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Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Civil Engineering / Civil Engineering Featured Cadet: Marquise Stewart

Marquise Stewart

Baltimore, MD – Class of 2020 Major: Civil Engineering
Marquise knew that his liking for designing and capability of tackling complex problems would be utilized at the Coast Guard Academy as a Civil Engineering major. He knew that Civil Engineering was a tough major from hearing a lot about it from upperclassmen and teachers, but once he got some encouragement from his Statics teacher his 4/c year, he has been thriving ever since and plans to pursue a structural engineering career in the Coast Guard.

On travelling domestically and abroad

“The Civil Engineering major has offered me opportunities to travel, with future potential opportunities to travel abroad. From going to see the construction of an underground railroad system in New York City to seeing different wastewater and water treatment facilities in Groton and future chances to travel overseas for capstone studies, being able to see different places is one of the pros of being a civil engineer.”

On Civil Engineering coursework

“So, in the initial major-related classes of the Civil Engineering program, you will take courses such as Mechanics of Materials, Dynamics, and Statics. These classes help to explain the principles behind how some of the most modern complex buildings and structures are built today. Albeit these classes are not easy and tend to stress me out sometimes, they are incredibly interesting, and I cannot wait to go out into the world and apply the principles I learn in these classes.”

On applying knowledge from non-major classes

“While the major is Civil Engineering, some of the other classes taken outside of the major here also apply directly to civil engineering. I would say that this is one of the coolest things about being a civil engineer in the sense that you can use knowledge and techniques learned in other classes to enhance the learning that occurs within the Civil Engineering major. It is pretty rewarding to know that the time and effort spent into non-major-specific classes is not for nothing. For example, when I found myself using skills learned in Differential Equations in my Fluid Mechanics class, I felt better about struggling in Differential Equations at that time because it helped me to succeed in Fluid Mechanics. So don’t take any class for granted!”

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

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