Calling on a myriad of experiences to produce ideas marked by innovation

Past

Growing up I had a yearning and aptitude for understanding how things work. I found this passion most fondly in sailing. After graduating from high school in 2008 I attended Gainesville State college in Gainesville Georgia in pursuit of a degree in physics. After one year of attending I found that school wasn’t holding my attention the way I felt that it should and I dropped out to pursue an apprenticeship in wooden boat building. Shortly after being given this opportunity and reflecting on the state of the economy and it’s trajectory I made the decision to join the US Coast Guard. So in April of 2010 I entered service and have been in an active duty roll up until December of 2022.

During my time in active duty I was exposed to many different experiences in the maritime industry. I gained a myriad of experiences in: Search and Rescue, Emergency Medicine, Maritime Law, Environmental Protection, Law Enforcement, Ship’s Business, Maritime Machinery and Auxiliary systems just to name a few.

My first encounter with a multifaceted engineering system was aboard the USCGC Acushnet. Then the oldest ship in operational service. She was equipped with a diesel electric power plant powered by four Fairbanks-Morris eight cylinder main diesel engines. The Fairbanks is a fascinating engine in itself in that each cylinder actually contained two pistons compressing in together and each engine could provide propulsion power as well as auxiliary shipboard power. Being exposed to this seemingly unconventional system was really a spark to exploration of so much more to come.

From the Acushnet I went to Small-Boat Station Brunswick Georgia, where I gained experience in maritime law enforcement and search & rescue. From here I moved to Yorktown Virginia to become a Marine Science Technician. 

In this field I learned about ships business, maritime law as it applied to commercial entities, and environmental protection. My first assignment was to Marine Safety Detachment New Bedford Massachusetts home of the East coast’s largest fishing fleet where I inspected fishing vessels for their safety equipment.

The Marine Safety field was nice and full of amazing people but I found that I needed a more hands-on experience if I wanted to be passionate about this job. In 2016 I switched my specialty to Machinery technician aka MK. 

The MK specialty is a multifaceted job with responsibilities in many different fields. Everything from small outboard motors to huge ship-moving power plants and auxiliary equipment is considered within the realm of an MK’s responsibility. Along with this, an MK is also called upon to perform many operational duties as well, such as search and rescue and law enforcement.

My first unit as an MK was the National Motor Lifeboat School located at Cape Disappointment Washington. At this unit I worked on the 47 foot Motor Life boat(47MLB). This boat I found to be exceptionally fascinating in its design as it is a purpose built boat with engineering that had to be designed to survive an unforgiving life but yet still be built under financial and logistical considerations. 

After about two years at the National Motor Lifeboat School, I advanced and was moved to Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) Seattle. This unit was a pretty big departure from my former engineering based job and based more in the realm of operations and law enforcement. This unit, at my request, sent me to EMT school; a training that I had set as a career goal early in my career. 

I was able however to find niches within the unit to experience more engineering based work. I became a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Operator which has brought me all over for different missions. Most notably this technology and skill brought me aboard the USCGC Polar Star for her 2020 winter cruise to the Artic. This was a life changing deployment and exposed me to the Coast Guard’s most impressive engineering system.

The MSST gave me an amazing experience with people and memories that I will cherish. After finishing five years at this unit I found myself at a crossroads. My enlistment was complete and I had the opportunity with the added support of family and friends to step away from the Coast Guard and pursue an educational goal and have taken on the challenge of a degree in Mechatronics at Clover Park Technical College.