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Mission Critical: To Lead and Inspire

Stefanie Senkow | October 17, 2023

Regimental Commander. Wrestling Team Captain. And now Cancer Fighter. First Class Cadet (1/c) Coy Spooner is a natural born leader. The Minot, North Dakota native graduated high school and dreamed of owning a cattle ranch in Wyoming. Little did he know his small-town vision would turn into humanitarian service aspirations at the Coast Guard Academy.

“I was deathly afraid of military service,” said Spooner. “But as I grew older, I realized the military would provide me with great opportunities and allow me to surround myself with like-minded individuals.”

While at the Academy, the enthusiastic government major became a champion wrestler, earning All-American honors twice. He is currently the Regimental Commander, the Academy’s senior ranking cadet responsible for leading the almost 1,100 members of the Corps of Cadets, but his biggest challenge came in the spring of 2023 when Spooner was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

“I was scared. I didn’t know what it meant for my career in the Coast Guard and if I would be able to graduate with my class, wrestle or fulfill my other obligations,” said Spooner.

Deciding that cancer wouldn’t become an excuse in his life, he knew that his desire to lead and inspire surpassed any doubts about his future. With the help of his family and the Academy community, he wouldn’t allow his diagnosis to impact his passion to lead.

“The love and support I’ve received from my family, friends, teammates, and Coast Guard members keeps me pushing forward. I do not see this as a negative event in my life because I am a better leader and person because of it,” said Spooner.

Spooner’s medical treatments are on track to finish this fall, with an anticipated return to wrestling shortly after. With his positive attitude, he plans on leading the wrestling team to a National Championship. He will compete again come spring of 2024.

After graduation, Spooner hopes to report to a large law enforcement/national security cutter for his first assignment.

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.