Watching Over New York City

Hi, I'm Ensign Gabriela Deza, an apprentice marine inspector with the U.S. Coast Guard. Welcome to New York City. Ships from all over the world enter this port every day. But before they can dock, me and my team make sure they meet safety and security standards. We're a well-oiled machine. I'm here thanks to something called the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative, or CSPI. I discovered it in my sophomore year. CSPI paid my last two years' tuition, my books, fees, and paid me a salary of $3,600 a month. They call New York the city that never sleeps. And my boyfriend and I have really taken advantage of all it has to offer. From Broadway to the restaurants, we're even learning to salsa dance. In my off time, I try to get out to the country as much as possible. For a southern Florida girl like me, experiencing four seasons in the mountains is really cool. More opportunities in my Coast Guard future. I was recently accepted to flight school where I hope to become a helicopter pilot. A career in the Coast Guard is more than you can imagine.