Home / Cadet Blogs / Time Management

Time Management

Jack Davidson | September 12, 2023

Being a cadet, student, and a collegiate athlete can be difficult to balance at times. In order to balance all of these, it requires intense planning, dedication, and persistence. Careful planning is necessary to meet all the deadlines required by the Academy. I always keep a detailed planner and write down every deadline I must meet. Also, I plan out my day with sticky notes and a detailed plan for how I will divide up my day. I have found doing this is the best strategy for completing all my daily tasks and accomplishing my goals. During free periods of the week, I aim to get as much classwork and homework done as possible. With planning my day, I have more flexibility when I complete tasks and work ahead of time. Doing so allows me to fully enjoy practice as a track athlete and spend extra time with my teammates after practice, having fun playing soccer or throwing a frisbee.

Getting ahead of homework is important but doing my military obligations earlier in the week has proven very useful in staying on top of everything. With all of this, I always make sure to schedule time for myself. Every night after practice, I go to dinner with my teammates and friends. I also set aside at least twenty minutes every night to work on a personal project. Most recently, I have been making a video recapping everything I did in the year 2022. Setting time aside for myself is very important for taking care of myself, so that I can grow professionally as a leader and as a person.

About Jack

Hometown: Westchester, PA
Major: Government
Email: Jack.M.Davidson@uscga.edu

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.