Alaina Riggs

Alaina Riggs is a 2/c cadet (junior) at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, majoring in Marine and Environmental Science with a concentration in Fisheries Biology and Geospatial Intelligence. Alaina is currently working on a capstone project focused on OILMAP Validation of Geographic Response Strategies in the Great Lakes.

Born and raised in Tehachapi, California, Alaina has been swimming since she was six years old, accumulating seven years of club swimming experience and four years of varsity swimming, where she served as team captain. In addition to athletics, Alaina participated in student government, mathletes, and community service projects, and worked as a lifeguard, teaching swim lessons to children.

Alaina chose the Coast Guard Academy, inspired by her older sister, a United States Naval Academy graduate and now an Ensign in the Navy. However, Alaina’s passion for environmental and humanitarian missions drew her to the Coast Guard’s unique blend of service and conservation.

At the Academy, Alaina is a member of the swim and water polo teams, participates in the campus marine science club, and served in the Delta Company Command during the Fall 2024 semester. She has taken coursework in marine and fisheries biology, oceanography, emergency management, and environmental studies, building a strong foundation for a career in marine science and conservation.

Alaina has a deep passion for helping others and is excited to expand her impact through the telehealth drone demonstration this summer. She looks forward to applying her knowledge to make positive changes in the world as a Pacific Ally, and hopes to be an exemplary influence on those she meets and bonds with during this journey.