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Home / Admissions / Admissions Officers / LTJG Joshua Williams

LTJG Joshua Williams

ENS Joshua WilliamsHello! My name is Joshua Williams, and I am the Midwest Regional Admissions Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. I am excited to work with you through the application process and help you become your best self.

Growing up with my father in the Army, we moved around the country before settling in Vermont. When it came time to choose colleges, I decided to look at the service academies given my family’s military background. Ultimately, I chose the Coast Guard because I felt it the best fit given the Coast Guard’s humanitarian focus, and the broad range of missions we cover. Looking back, I am glad I decided on the Coast Guard Academy for the friendships I have formed, the things I have been able to do that I would have never otherwise done and the strong foundation I have set up for my future, both professionally and financially.

After graduating in 2022, I reported aboard the CGC SPAR, a 225-foot sea going buoy tender based out of Duluth Minnesota. We worked to maintain the aids to navigations (buoys) in Lake Superior and the Northern portions of Lakes Michigan and Huron. This included making sure buoys were on station, properly painted and marked, and replacing the chain periodically as it wears down. During the fall and spring, we would also swap out buoys from larger, more visible ones for summer and more compact ones that can survive the icefields in winter. During the winter, we were also responsible for breaking ice, primarily in Duluth and Superior harbor but ready to be called elsewhere. Onboard, my primary responsibility underway was to be a deck watch officer, conning (driving) the ship on the bridge. I also had several collateral duties ranging from running divisions to coordinating urinalysis and everything in between. After that, I decided to return to the Coast Guard Academy to work in admissions both for the chance to be close to family, and because this is a job I am passionate about.

If you are looking for a college where you will be challenged, form lifelong friendships and experience things you would probably never otherwise get to experience, consider applying. Please feel free to give me a call or send a message if you are interested, it quite literally is my job.

Contact Information

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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