For the last four years, senior Ciara Marcy has thrived in the faith-filled community of Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Potomac Shores. Now, she plans to take its values to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Marcy’s list of accomplishments is long. A versatile athlete, she played volleyball as a freshman and sophomore, as well as lacrosse and basketball for all four years. And as if juggling sports weren’t enough, she’s pursued academic extracurriculars as well. “I’m also involved in the National Honor Society, the Latin Honor Society and the English Honor Society,” Marcy said.
But make no mistake — despite her many accomplishments, Marcy stays humble by relying on her faith. “Probably the most meaningful things I’ve done are all the school retreats John Paul has to offer,” she said. In 2025, she went on a school retreat to Nashville, Tenn., to visit the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, who oversee John Paul the Great.
The summers of 2023 and 2024, she attended the school’s mission trips to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. “I went with a group of about 12 other high schoolers and Father (Christopher S.) Tipton, and we held a Bible camp for the kids in the Navajo Nation. It’s a really neat experience,” she said. “The retreats were a really good opportunity for me to focus on what was really important in my life, and just being in communion with other people — talking about our faith and sharing it with other people.”
Marcy described the community at John Paul the Great as close knit. “Every face is familiar, and I can feel pretty comfortable talking to most people. And the school as a whole is very Christ-centered,” she said.
She said it’s that Catholic environment that she’ll miss most as she begins studying at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., where she plans to pursue a major in electrical engineering.
She continues a family legacy of attending the academy. “Both my parents and one of my older brothers actually went to the academy,” she said. “Every time I would go visit my brother, I would just fall in love with the campus.”
The first year will not be easy. “On June 29, that’s going to be the first day of what we call ‘Swab Summer,’ which is seven weeks of indoctrination and getting yelled at, working out physically,” she said. “That’s to prepare us for the rigor of the next four years of academics and the military environment.” Following graduation, Marcy will be commissioned for five years of service to the nation.
While the Coast Guard Academy lacks the faith-centric environment of John Paul the Great, Marcy plans to bring the faith-centric attitude to the academy. “I’m planning on joining the Catholic Campus Ministry, and I’ve heard there’s a lot of Bible studies available for the cadets,” she said.
She also hopes to bring a John Paul the Great ministry to the academy. “I recently joined a group called, ‘Mary and Joseph’s Great Army of Divine Mercy,’ ” she said. “I’m actually hoping to try to talk to some of the other cadets about it, and try to form a group there at the Coast Guard Academy as well.” Members pray for each other, “and we are all consecrated to Mary, Joseph and Divine Mercy,” she said.
While the shift from Catholic school to a military academy will be challenging, Marcy plans to take a spirit of hope with her.
“I’m going to miss being able to just talk about my faith openly,” she said, “but I do hope that I can continue to do that.”
