Four years ago – four men from Niceville loaded their bags and made their way to King’s Point, New York, to embark on a seaward life at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

The Niceville High Class of 2019 Grads, Christopher Loffer, Gavin Wilson, and Samuel Scholl, will graduate again on June 17, 2023. While there, they learned all the ins and outs of sailing, maritime law, celestial navigation, logistics management, economics, marketing, business and contract law, and brokerage insurance. The midshipmen get a degree in a hybrid between business administration and sailing.

The trio experienced COVID-19 and its effects on their four years of college. But they also got to experience the world abroad, America’s sailing vessels. During their second semester of sophomore year and their first semester of junior year – the midshipmen get on a boat and see what life is like in the United States Merchant Marine.

During his sophomore year, Loffler visited ports in Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, Dubai, and Oman. He visited Guam, Japan, and South Korea during their junior year. He served on a Sealift Command ship resupplying and refueling US Navy Vessels and heading back to port to grab more supplies for hundreds of vessels at sea.

It’s a fun life, Loffler says. “It’s a unique college experience. There are state maritime academies, we’re different, because we go out on commercial ships, we can go into any of the armed forces branches as an officer if we want to. We get free college, too. That’s a big one. All tuition paid. Room and board. There’s great sports teams and a bunch of cool events to go to. You’re 20 minutes away from New York City. You meet some of the best friends of your life.”