My entire life I have always found myself around the ocean. The first place my parents took me after I was born was the beach, they baptized me with seawater and my affinity for the ocean began. At the age of thirteen I got my first job working on the ocean. I started scrubbing the decks of a local fishing boat that would go out on ¾ day fishing trips. I started small, helping handle the fish and cleaning the boat after the day was over. My love for working on the ocean had begun to flourish. the responsibilities given to me increased as my initiative and hunger for more opportunities excelled. Those were some of the best times of my life. 

 

As the end of highschool drew near, I faced many tough decisions. I had always loved learning and school was no different. I knew I couldn’t skip the greatest learning experience most young adults face: college. My mentors on the fishing boat urged me to go, as the world of sportfishing would always be there for me if I needed it. Finding a career that fulfilled me to the degree working on the ocean seemed challenging. Marketing, Real Estate, Marine Biology? The more I thought about going into these career fields, the more it seemed like my glory days of having fun at work were behind me. 

 

One fateful day, during passing period in the halls of Point Loma Highschool (PLHS). I saw an old friend who happened to work on Sportfishing boats like I did. A graduate from PLHS, he was older than I was, and I had lost track of him after highschool. He told me of the college in the East bay town of Vallejo called California Maritime Academy. 

 

The vast opportunities in the Maritime Industry had been secret to me till this moment. I was astounded that there was a college where you could earn a bachelors degree along with a Captains License to work on ships and vessels all over the world. The experiences I had while at the Maritime Academy offered me a unique college perspective. A perspective where hard work, discipline and leadership are expected of every Cadet.

Nicholas Landon