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Post Graduate Fellows

The U. S. Coast Guard Academy offers many highly distinguished fellowships for graduate study and research at universities both at home and abroad.

These very competitive scholarships are funded by nonprofit foundations (such as the CGA Alumni Association) and the government to recognize the highest achieving undergraduates.

Recent Academy scholars include:

Aidan Uvanni

2022-2023 Fulbright Scholar
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Christine Groves

2022 Truman Scholar
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Selena Bantz

2021-2023 Fulbright-Tampere University Graduate Award – Finland (Electrical Engineering; 2-year award)

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Gregory Gaskel

2021-2023 Fulbright U.S. Student Award – Hungary (Applied Mathematics; 2-year award)

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Kristopher Thornburg

2021 Fulbright Arctic Initiative

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Owen Gibson

2020-2021 Fulbright Scholar

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Melissa McCafferty

2020 Tillman Scholar

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Erin Wright

2018 Fulbright Scholar

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Laura Beck

2018 Fulbright Scholar

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Patrick Ledzian

2017 Fulbright Scholar

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Chris DiBari

2017 Fulbright Scholar

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William Woityra

2017 Fulbright Scholar

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Jacquelyn Kubicko

2016 Fulbright Scholar

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Stephen Horvath

2015 Fulbright Scholar

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Jessica Lukasik

2014 Fulbright Scholar

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Joe DiRenzo

2012 Fulbright Scholar

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Past Recipients

2/c Allison Murray (Class of 2011) Kimsey 2010
1/c Joe DiRenzo IV (Class of 2010) Fulbright 2010
2/c Melissa McCafferty (Class of 2011) Truman 2010
1/c Alex LeKander (Class of 2010) Truman 2009
1/c Louise Mandour-Brackin (Class of 2009) Fulbright 2009
ENS Sean Dolbow (OCS Class 2009) Fulbright 2007
2/c DeCarol Davis (Class of 2008) Truman 2007
1/c Patrick Pennella (Class of 2007) Fulbright 2007
1/c Kirsten Ambors (Class of 2007) Fulbright 2007
LT Stephen Elliott (Class of 2005) Fulbright 2005
Dr. Robert Pefferly (Class of 1991) Fulbright 1996
CAPT Mike Christian (Class of 1986) Fulbright 1986
Mr. Peter Seaman (Class of 1986) Fulbright 1986
Mr. David Caron (Class of 1974) Fulbright 1974

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.