Salutations shipmate! A few months ago I never would have imagined that greeting coming from anyone, never mind coming from my first college roommate. I have been lucky enough however, to have two of the best roommates, and like every other friend I’ve made at the Academy, I am sure they are going to be lifelong buddies, supporters, and cheerleaders. Shipmates, as we call each other now, have been through what seems like a lifetime of training together - proof that Swab Summer really isn’t all bad, despite what you probably have heard. If for nothing else, I remember being motivated to finish an activity by the friends I made this summer, and I hope this drive, coupled with my personal reasons for attending the Academy will help me to become a successful officer.

I was born in New London, Connecticut, and have since lived in the same house in East Lyme, just a town over, my whole life. I now joke about being just exits down the highway from my high school, best friend’s house, my grandparents, but it has honestly been a blessing, rather than the curse I thought it might become. While the majority of the school year is focused on working hard, there is time to let loose and living close allows me, along with as many classmates as are able to fit into my grandparents or friends’ cars, to do so. It’s a very proud feeling to introduce future officers with such compelling backgrounds, as nationally ranked sailors or internally rooted men, to my family, and I am always amazed at how thrilled she is to host them.

Living close also had its privileges in my years prior to the Academy; as a high school Varsity sailor and rower I was able to train and compete on the Thames and I am happy to say that I still do today. Though I was familiar with the facilities and coaching staff before my acceptance, I have already grown to know the boathouse as an escape and second home to Chase. I am thrilled to begin rowing this fall season, again in the spring, and to add participation in the Tide Rips yearbook, Christian Bible Study, Girl Scouting, and Cadet Activity Council to the workload of my Naval Architecture major this academic year.