uscga badge
Search
Close this search box.
uscga badge
Search
Close this search box.
Home / The Last Stretch

The Last Stretch

Jack Brunswick

Time at the Academy flies by, but also feels so slow. I don’t know why the days feel like forever but the weeks go fast. The last few months has been crazy with Billet Night , spring break, castle dance, and more. Here, I’ll summarize all the things you can look forward to when you’re a 1/c cadet (senior) at the Coast Guard Academy.

Billet Night

Billet Night is when all the senior cadets find out where they are going for their first job after graduation. In December we receive a list, and we upload our top picks online. Then in March, we all get together for a formal dinner, then we all gather in the auditorium for a presentation. They call up a handful of cadets at a time, and announce their billets while they are on stage. I didn’t go until the end, so I was nervous for most of the night. There was a lot of cheering, crying (happy tears), and celebrating for everyone. I have friends going to Hawaii, Florida, Guam, California, and more. I got Sector/Cyber Texas, which was my number one choice. Billet Night is super exciting because you get to celebrate all your classmates and your own accomplishments over the past three and a half years. We all struggled and triumphed together, and Billet Night is the culminating event that brings that all together. Even more excitingly, you get to start house hunting or apartment hunting, which has been a little stressful, but mostly fun. I definitely recommend getting a roommate because it is more fun that way. Also, you’ll save a lot of money and/or be able to afford a nicer place. No billet is a bad billet. Even if you end up somewhere you don’t want, it’s still an amazing opportunity. I wanted to be grateful no matter what billet I got. There are so many college kids who don’t have the opportunity to get a good job after school or get paid as much as a Coast Guard officer does. Some kids can’t afford college, and some kids around the world get the opportunity at a high school level education. Billet Night put in perspective how blessed I am and that I should be grateful of all my opportunities, friends, and classmates.

Spring Break

Spring break is self-explanatory. You get a week off from school in March, the week after Billet Night. I spent my week with some friends snowboarding in Vermont and New Hampshire. I have the Epic Pass, which for military is only $150 (usually $1000+ for civilians). I will do a separate post about the perks of going to the academy and being in the military.

Castle Dance

Originally, Castle Dance was created by 1/c cadets (seniors) to have their own event separate from the Academy. However, rumor has it that one year the cadets got too rowdy and Castle Dance was canceled. Eventually, Castle Dance was brought back under the condition that Academy faculty and leadership could oversee the planning of the event. This year, we were able to have our Castle Dance at the Rosecliff Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. It looks like the mansion in Great Gatsby. We all got dressed up in suits and dresses, had a DJ, drinks, and food. I’m not going to lie, this is probably one of the most fanciest events I’ve been at. The class leadership did a great job planning it, and it is something to look forward to as a senior.

Dining In

Dining In is another formal dinner where 1/c cadets dine with admirals, officers, and other VIPs. This dinner is a welcome into the Officer Corps. As a cadet, you usually have a formal dinner like this once or twice a year.

Graduation

Graduation is May 18th this year. Then, we get 30 days of leave to spend time with family, travel, and get settled into our new place. Then, we all report into our new jobs and get to work!

Apply Now

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.

CGA Badge
Links from these pages to non-Coast Guard sites are provided as a customer service and do not represent any implicit or explicit endorsement by the United States Coast Guard of any commercial or private issues or products presented there.
learn more