The End to an Incredible Chapter

4 and a half years ago I took my first steps onto the campus of Embry-Riddle as a confused, excited, optimistic, and scared freshman. How would I fit in here? How am I going to survive without my parents? What would I do during my free time? What would I do without my high school friends? There were so many thoughts racing through my head that day. This was a huge first step for me. I left New Orleans, LA to follow my dreams of becoming an airline pilot one day. Fast forward to today (December 19, 2016) and boy have things changed since that exciting first day on August 20, 2012. I am now at the very end of my journey here. Another chapter in the story has been completed. Looking at myself in the mirror now I can’t even see that 18-year old freshman anymore. I was just a kid when I started here. I am now at the very early stages of my adulthood and I see things completely different at this stage of my life compared to then. It’s crazy to see just how much I’ve grown in the last 4 and a half years.

People always tell you that college is going to be one of the best times of your life. I didn’t quite believe that statement. Why you ask? Well to me I couldn’t imagine how all-nighters, stress-infused days worrying about grades, assignments, work, and bills would be one of the best times of my life. However, now as I look back at the journey that I have had at Riddle I can definitely say without a doubt that my time here has been not “one of” but “the” best time of my life. Prescott, Arizona has truly become my home and the friends that I have met here are no longer just friends; they are truly my family. Riddle has a great way of molding you into the person you were destined to become through the many challenges the curriculum places on you while you try to navigate through adulthood. If I had a dollar for every time I said I was ready to quit I would be on Forbes top billionaires list. As I begin walking back down memory lane, images of a solo flight direct from KPRC (Prescott) to Kingman and Lake Havasu and back to Prescott, experiencing the state of Arizona from a vantage point of about 10,000’ or more; taking in breath taking views of the red rocks of Sedona, the majestic snow covered San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, the city lights of Phoenix as they open up in the distance as we go from Arizona’s high country to the valley, traveling to 7 different beautiful life changing countries through study abroad programs, working in Embry-Riddles admissions department, administering tours as a campus ambassador to prospective students and their families just to name a few. With every great memory comes amazing people to share them with. My time here at riddle has also provided me with the great pleasure of meeting my “squad!” The most memorable experience that I’ve had here is having the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people known to mankind. Ok, that may be a bit dramatic but honestly this experience wouldn’t be nothing without the people that have been by my side from the very beginning. They have been the ones to take me to the ER at crazy hours of the night when I got sick. They are the ones that stayed up with me for hours helping me with an assignment that I chose to procrastinate on and waited the night before to finish. These are the people who put up with my craziness when even I lost patience with myself. They are the ones I’ve spent every long, drawn out, hot, and boring Prescott summers with and made it some of my most memorable summer breaks. They are the ones who invited me to their homes all across the United States for holiday breaks when it was too expensive for me to travel back home. They are the ones who most importantly have been there to hold me during some of life’s most challenging moments. They are the ones who have been their to wipe away my tears and help me back to my feet through some very challenging breakups. Embry-Riddle for me has been so much more than an Aeronautical University that has served as a pillar for my academic and professional success but it has become the foundation to my adulthood that has provided me a journey that I will forever remember.

As I begin flight planning for the next chapter in my life, I look back at ERAU in the rearview of my car. As I drive to Phoenix Sky Harbor to board a flight to Berlin, Germany I see all the memories flash through my head. It is a bittersweet feeling leaving behind the place that helped raise me into the person that looks back at me when I look in the mirror. Prescott, Arizona will always hold a special place in my heart because it has shown me the time of my life. Tears fill my eyes as riddle fades further and further into the distance, and I see the impeccably beautiful Arizona sunset fall beneath Granite Mountain as the city of Prescott begins to slowly quiet down reminding me exactly how and why

4 and a half years ago I walked onto the campus of Embry-Riddle a confused, excited, optimistic, and scared freshman. How would I fit in here? How am I going to survive without my parents? What would I do during my free time? What would I do without my high school friends? There were so many thoughts racing through my head that day. This was a huge first step for me. I left New Orleans, LA to follow my dreams of becoming an airline pilot one day. Fast forward to today (December 19, 2016) and boy have things changed since that exciting first day on August 20, 2012. I am now at the very end of my journey here. Another chapter in the story has been completed. Looking at myself in the mirror now I can’t even see that 18-year old freshman. I was just a kid when I started here. I am now at the very early stages of my adulthood now and I see things completely different now. It’s crazy to see just how much I’ve grown in the last 4 and a half years.

People always tell you that college is one of the best times of your life. I didn’t quite believe that statement. Why you ask? Well to me I couldn’t imagine how all-nighters, stress-infused days worrying about grades, assignments, work, and bills would be one of the best times of my life. However, now as I look back at the journey that I have had at Riddle I can definitely say without a doubt that my time here has been not “one of” but “the” best time of my life. Prescott, Arizona has truly become my home and the friends that I have met here are no longer just friends; they are truly my family. Riddle has a great way of molding you into the person you were destined to become through the many challenges the curriculum places on you while you try to navigate through adulthood. If I had a dollar for every time I said I was ready to quit I would be on Forbes top billionaires list. As I begin walking back down memory lane, images of a solo flight direct from KPRC (Prescott) to Kingman and Lake Havasu and back to Prescott, experiencing the state of Arizona from a vantage point of about 10,000’ or more; taking in breath taking views of the red rocks of Sedona, the majestic snow covered San Francisco Peaks in Flagstaff, the city lights of Phoenix as they open up in the distance as we go from Arizona’s high country to the valley, traveling to 7 different beautiful life changing countries through study abroad programs, working in Embry-Riddles admissions department, administering tours as a campus ambassador to prospective students and their families just to name a few. With every great memory comes amazing people to share them with. My time here at riddle has also provided me with the great pleasure of meeting my “squad!” The most memorable experience that I’ve had here is having the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people known to mankind. Ok, that may be a bit dramatic but honestly this experience wouldn’t be nothing without the people that have been by my side from the very beginning. They have been the ones to take me to the ER at crazy hours of the night when I got sick. They are the ones that stayed up with me for hours helping me with an assignment that I chose to procrastinate on and waited the night before to finish. These are the people who put up with my craziness when even I lost patience with myself. They are the ones I’ve spent every long, drawn out, hot, and boring Prescott summers with and made it some of my most memorable summer breaks. They are the ones who invited me to their homes all across the United States for holiday breaks when it was too expensive for me to travel back home. They are the ones who most importantly have been there to hold me during some of life’s most challenging moments. They are the ones who have been their wipe away my tears and help me back to my feet for very challenging breakups. Embry-Riddle for me has been so much more than an Aeronautical University that has served as a pillar for my academic and professional success but it has become the foundation to my adulthood that has provided me a journey that I will forever remember.

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that an airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” -Henry Ford

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