The purpose of today’s blog post is going to be about the mentors I have met here at the Coast Guard Academy. I didn’t fully realize until this year how crucial it is to have great role models to look up to, but I believe the mentors you meet along the way at the CGA are some of the most critical influences in our journey as cadets.
In regard to my own personal mentors, I have some mentors that I have met through created programs here and some I have met on my own. Earlier this year, I signed up to be part of the cadet mentoring program where you are paired with a civilian or military mentor from the Academy community. I got lucky enough to be partnered with a woman from the Institute for Leadership that had gone through the Academy and was part of the same singing group that I am part of today. Our biweekly meetings have enabled us both to foster a strong mentor-mentee relationship, and the advice I receive from her about leadership, school, personal life, and more are incredibly helpful. After every discussion I have with her, I leave feeling less stressed and more ready for what is to come in my future in the Coast Guard. The mentors I have met through the Link in the Chain Program as well always offer words of wisdom and a huge amount of knowledge about the Coast Guard and leadership as an officer.
I have other mentors that have not been assigned through a program but that have developed over my time here. Various singing directors, teachers, and academy faculty and staff are always there to offer a helping hand, a listening ear, or advice for when I’m struggling with a decision. All of these people have helped me to grow into, I believe, a better leader. Their positive example encourages me to be that listener for someone else, such as an underclass within my department or a peer. Overall, I don’t know how I would make it through the challenges of this school without the amazing people I have witnessed setting the example for me every day.
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