Reflecting on the Journey: Class 08-24's Memorable Training Experience

Greetings Chief Warrant Officers past and present, 

Our class 08-24, began our virtual journey on July 8, 2024. It did not take long for our class to become acquainted with one another and form our teams: The Bearded Men, Choot EM, Flying Eagles, and The Blues Brothers. This was the start of what became two weeks of competition that would rival the NFL playoffs.

Our class was instructed by our amazing and enthusiastic instructors: CWO4 J-me Baldueza and CWO4 Tony Morabito. They promised us we would grow in the next two weeks and they delivered that promise. We covered topics that consisted of team building, diversity in the workplace, and the importance of inclusion.

On July 15th, we arrived for resident week at the Coast Guard Academy to start our resident week. This is when the cohesion of our class became abundantly clear. Led by our outspoken class leader: CWO Anthony Luizzi, we all bonded immediately. This made for not only an enjoyable week, but created a collaborative learning environment.

Most notable, on our first day of class we were greeted by Mr. Mike Little, Executive Director, Chief Warrant Officer Association (CWOA) with coffee and snacks, compliments of the CWOA followed by a Welcome Dinner that evening. We would like to extend our gratitude for the warm welcome and informative discussions.

Our curriculum consisted of learning about the five pillars of the Leadership Challenge, public speaking, and dining etiquette as officers. Resident week is also where The Bearded Gentleman clinched their position for the “Super Bowl” early on. Though The Flying Eagles won two rounds of “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” teams Choot EM and The Blues Brother were battling their way to catch The Bearded Men.

On July 19th we graduated and said goodbye to our fellow classmates and instructors. We are excited to embark on our journeys as new officers and are looking forward to employing the leadership and mentorship skills and traits we focused on during class.
We want to give a special thank you to our class sponsors LCDR Tracey Norman and LCDR Andrew Fox. Your presence and guidance throughout the course were appreciated by our class. Thank you for selflessly taking time out of your busy schedules to offer us your mentorship.

To our instructors, thank you for showing up every day with 100% dedication and enthusiasm you had for the two weeks of our class. Your mentorship, humility, and vulnerability were felt and appreciated by our class. The lessons you bestowed upon us will stick with us through our officer careers. Thank you.
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Lastly, a special thanks to Mrs. Baldueza for providing us with freshly baked treats every morning. The excitement we had every morning to see what was for breakfast was infectious and started our day out with  the highest morale.