Setting a goal in high school, Coleton Haight kept to his path and will graduate from Adams State University with degrees in organismal biology and wildlife biology this spring.
Becoming an officer in the US Coast Guard has been Haight’s guiding light. Even before finishing high school, he set his sights on the Coast Guard College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI), a scholarship program. Accepted into CSPI his senior year at Adams State, Haight completed basic training last summer and after graduation he begins officer training at the Coast Guard Academy, in New London, Conn.
To be eligible for the CSPI program, Haight, a Colorado Springs native, had to attend a minority institution. He is more than satisfied with his decision to attend Adams State. “The STEM program has so many opportunities and I took advantage of them all.” He participated in the CURE project research, held paid internships; mentored STEM underclassmen, and spent time in the field with biology professors collecting samples and studying the biology of the San Luis Valley.
This spring, Haight, and three other STEM majors, will present at the Alliance for Hispanic Serving Institution Educators (AHSIE) Conference in California. “I look forward to wearing the Coast Guard uniform at the conference.”
Before admission into CSPI, Haight worked on campus. Now with a generous salary he can concentrate on his academics and being a student athlete, as a distance swimmer. His long-term goals with the Coast Guard include becoming a response officer or prevention officer. After his service ends, Haight plans to pursue a career in marine biology. “There are so many options as a coast guard including afloat, aviation, prevention, engineering and response officer specialties. It feels good to have a secure future.”
