Elizabeth City, N.C. — Two Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) students are advancing their path toward Coast Guard service as Raymi Sharp and Christopher Huysentruyt join the latest group to progress through ECSU’s Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program (AUP). Their advancement reflects a growing pipeline connecting ECSU students to officer training, hands-on internships, leadership experience and opportunities beyond the classroom.
Sharp and Huysentruyt were selected for the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative, or CSPI, this year and have completed boot camp, earning designation as officers in training.
Their progress adds to the partnership that made history when ECSU became the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to establish a Coast Guard AUP. The program provides student auxiliarists opportunities to work with and gain experience in Coast Guard aviation and boat operations in Elizabeth City and beyond.
Today, ECSU is one of 19 institutions with AUP units.
The growing program is also beginning to demonstrate what those opportunities can lead to.
Vincent Gallo and Micah Stewart, who were selected last year, remain at ECSU. Ethan Jones, who was selected last year with Gallo, graduated in May and recently reported to Officer Candidate School with the goal of becoming a C-130 pilot.
Students are also gaining professional experience before graduation. This summer, Adrian Gramatges and Anthony Bartolotta completed internships at the Aircraft Logistics Center at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City under the supervision of Lt. William Hasbrook.
Together, the students’ experiences illustrate the reach of ECSU’s Coast Guard partnership—from gaining practical experience in aviation operations to developing leadership skills and pursuing pathways to Coast Guard service.
That leadership development is also taking place within the AUP unit itself, where students are taking on key roles in the program’s operation. Gramatges serves as unit leader, with Gavin Green as the unit deputy leader. Gallo is the member training officer and Huysentruyt serves as secretary of records. Supporting the students are LT Gabriel Moreno, officer of the unit; Ron Hopkins, auxiliary liaison officer; and Kevin Kupietz, ECSU advisor.
Students who enter the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve or CSPI through AUP must continue participating as members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and in the AUP Program of Study while remaining in good standing.
The relationship between ECSU and the Coast Guard builds on the university’s proximity to Coast Guard operations in Elizabeth City while creating opportunities for students to move from academic preparation to practical experience, leadership and, for some, Coast Guard careers.
Since 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has helped safeguard the nation’s maritime interests in the heartland, at ports, at sea and around the world. Its members come from various backgrounds and serve as the uniformed volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard.
At ECSU, that longstanding mission is now creating opportunities for a new generation of students. What began with ECSU making history as the first HBCU to establish an AUP unit is moving beyond the milestone itself as students train, lead, intern and take their next steps toward service.
For more information about the Coast Guard Auxiliary University Program, visit the AUP website here.
