Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Marine and Environmental Sciences / MES Featured Graduate: Alex Kloo

Alex Kloo

Class of 2015 Major: Marine and Environmental Sciences Current Assignment: Sector New York Command Center

On the Marine and Environmental Sciences degree

Every part of the MES major has a direct operational linkage. Physical oceanography is essential for locating distressed vessels during search and rescue cases. The chemistry knowledge you gain is directly applicable to the Coast Guard’s pollution response mission. The understanding of fisheries ecology is important for comprehending the larger picture of our domestic and international fisheries enforcement responsibilities. The MES major is extremely relevant to anyone interested in the Response or Afloat career fields.

On how the major informed your decision on your Coast Guard career

I had always wanted to work in a pollution response role, but while at CGA I learned about all of the other missions that the Coast Guard does on a daily basis. I wanted my degree to help make me a more proficient officer. This cemented my decision to focus my career toward Response.

On making the connection between your current assignment and your major

I wanted to be able to use the skills and knowledge I developed in my major to be relevant to my daily job in the Coast Guard. I can’t think of another major offered at CGA that is as relevant to daily Coast Guard operations as MES. As a Command Duty Officer at Sector New York, we deal with almost every mission in the Coast Guard, and I still use what I learned in the MES major every day.

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.