Meet the Class of 2023: Joeseph Proa

I am a Petty Officer 3rd class Joeseph Proa. I live in Lakemoor and go to Grant Community High School.

I’m involved in a few school activities, such as Future Business Leaders of America, where I recently competed for help desk and placed sixth in the state. I am also involved with my school's Special Olympics team, which placed second in the state.

Most Memorable Training

One of my most memorable trainings was my Maritime Interdiction Training in the summer of 2022. This training included lots of hands-on time, from assessing different levels of threat to attempting an arrest, to learning how to talk to others, and, most importantly, creating lasting bonds. One of my biggest challenges with this training was working as a team. We had to be by each other's sides, where the battle buddy system was the most heavily enforced.

Everyone ran in groups, and no one was alone. But it was trying to get those groups to all work as one. We overcame this by the morning PT together, going through classroom work together, and trying to stay awake and absorb as much information as possible.

Why would I put this training above all others? You get to be out by the water the entire training and be one-on-one with Coast Guard members.

Where to next?

I've already started taking my next steps, including graduating from this program. And that is joining the Coast Guard as an operations specialist. Once I get settled in, I would like to give back to this program and see all of you at trainings, possible chiefs, and leaders in the next few years. What I plan to achieve through the Coast Guard is to become a productive, social, memorable person in society.