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Like every parent, Kathy Howland will have to deal with the separation as her daughter heads off to school and adulthood. But her case is unique: Just three weeks after her daughter, Alexi, graduates from Catholic Central High School in Troy, Alexi will report for duty at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.

"No one - not my friends or teachers - expected this. But now that they've had some time to think about it, they think it's a perfect fit," Alexi told The Evangelist.

When the teen and her mother were looking at schools last fall, one of the most important things for Alexi was that her college be a part of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference, or NEWMAC: Alexi, the captain of her basketball team at CCHS and a member of the AAU Albany Capitals national team, needed to find a school with a decent basketball program.

As they ran down the list of NEWMAC schools, the Coast Guard Academy stood out to Alexi's mother.

"Within minutes, I knew it was for her," said Mrs. Howland. "And now she has this great opportunity. We're so happy for her - and her 12-year-old brother thinks he's [going to enter the Coast Guard], too."

On guard
As soon as she enters the academy, Alexi will be out of contact for three or four weeks due to her training schedule and location. She will then spend the rest of the summer in rigorous basic training - which may include time on a 75-year-old tall sailing ship, The Eagle, used by the Coast Guard for training purposes.

In August, her classes will finally begin.

"She's the kind of person who can survive in that kind of environment," said Alexi's former Albany Capitals coach, Steve Lombard. "She can take direction and structure, knows when it's time to get serious and is very much a competitor."

He told The Evangelist of the practices Alexi attended even after being injured in a tournament: She was unable to play, but still committed to her team.

"This may sound corny, but in my 30 years of coaching, Alexi is one of my favorite girls I've ever coached," Coach Lombard remarked. "I have no doubt in my mind she will be successful."

A graduate of St. Pius X School in Loudonville, Alexi attributes her preparedness, leadership skills and discipline to her education at both Catholic schools she has attended - not to mention her dedication to her academics.

Plans and prep
Having always been drawn to math and science in high school, Alexi will now be studying naval architecture and marine engineering.

"I want to learn the design of boats and how they run, and maybe somewhere down the road I can do some sort of humanitarian or disaster relief work and maybe some law enforcement here and there," the teen said.

Though the prospect of spending the summer vacation in physical and mental training and conditioning is not something most teenagers look forward to, Alexi understands what she has signed up for and is looking forward to it.

"I know it's the right fit for me," she declared. "I'm a little nervous, but I'm more excited."[[In-content Ad]]

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