S.C. State University alumni Pride L. Sanders and Christy Rutherford were ecstatic when they signed up for the Coast Guard, but upon graduation, fear seeped in and made them question their motives.

Rutherford recalls her reason for enrolling in the U.S. Coast Guard. The incentive, her friend’s car. Rutherford’s friend had just returned from the U.S. Coast Guard boot camp and bought a new car with her salary. “I remember saying, ‘I want to be just like that’,” recalled Rutherford. Now a congressional fellow on the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Rutherford has gone far beyond just admiring a shiny, new car.

Rutherford, a 1998 graduate of S.C. State and a lieutenant commander, has conducted counter drug patrols in the Caribbean, capturing drug smugglers intending to transfer these illegal goods into the United States, coordinated and responded to maritime emergencies, responded to Hurricane Katrina, and ensured port safety and security in Houston.

At 22, Rutherford’s first assignment in the U.S. Coast Guard was on a cutter ship, defined as any Coast Guard vessel over 65-feet in length.

“This job taught me multitasking, delegating, being a leader and empowerment,” Rutherford said. “We were empowered to make decisions at a young age.”

Currently as a subcommittee member, Rutherford is heavily involved in hearings on piracy, U.S. Coast Guard, drug, and migrant interdictions and mariner education.

Sanders’ job is equally significant. Also a 1998 graduate of S.C. State, Sanders is currently a lieutenant commander with a focus on counternarcotics and counter narcoterrorism at the Pentagon. Previously, Sanders served as the commanding officer of a 110-foot patrol boat based out of Miami. He is one of the few, if not the only graduate from an HBCU, to command a Coast Guard cutter.

While things were initially questionable upon entering the U.S. Coast Guard, Sanders says that this fear dissipated and was instead replaced by leadership. He encourages all students to lead. “Become leaders of the school while you’re here,” Sanders said.

Leadership is exemplified in the U.S. Coast Guard, and both Rutherford and Sanders are working on obtaining leaders from S.C. State University. The number of minority officers in the U.S. Coast Guard is low, but there are scholarship opportunities available that will encourage students to enroll in this significant organization, one reason why Sanders and Rutherford have encouraged the U.S. Coast Guard to partner with HBCUs.

Joseph Thomas, interim director of the Career Center, is elated when he sees alumni striving to help their institution thrive. “You want former students reaching out and reaching back,” Thomas says.

Through the U.S. Coast Guard’s College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative, you will receive up to $2,200 per month while attending school, up to two years of paid tuition, fees, and books, paid medical and dental insurance, 30 days’ paid annual vacation and more. After college graduation and completion of Officer Candidate School, you will become a commissioned officer and receive U.S. Coast Guard training.

For more information, including a full list of eligibility requirements, contact local recruiter Charles W. Cunningham at 803-699-7230. You may also contact the Career Center at 803-536-7033.

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