I Want You To Join The USNSCC. Photo courtesy of senior Owen Blackwell.

  Have any students at San Luis Obispo High School ever wanted to learn how to sail, cook, or scuba dive? Those are all skills that Sea Cadets can learn at winter and summer training.  

  “It’s a vehicle for turning motivation into skill,” said Junior Alec MacDonald.

  The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps is a U.S. Navy-sponsored youth program for students aged 10 to 18, focused on community service, teamwork, and citizenship. 

  Cadets go to one to two-week-long advanced training during the winter and summer.

  “My favorite training was rock climbing training at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. We learned how to lead and belay climb, and rappel from the large rock faces around the base. At one point it even snowed,” said senior Enrique Ernstrom.

  There is no service obligation for cadets in the program, and it provides valuable education whether or not cadets end up joining the military services. 

  “Students should join sea cadets if they want to better themselves and learn not only about their country but also unlock their hidden potential,” said Ernstrom.

  The Central Coast Division meets every other Saturday for drill and learns skills from land navigation and field operations to emergency medical care and firefighting.

  “I have done a lot of training and have never come back thinking that I didn’t learn anything,” said MacDonald.

  If students would like more information about the program, or how to join, they can visit seacadets.org.