers. It was an amazing experience not only in diversity, but in my development of professionalism and communication skills.

More about George.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/10/2012 3:44 PM