Vicksburg local, Samuel Terrett, sworn into Navy Civil Engineer Collegiate Program

VICKSBURG, MS. – Samuel Terrett, the son of Andre and Toni Terrett, has had quite the successful year. From winning this year’s Chillin’ in the Hills 5k, completing his pre-engineering degree at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, and being the guest speaker at the 124th annual Warren County Sunday School Convention, Terrett will add another accomplishment to an already stellar year. Terrett was sworn into the Navy Civil Engineer Collegiate Program (CECP) on Thursday. He was sworn into the program by General Crear.

Terrett, a graduate of Warren Central class of 2021, won MVP of the Vikings Cross Country Team his senior year, he also held the 4k run record.

“I became an Eagle Scout of Boy Scout Troop 638 in high school and, shortly after, left for Navy boot camp in 2021. While I was enlisted, I witnessed some of the best leadership skills I’ve seen,” said Terrett.

Navy Civil Engineer Collegiate Program

The Navy Civil Engineer Collegiate Program (CECP) is a program offered to enlisted personnel from all branches, as well as civilians with or finishing a STEM degree who are interested in joining the Civil Engineer Corps (CEC). The CEC primarily work on Naval Bases (NAVFAC) on construction projects, infrastructure repairs and maintenance, facility support contracts, real estate management, natural resource management, environmental planning and management, and many other facilities engineering areas for the Navy and Marine Corps.

The program allows students within 18-24 months of finishing their Bachelor’s degree to receive benefits while being a student as well as a spot reserved for Officer Candidate School (OCS). Green to Gold programs such as this allow enlisted soldiers a path to becoming an officer.

Service Over Self

“I became interested in engineering after participating in a summer camp called Service Over Self (SOS),” said Terrett, “This program allowed me to be led by experienced carpenters in repairing homes in the community at no costs. It really taught me what it means to be led and how to closely follow orders.”

Terrett, is currently enrolled at Jackson State University to pursue a Civil Engineering degree and is in the Navy Reserves.

“I chose the CECP to apply to because my school does not have a Navy ROTC program,” said Terrett, “If anyone wants to join, here are a few things they should know. This program is looking for candidates with strong leadership potential, so I highly encourage a potential candidate to take as many leadership positions as possible and be very involved in a community.”

Candidates for the program have their application reviewed by a selection board. The board uses a “whole person” approach, looking at GPA, letters of reference, and past community involvement.