The United States Coast Guard Academy (CGA) accepted senior Shane Perkins to its prep school, called the CGA Scholarship Program, a feat accomplished by a select few prospective students from across the nation.
In order to be accepted to the Academy, Perkins conquered a vast array of application requirements, from the extensive paperwork application to a cross-country campus visit; he composed six essays and underwent a physical fitness test as well. “The Coast Guard Academy historically has a 13 percent acceptance rate,” Perkins said. “I’m pretty happy that I got in.”
For his efforts, he was rewarded with a place among the 50 to 60 students attending the Scholarship Program for the next academic year. He will spend one year there, then transfer to the actual Academy in New London, Conn., and remain a cadet there for four more years. After his schooling, he will spend his minimum four-year service commitment, in exchange for the free education, on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Perkins is a Cadet Major Executive Officer of the Battalion in the JROTC program, a rank which essentially constitutes second in command, effectively preparing him for service in the United States Coast Guard.
Perkins will also compete for the Academy as an NCAA shooter, attributing his entry into the Coast Guard Academy Rifle Team to skills learned in the JROTC Rifle Team.
