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Why Connecticut is Cool

Cheyenne Waters | November 17, 2022

I would like to take a second to talk about things to do in Connecticut. While you shouldn’t make your college solely on the location, there are many positive things about the area around the Academy. My dad was in the military, so I moved around a lot. I never sent much time in the Northeast. If you are from the Northeast, bear with me. I have had a lot of fun exploring the Northeast. I think my favorite thing about the Northeast is the changing of the seasons. Fall is beautiful. If you look across the Thames River, you can see the leaves change from bright green to a pallet of yellows, oranges, and reds. Come January, the Academy is turned into a sparkling winter wonderland. The Academy is only ten minutes away from the Amtrak station. From the Amtrak station, you could go north to Boston, south to D.C., or anywhere in-between.

Connecticut is a great central place to explore the Northeast. The local area is also pretty cool. New London is not my favorite place to hang out, but there is a great coffee shop near the train station. My favorite spots in the local area are Mystic and Old Mystic village. Mystic has a lot of cute shops and restaurants. There is even a movie about it: Mystic Pizza. The movie is based on the Mystic Pizza restaurant which actually has pretty good pizza. Mystic village have a lot of unique shops. There is a tea shop that is Alice in Wonderland themed. There is a Harry Potter store and a creepy book store. Those are just my favorites, but there are a lot more. I would definitely suggest taking your parents there. Across the street from Old Mystic Village is the Mystic Aquarium. The aquarium is awesome. They are famous for their beluga whales. They also have a really neat sea lion shows.

About Cheyenne

Hometown: Bella Vista, AR
Major: Marine and Environmental Sciences
Email: Cheyenne.L.Waters@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.