Featured Firstie: 1/C Kelly Hughes

  POSTED ON: Friday, January 13, 2023 11:07 AM by mediarelations@usna.edu

Our first Firstie Friday of the spring semester features Midshipman 1/C (senior) Kelly Hughes. She is a member of 1st Company and from Yarmouth, Maine. 

Hughes, a chemistry major, is on the Navy Women's Hockey Team, the Vice President of USNA Navy Medicine Club, President of USNA Green Club, and President of the Midshipmen Action Group (MAG).

This evening, she will be presented the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Award for distinguished service in numerous outreach projects and surrounding communities. Through her position in the Midshipman Action Group (MAG) and Navy Medicine Club, Hughes organized a successful DoD Marrow Donor Program “Salute to Life” at USNA, registering more than 600 donors which led to a match. She has also participated in several other outreach programs such as Harvest for the Hungry, Mids For Kids, Boys and Girls Club, and assisted living events.

When asked about her reasons for applying to USNA, Hughes said, “For the people.” Additionally, both of her parents attended the Coast Guard Academy, so she grew up listening to exciting sea stories and saw how her parents still maintained their service academy friendships. One of her favorite experiences here was her Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture (LREC) in the UK, where she visited London, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Dublin.

In her last semester here, Hughes looks forward to “spending as much time with friends as possible” and hopes that her hockey team makes nationals in March. Hughes will commission into the #SubmarineForce in May. 

Category: Midshipman