Contact: Jarrod Gerhardt | Cal Poly Maritime Academy | Director of Communications and Marketing

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Class of 2026 includes about 150 undergraduate and 20 master’s candidates

14 Navy ROTC and Navy Sealift cadets will also be commissioned in a special ceremony as ensigns in the U.S. Navy Reserve

VALLEJO, California — As a high school senior, Tyler Venator dreamed about studying mechanical engineering in college — but not of taking notes in a large lecture hall. He sought a more hands-on education and turned to his family for advice.

“My father suggested Cal Maritime, because he went here and he thought the engineering program aligned with my interests,” Venator said. “After I saw the campus and the ship, the Training Ship Golden Bear, I knew I wanted to come here.”

Four years later, Venator is ready to begin his career in shipbuilding and repair at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, in the only full-service shipyard on the West Coast, and over time, move into project management.

Venator is a member of California Maritime Academy’s final graduation class. (Next year marks the first graduating cohort of the Cal Poly Maritime Academy; the academy, first established in 1929, integrated with Cal Poly in July of 2025.)

Venator is part of the Class of 2026 roster of 150 undergraduate and 20 master’s candidates who will graduate in a ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 2, on campus at Bodnar Field. And at 9 a.m., 14 Cal Poly Maritime Academy cadets will be commissioned as ensigns through either the Strategic Sealift Midshipmen Program or Navy ROTC, as they continue their paths as licensed merchant mariners or active-duty officers in the U.S. Navy.

The Santa Clara, California, resident stands apart from his class peers; he rose through the ranks to become commander of the Corps of Cadets, as shown by the six-bars on his collar.

“I’m the senior-most cadet on campus in terms of leadership,” the 22-year-old said. “We’re like a pyramid structure. We’re self-governing, self-run. So, my job is to manage the day-to-day activities, making sure we’re adhering to standards set by the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration,” a U.S. Department of Transportation agency that promotes, develops and regulates the nation’s waterborne transportation system.

Cadets aren’t just students — they’re part of a crew. Every undergraduate in a license-track major (that identifies graduates as qualified mariners capable of operating and managing commercial vessels) is in the corps, but any student on campus can join, he said.

“You’re a student everywhere else, but you’re a cadet here, and what that means is you are paying attention to detail, your timeliness, your professionalism,” Venator said. “This is a leadership laboratory. So, you’re going to get opportunities and networking events that you would not have elsewhere.

“Wearing a uniform every day is one example of our attention to detail. Showing up to formation at 7 o’clock in the morning is another example. So, when we produce our graduates, they are instantaneously ready to be leaders in whatever industry they choose to go into.”

He embraced the Learn by Doing ethos from the first day he put on his khaki uniform. “We’re getting our hands on: on engines, on pumps. We’re getting dirty,” he said — especially on days when cadets don their dark-blue coveralls — a working uniform. “That means we are on our way to or coming from a class where we’re probably getting dirty.”

And they put what they learn into practice. License-track cadets go on three cruises, two aboard the school’s 500-foot training ship (also a floating classroom and lab for students in marine transportation and engineering) and a summer internship on a commercial vessel.

Last summer’s two-month sea term aboard the Training Ship Golden Bear departed Vallejo in May with a crew of 273 and stops in San Diego, Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Seattle before returning in early July.

The unique experience enriches global awareness while learning in an immersive classroom rolling through Western Pacific waters. This is accomplished while developing navigation, engineering and maritime leadership and career skills from duty on the bridge to the deck and into the engine room.

Venator believes that ethos helps every student prepare for careers as a seafarer.

“The combination of hands-on learning and built-in leadership experience sets us apart,” he said. “Unlike many universities, we don’t just develop students in the classroom. Our rigorous academics are paired with extensive practical training, and our graduates also stand out because of the leadership responsibilities they take on as cadets.

“By the time they graduate, all first-class cadets (seniors) will have more than a year of experience leading teams of underclassmen.”

As a freshman, formation days began in uniform at 6:30 a.m., a standing order where each cadet is accounted for, receives orders and prepares for their day’s training or duties. Classes stretch to 10 p.m. and are sometimes followed by a night watch shift.

“The friends I made, who were all going through the same grind, definitely helped me push through,” Venator said. “What helped just as much was knowing that what I was doing mattered. It was directly tied to my future and was making me a stronger engineer.”

Those real-world, useful skills bolstered his confidence and gave him an edge as he neared graduation.

“When I first came to Maritime, I wasn’t sure of myself. I knew I wanted to be an engineer and work with my hands, but I didn’t have a clear direction beyond that,” he said. “I also wasn’t focused on becoming a professional, and even if I had been, I wouldn’t have known where to start.

“Now, I feel like a completely different person. I’m prepared to enter the workforce, confident in my skills and knowledge, and I understand what it takes to lead and to be part of a team that gets the mission done.”