cadet blogs

Your Purpose For Being Here

(Choosing the Coast Guard Academy, Class of 2015) Permanent link All Posts

Wow! What a crazy month it has been. Classes started on August 22 and I have honestly never been so stressed out in my life. For some reason I wasn’t expecting school to be so overwhelming, but when you have school and thousands of other things to do it gets stressful, I mean REALLY stressful. Last weekend was Columbus Day weekend and we got a long. A “long” means that cadets can leave the Academy on Friday after their last class (for me its 1540) and we don’t have to be back until 1800(if you’re a 4/c) Monday night. It is a great de-stressor! I went to Boston with a few friends and we had a lot of fun. Mainly we just walked around and shopped a little, but most of all it was nice to be out of Chase Hall and wearing civilian clothes. Yes, that was the first time I had put on civilian clothes since June 27th.

Even though the Academy life is overwhelming, we always find a way to laugh. Whether it’s laughing about memories from Swab Summer or something funny that happen during the day, it’s always good to laugh. Some advice that my Company Commander gave my company at the beginning of the year that I think I should share it with you, is that every day you must never forget the reasons you came and the purpose for being here. These four years will seem like a small portion of your life when you look back as an officer and you have to try everyday to enjoy the moments here. The things you do here and the people you meet will have an effect on the rest of your life. If those reasons and purpose escape you, it will be hard to stay at the Academy.

It is now midterms and I cannot believe my first semester of college is half way over. I remember thinking about just making it to the next meal during Swab Summer and now I am thinking about going home for Thanksgiving. It is crazy how fast time flies. The thing that keeps me happy and moving forward here are my friends. You would never think that a couple hundred people from different backgrounds and experiences can get thrown together and call each other family within a few weeks. It’s a great support system and keeps you motivated.

More about Sara.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/17/2012 10:17 AM