Coast Guard officer program benefits local college students with up to 2 years of free tuition

Christopher Key saluted the flag hanging on the stern of Coast Guard Cutter Seneca. The sun glinted off the metal “OT” insignia on his hat as he walked across the brow to board the 270-foot ship.

The marketing major’s classroom on Thursday was very different from most other Hampton University students.

The Coast Guard partners with historically Black universities and minority serving institutions to offer a two-year scholarship to full-time students as part of a pre-commissioning officer mentorship program. Local participating universities include HU, Norfolk State University and Elizabeth City State University.

Students can apply to the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative as a sophomore or junior. If accepted into the program, the student is enlisted under a four-year contract and ships off to boot camp their first summer with the rank of “officer trainee.” Officer trainees receive the benefits of an E-3 pay grade, including salary and health care.

The Coast Guard pays up to two years of tuition, books and other educational fees. For HU students, this is equal to around $29,000 per semester.

“Being accepted into this program meant my family and I did not have to stress over how we were going to pay for me to finish school,” Key said.

The program, which is designed to work around the academic school year, requires the student participate in four hours of duty each week. This can include reporting to a local recruiting office or visiting units in the area.

To fulfill his four hours, Key reported to the Seneca. He was met pierside by Ensign Chandler Robinson, who would guide him through the day. Having gone through boot camp together in July 2021, the two greeted each other with warm smiles, a salute and a hug.

“I am here, no matter the question or just for moral support, I want to help him and any of the other OTs I have kept in contact with in any way I can,” Robinson said.

Robinson, also a CSPI program graduate, participated in one year of the program while completing his senior year at Mississippi Valley State University. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine in May 2022.

“I had a football scholarship, so money was not the issue. For me it was about job security, having a career ready for me when I graduated,” Robinson said.

Robinson, who graduated from officer candidate school in November, was the first from his university to become a commissioned officer. He has been attached to the Seneca as an electrical materials officer for four months.

“When he goes underway as an officer, having that CSPI experience of already having been underway, he will already have the basic knowledge of what to do and how to do it,” Robinson said of how Key will be able to apply what he is learning in the program to his responsibilities as a commissioned officer.

The tour on the Seneca served as a refresher, Key said, reminding him about the ins and the outs of boat life. Last summer, Key’s temporary orders landed him aboard a cutter off the coast of Alaska for two months.

“That was the last place I ever expected to travel to with the Coast Guard. I was thinking it would be Florida or New York, but no — I got Alaska,” Key said with a laugh.

The Alaskan experience was part of the program. During longer academic breaks, officer trainees receive temporary orders to train with Coast Guard units for anywhere from one week to three months. The idea is to expose officer trainees to “any and all opportunities” offered by the Coast Guard so they are better equipped to choose a career path once they become a commissioned officer, said Officer Recruiter Tia Grandville.

The assignment took Key to Kodiak, Alaska, and the Dutch Harbor at the Island of Unalaska.

“I loved the opportunity to really experience cutter life and what it is like being underway,” Key said.

But among the most challenging aspects, he said, are the night watches, during which a crew member will monitor the boat’s movements and the weather from the bridge while the rest of the crew sleep.

“You are up in the middle of the night looking out at the black, open water. It put me in a weird headspace,” Key said.

During the tour aboard the Seneca, Key and Robinson reflected on seagoing experiences, how to approach his first assignment and how to confront new challenges.

“In the Coast Guard, everyone is always willing to share their experiences. Every time I have asked, ‘will you teach me,’ I have never had anyone deny me. So, don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Robinson told Key, as the pair looked out the panoramic windows of the bridge.

Key is slated to graduate in May from HU. He will attend the 17-week Officer Candidate School in July, after which “trainee” will be dropped from his title. Students have a three-year active-duty commitment as an officer after graduating from Officer Candidate School.

Once commissioned, Key will become the 24th HU student to have gone on to become a commissioned officer. Another eight Norfolk State students and 17 from Elizabeth City State have completed the program.

By the fall, Key should know where his first assignment will take him.

“Honestly, I’m not too picky on where my first choice is. If anything, I’m just seeking for right now to stay somewhere more so on the East Coast,” Key said.

Whether he is assigned to a small station, Sector Virginia in Portsmouth, or an afloat unit, Key had one thing to say, giving a nod to the service’s motto: “Always ready.”

Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com