Monica Rochester says growing up she always had a passion for public service and was first attracted to the Coast Guard because she was able to get out into the field and out from “behind the desk” almost immediately. She was only one of two women in the Coast Guard when she first enlisted. Most recently she served as the Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach commander. As a captain in the U.S. Coast Guard, she was a Prevention Operations specialist with focus on commercial vessel safety and security, marine investigations, and waterways management. She also served in the US Department of Homeland Security as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense expert.
Rochester’s advice: Never give up and never take “no” for an answer:
