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Class of 2022 Billet Night

Stefanie Senkow | March 14, 2022

NEW LONDON, Conn – The wait is over for the Class of 2022. Billet Night officially commenced and now excited first class cadets are eagerly planning their first assignments.

One of the defining moments in a cadet’s career, Billet Night is the unveiling of a cadet’s first assignment as a Coast Guard officer, post-graduation. Months prior to this ceremony, cadets submit their “dream sheet” of billets, hoping to get one of their top choices.

“We had a lot more unit representatives on hand to celebrate with the Class of 2022 this year and present unit ballcaps to the future ensigns as they walked off the stage,” said LT Bradley Brown, Billet Night Project Officer about last Thursday’s event.

As one group of cadets at a time approached the stage and received their envelopes, their energy was electric and comradery undeniable. And whether it was a Coast Guard cutter, sector or flight school, the cadets cheered as they discovered their post-graduation assignments.

First Class Cadet Betsy Carter received her dream billet—Newport, Rhode Island on the USCGC Sycamore.

“I anticipated getting a billet much lower on my dream sheet, so this was a pleasant surprise. I told my family to expect Alaska, and here I am moving to the next state over! The anticipation for Billet Night was a mix of nerves and excitement, with so many lifelong goals and dreams on the line,” said Carter.

First Class Cadet Brian Golliher recalls the suspense of the night.

“The whole time, I got to be in prayer, thanking God for how he has placed each of these people and will continue to hold them in his hands. It was a sweet opportunity to trust in God’s loving faithfulness. I ended up receiving orders to Basic Flight school with some wonderful friends,” said Golliher.

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.