Melissa McCafferty

Coming from humble roots in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Melissa saw the demographic disparity in her state and its unfortunate effects on the population. She has committed herself to a career in public service to fight that disparity.

In 2007, she joined the Coast Guard through the Academy, focusing her studies on political science. Melissa was selected as the 2010 Truman Scholar from Michigan and ultimately graduated as the top humanities student. Upon commissioning, Melissa became the first female officer assigned to a fast response cutter with deployments out of Miami, Florida. During this commission, Melissa fought against international drug cartels and disrupted human trafficking rings.

In Houston, Texas, Melissa served as command duty officer where she led 1,200 personnel and managed more than $1.5 billion in assets. Melissa oversaw the Coast Guard response to more than 1,000 incidents, rescuing 332 lives from the depths of the sea. In 2017, Melissa served as Director and Deputy Director of Operations for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, saving more than 17,000 lives and facilitating the resurgence of commerce in non-operational ports.

Melissa dreams of a legal career fighting for those unable to fight for themselves and aiding in the dispensation of justice. She plans to bring her principles of honor, respect and devotion to duty, with her into the legal community at Georgetown.