Jamen D. Descartes of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, was among 214 cadets to graduate on Wednesday, May 21, from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut, and be promoted to the rank of ensign.
U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Descartes graduated with honors and received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. The event was witnessed by family and friends from the Virgin Islands.
This graduation marked the 133rd commencement, and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh (Jay) Johnson delivered the keynote address. “I am confident you will make a difference in the lives of those around you,” said Johnson, who had become the Homeland Security secretary in December, after serving as general counsel for the Department of Defense.
Descartes’ graduation follows on the heels of the retirement of Vice Adm. Manson K. Brown, who brought to a close his 36-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard and is a pioneering leader as the highest-ranking black officer in the history of the sea service. For over a decade, Brown, also a civil engineer, has been instrumental in providing mentoring support of Virgin Islanders interested in the Coast Guard Academy. He retired as deputy commandant for mission support and commander of Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Dignitaries at Brown’s ceremony, included Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.); former U.S. transportation secretaries Rodney E. Slater and Norman Y. Mineta; and Merle Smith, the first black U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate.
The newly minted ensign follows the footsteps of several Virgin Islanders, and he will report for duty onboard Coast Guard cutter Sherman, which is home ported in San Diego, California. His assignment will include training and supervisory work in the engineering division, which is responsible for the operations, care and maintenance of the cutter’s main propulsion plant, auxiliary machinery and piping systems; control of damage; operation and maintenance of electric power generators and distribution systems; repairs to the hull; and providing ship facilities.
DesCartes, a 2010 honors graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School, distinguished his high school by leading as captain of the school’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) unit, and he excelled in math. He said, "Everything starts in high school. Sometimes you just need someone to remind you that the decisions you make in high school are going to decide your future. Study hard, play sports and have fun. That’s what I needed to make it through the academy.”
Founded in 1876, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is ranked among the nation’s most prestigious and selective institutions of higher learning, and it is the smallest of the nation’s five federal service academies.
