Here's another gem from a west coast newspaper:
His fellow graduate, Angela Lozano Ingram, is no stranger to hard work or self-discipline. In the top 15 percent of her LBHS class, Lozano chose a courageous path for her future: she enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. Her plan is to finish four years at the academy and earn a bachelor's degree in marine and environmental sciences, and then proceed to flight school for helicopter pilots and rescue swimmers.
A self-described tomboy, Lozano grew up tussling with neighborhood boys and her older brothers in the relatively rugged outdoors of Old Top of the World where she lives with her mother, Patti. An ocean lover, avid surfer and swimmer, Lozano is most comfortable in the water, which makes the Coast Guard a natural choice. But it wasn't always that way, according to Mrs. Lozano.
"She was terrified of the water!" said her mother of a first beach outing after moving to Laguna Beach from San Juan Capistrano. Angela was nine at the time. Playmate Sesa Carreras taught her how to dive under big waves, maneuver currents and enjoy the ocean. "I remember that day. It was a pivotal moment in my life," she said. "I was thinking, 'oh man, I've been missing out!'"
Lozano is one of only 275 women joining the Coast Guard's class of approximately 1,000 this year. She will be sworn in as a cadet this Wednesday, June 30, and will begin her "swab summer," or basic training, in Connecticut for the next six weeks. She will return to the West Coast briefly to complete one week of nautical training on the Coast Guard cutter The Eagle, the only "square-rigger" sailing ship in active military duty.
"I've always wanted to serve my country," Lozano said. "I was interested in the army and in fire fighting. I think it's fun and exciting, and it's nice to help people. I just thought it would be a rewarding and helpful job to do."