GMC News

Admiral Paul Zukunft directly appointed 10 GMC College and Prep Cadets to the United States Coast Guard Academy.

On Monday, April 24, United States Coast Guard Admiral Paul Zukunft directly appointed 10 GMC College Cadets and Prep School Cadets to further their military education at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA). These appointments are early acceptances that are not usually announced until May. So far, GMC has a total of 13 cadets to receive an appointment to the USCGA. Admiral Paul Zukunft serves as the 25th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. He leads America’s oldest continuous seagoing service and the largest component of the Department of Homeland Security, comprised of 41,700 active duty, 7800 reserve, 8300 civilian, and 31,000 volunteer Auxiliarists.

GMC’s 8 college cadets to receive direct appointments to the USCGA are:
Ryan Casey
Devin Cheifetz
Mark Colvin
Rachel Everson
Graham McGill
Noa Pagatpatan
Dominic Roberts
William Sergio

This is also the first time that GMC’s Prep School has had graduating high school seniors to receive direct appointments to the Coast Guard Academy. The two prep school cadets appointed to the USCGA are Cadets Alyssa Easley and Niko Urias. GMC’s Prep School Counselor, Amy Kennedy, says it was exciting to experience the application process with them.

Cadets Alyssa Easley and Niko Urias at their signing ceremony.

“I am super excited for Alyssa and Niko,” said Amy Kennedy. “I had never experienced anything like this before at all, so to have gone through the process with each of them and for them to receive a direct appointment is fabulous. I was able to visit the Coast Guard with Alyssa and it was a wonderful experience.”

College cadets Kaylee Lord, Roy Melvin, and Matthew Varney received their appointments during the Coast Guard Academy’s Eclipse Week in early April. This event unites alumni and cadets each year for personal and professional development.

These college cadets enrolled in GMC’s self-prep program to receive their appointment to the Coast Guard Academy. This program prepares GMC cadets to complete the same curriculum taken by cadets who are selected each year to enter the Coast Guard Academy. These cadets were placed into a Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) centered curriculum that challenged them in preparation for the rigorous courses that they will face at the Academy. During the first quarter the cadets took 22 credit hours, in the second quarter they took 24 to 27 credit hours, and in the final quarter they took 22 to 24 credit hours. These cadets are required to maintain at least a 2.5 Grade Point Average and meet the physical fitness requirements as well. COL Ralph Kauzlarich, Executive Director of GMC’s Milledgeville Campus, says he is confident that his cadets will do well in the academy.

“I’m very proud of our Coast Guard Scholars who worked tirelessly in the realms of both academics and physical fitness,” said COL Ralph Kauzlarich. “Each has excelled in both areas. If past performance is any indicator of future success, then each will become tremendous assets as Coast Guard Ensigns after
graduating from the academy in four short years.”