It was carrying one of the Guard's newest recruits.

Grace Kessler is a junior at Metro State and is the first Coloradan accepted into the Coast Guard's college student pre-commissioning initiative.

The Coast Guard only awards 24 scholarships a year, and Kessler is getting one.

She says one of her goals is to become a helicopter pilot.

"Well it's still a lot of work to get there. I still have to apply to flight school and get into rotor craft, but it feels amazing. All the officers are really helpful and full of information and it is just so much fun," she said.

The Coast Guard hopes landing the helicopter on the Auraria campus will get other students interested in a career with the Coast Guard.

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