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Home / Admissions / Academy Admissions Partners / Ways to Volunteer

Ways to Volunteer

The primary role of the Academy Admissions Partner is to refer young people with interest in attending the Coast Guard Academy to their Admissions Officer.

Academy Admissions Partners choose their level of volunteer commitment. Typically, Academy Admissions Partners volunteer 10 to 16 hours of their time per year. Even if you only have two hours to volunteer, you can help make a difference. Volunteer activities include:

  • Communicating the benefits of an Academy education to high school counselors and teachers
  • Representing the Academy at local college fairs
  • Conducting applicant interviews
  • Presenting appointments at high school graduations

COLLEGE FAIRS

Academy Admissions Partners are needed for these events more than any other. During a college fair, you would stand at the booth collecting student information, distributing materials, and answering questions. Your time commitment for one college fair would be approximately 2 to 3 hours.

CONGRESSIONAL SERVICE ACADEMY EVENTS AND STAFF OFFICE VISITS

Congressional appointments are not required for admission to the CGA; however, as one of the national service academies, we are invited to each Congressional service academy event. During an event, you would deliver a short presentation and meet with prospective cadets and their families. Your time commitment for one event would be approximately 2 to 3 hours.

HIGH SCHOOL VISITS

The Academy cultivates relationships with high school teachers and counselors through outreach and school visits. During your visit, you may meet with teachers, counselors, coaches, or small groups of prospective cadets. Your time commitment for one high school visit would be approximately 2 to 3 hours.

PROSPECTIVE CADET INTERVIEWS

Interviews with prospective cadets are an important part of the application process and are weighed in the decision to admit or deny an applicant. Your time commitment for one prospective cadet interview would be approximately 2 hours.

APPOINTMENT PRESENTATIONS

In May and June of every year, Academy Admissions Partners are asked to make appointment presentations in their local area, usually in conjunction with high school graduation or award ceremonies. Your time commitment for one appointment presentation would be approximately 2 to 3 hours.

ACADEMY INTRODUCTION MISSION (AIM)

AIM is the Academy’s largest recruiting initiative and offers 550 rising high school seniors the chance to attend a one-week Academy emersion program at CGA. During AIM you would assist with logistics, supervision and support roles. Your time commitment for one week of AIM would be approximately 7 days, Saturday-Sunday, in July.

Indicate your interest in volunteering and becoming an Academy Admissions Partner by completing the online registration request. The Associate Director for Volunteer Programs or a member of the Admissions team will contact you to discuss the program and how you can help.

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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