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Years ago, a tobacco products manufacturer introduced a line of cigarettes targeted at woman smokers. An advertising agency came up with a cigarette marketing slogan that you may well remember: “You’ve come a long way, baby!”
As dated as that phrase sounds today, it does resonant at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, where women indeed have come a long way since 1974.
From our vantage point, it’s striking to note that female midshipmen now have been at Kings Point longer than they haven’t! Their presence on campus encompasses more than half of Kings Point’s history. Think about that.
We are far removed from those early years, when the great issues about women at Kings Point were how long they could wear their hair, and if skirts or trousers would be the best uniform.
Those who doubted that women belonged at the USMMA have been proven woefully wrong. The ranks of Kings Point’s alumnae are replete with success stories in the finest tradition of Acta Non Verba. There have been some 585 female graduates, and among their ranks are harbor pilots, chief engineers, ship masters, military officers, maritime industry executives, attorneys and college professors.
A common thread running through their accomplishments is their leadership ability. Like all the federal service academies, Kings Point places great emphasis on leadership training. Our regimental program is structured to serve as an effective leadership laboratory.
Women serving in midshipman officer billets at the Academy has long been the norm. But the number of women in the Class of 2008 who hold leadership positions in the Regiment is quite notable. In this first rotation of midshipman officers, 26 women fill leadership roles. That is two-thirds of the total female representation in the 2008 class.
Certainly the most prominent female officer is Marjorie Marino, the Regimental Commander. This outstanding 20-year-old from Alexandria, VA is quick to recognize the opportunity that she has been given. “To be responsible for nearly a thousand midshipmen, their welfare, morale, training and daily actions – that’s a privilege most people will not experience until they reach a high level in their careers, if at all,” Marino says. “My counterparts at regular colleges have to wait until they enter the work world to put their theories into action.”
But Marino has also learned to keep her responsibilities in perspective. “It’s overpowering to think that my day-to-day decisions impact the lives of such a large number of people at the Academy,” she says, “and I am constantly humbled by their demands and needs.”
Jessica Tutini, 21, is not deterred by the pressure that comes from leadership. This native of Argyle, TX serves as Regimental Honor Board Commander. She admits that her regimental duties can at times be “thankless.” But, she says, it also teaches her “how to be confident, how to adapt to stressful situations and how to handle pressure with grace and poise.”
The women who graduate from Kings Point follow paths that take them to careers at sea, in the transportation industry and in the military. And while finding woman leaders in such jobs is no longer unusual, there can be little doubt that these are still male-dominated fields.
That’s what makes regimental leadership positions at the Academy even more valuable for female students. They have the opportunity to learn leadership across gender lines.
Sarah Jones, the Regimental Operations Officer, has her sights set on a career in Naval Flight. “A fighter jet really defines the term ‘dangerously beautiful’ in my mind,” the 22-year-old from Vero Beach, FL, says. “Flight is a very male dominated sector of the Navy, and to succeed there takes confidence. “My leadership experience at Kings Point places me in situations where I have to rise to the occasion and make the right choice, and that gives me that confidence in my capabilities,” Jones says. “I will be confident enough in myself to take down any boundaries that I encounter.”
Confidence-building is a certainly a major goal of the Academy’s leadership training program. Allison Davis is the Regimental Waterfront Officer (RWO), a position that she actively sought “to give back something to the Academy,” she says. The 22-year-old Seattle, WA native has sailed all her life. “I have the largest staff of all the midshipman department heads,” Davis says. “I am responsible for more than 100 vessels. As RWO, I am learning how to adapt and overcome the numerous obstacles thrown at me every day. This is very valuable experience that will help me to be successful in my future career.”
Are the women of the Class of 2008 accepted by their male peers? Well, the president of the first class, elected to the post by her classmates, is a woman. Saeah Wood not only represents the 2008 class but also serves as the Regimental Academic Officer. “I look back at the person that I was on the first day of indoctrination, and I do not even recognize that person anymore,” Wood says. “I first was a ‘follower,’ and I had the opportunity to see how dynamic good leaders can be. “During the last two years, I learned how to be an individual and how to depend on myself and on my abilities,” Wood adds. “I believe in myself and that is a major component of great leadership.”
Wood was born and raised in South Korea and is a self-described “Army brat.” She came to the United States when she was six, when her father retired to Daleville, AL. She feels that, in any male environment, women have to initially prove themselves by “consistently maintaining a higher level and standard.” “I recently ran for Class President,” the energetic 21-year-old says, “and I was very reluctant about it because I did not think that my male counterparts would elect a female as their representative. But, to my surprise, they did.” Her message is very clear: Women should not be afraid to try.
These five women – Marjorie Marino, Jessica Tutini, Sarah Jones, Allison Davis and Saeah Wood – are typical of the 122 women currently enrolled at the USMMA. They are bright, motivated and willing to take on responsibility.
What the Academy needs are more women like them. Female midshipmen comprise about 13 percent of the Regiment. That’s a little better than in past years, but not nearly where we’d like to be. We are working hard at bringing more exceptional young women into the Academy’s program. In the meantime, we can only speculate about what the Class of 2008’s women will accomplish once they graduate.
They, like the scores of female Kings Pointers who have gone before them, have indeed come a long way.
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