By Lisa Carolin
Chelsea High School Senior Riley Thorburn recently accepted her appointment for the United States Coast Guard Academy for Fall of 2021 and says she is excited for this next chapter in her life.
“I am most looking forward to meeting my future shipmates and working together to make it through our initial training period (called swab summer),” said Thorburn. “I am also super excited to do training aboard the Coast Guard’s 295 ft tall ship Eagle, where I will learn basic seamanship and nautical science.”
The Coast Guard Academy is located in New London, Connecticut, and Thorburn will be sworn in June 25, 2021 as a member of the Class of 2025. She will be studying electrical engineering and running for the cross country and track teams.
Thorburn has been involved in a variety of activities during her years in Chelsea including SRSLY, FIRST Robotics club, and the cross country and track and field team.
“My education in Chelsea has definitely made me a more confident, adaptable, and passionate student,” said Thorburn. “All of my classes and teachers have prepared me for the academic rigor of the Academy.”
She is currently finishing an engineering consortium class where she learned to program robot arms and to use state of the art CAD software.
Fewer than 400 appointments are offered each year by the Coast Guard Academy from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants. Cadets receive a full tuition scholarship and a monthly stipend for a 5-year service commitment to the Coast Guard upon graduation.
