About Megan

Freshman

GSIS Global Business

**Major:** Global Security and Intelligence and Global Business

**Hometown:** Renton, Washington

**Research:** Can’t wait to get started

**Activities:** Sorority Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Alpha, Swimming, Hiking/Exploring

**Favorite Class:** Introduction to Global Security and Intelligence

**Favorite thing to do in Prescott:** Explore downtown and hike

**In my free time I…** like to go swimming, spend time with my friends, craft, watch Netflix, and explore the great outdoors

The Suite Life! On-campus Housing at ERAU

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Megan

Wow, it is October! It is crazy to think I have been at this amazing school for two months. Coming to college there has been a lot to adjust to like being on my own, rigorous schoolwork, and having not only one roommate but five. At Embry-Riddle traditional freshman are required to live on campus, and they are most commonly housed in the Mingus Mountain Complex. The rooms are set up as suites, which include three, two person bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a lounge with a mini kitchen. Like most freshman I am in Mingus.

Before school started my roommate and I started talking and decided we wanted to room together, this was the best decision for me. We get along great, we love Harry Potter, chocolate, and life. My four suite mates on the other hand, were luck of the draw. On move in day, I was terrified to meet my suite-mates in person. Questions were running through my head; will they like me? Are we going to get along? And how is suite life going to work? I am happy to report that I love my suite.

These five people have turned into part of my family on campus. They are always there to have dinner, go to the library, watch movies, or talk. Since we have become so close, it is inevitable that there are disagreements. Living with new people and spending a lot of time with them can be a rough adjustment. There are people that are closer than others and some that irritate you, but you always know they have your back. The relationships are very much like that of siblings. Your suite, or at least mine, will bicker and fight, then ten minutes later be on the floor laughing together.

Even though it is not all smiles and laughter, I would not change my experience on campus for anything. Being 5 minutes from class, dinner, or the library is something that is very nice and makes living on campus a major plus. In addition, living with other freshman in your suite and hall makes it easy to make friends on campus.

I know before school started I had questions about chores, cleaning and such. Yes, students are responsible for cleaning their bathrooms, and no it is not as bad as it seems. What my suite has done is create a cleaning schedule and everyone has a chore for the week, and we rotate through the system. And so far our system has been going smoothly.

Don’t be afraid of living on campus or in a suite. It is part of the freshman experience. Living with five other people will push you, and challenge you, but in the end will make you a better person. They will show the good the bad and the ugly of having roommates but the dynamics of the suite are something you will remember forever. Trust me I have only been living on campus for eight weeks and I have hundreds of stories about my suite-mates and hall mates.

My Lake Powell Adventure – College is so much more than you think!

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Megan

Imagine getting in a car one Friday and driving four and a half hours to the border of Arizona and Utah to spend the weekend on an island with 75 of your friends. That is what last weekend was for me. At Embry-Riddle I have been highly involved with Chi Alpha which is a campus ministry group that focuses on crazy adventures, and building community.

Powell Car (Small)
This past weekend was Chi Alpha’s Lake Powell Adventure. For this trip, we carpooled out to Lake Powell, boated to our own island, and played on the water. There was boating, tubing, blobbing, water-skiing, cliff jumping, salsa dancing, campfires, great food, and even better friends.

Friday night we arrived on our island to find three campfires, dinner, and s’mores. Some of the boys decided to go night cliff jumping while the rest of us talked and hung out around the fire. That night we slept on the beach under hundreds of stars. It was beautiful.
Saturday started with a bang. My friends and I decided after breakfast to go cliff jumping. It was terrifying but worth it. Then it was on to tubing and water skiing for the rest of the day. Because of all the different water activities some people would be on the boats, others cliff jumping, relaxing, and even blobbing. If you do not know, a blob is an inflatable bag of air that someone sits on the end of, while another person jumps and catapults them into the air, it is really cool. Even though I decided not to get blobbed, there is always next year!

The day ended with a relaxing campfire again. This time some of the boys decided to create a mote with a fire in the center, which allowed us all to be together. We ate, sang, and bonded under the night’s sky.

Then we packed up and headed home on Sunday. Four and a half hours in the car is a way to build a friendship that you never thought you would have. The car ride to Powell was very entertaining. Singing to Disney, and rocking out in the convertible was an experience I will not forget!

It is hard to capture the love I have for Chi Alpha and the trip in this post. But the relationships and adventures I have had through this organization are amazing and I know will stay with me long after college.

Before you head off to college everyone says to get involved, and it is true. Being a first year student, I do not know what college would be like without the clubs and organizations I am a part of, and the people I have meet through them.

Follow Me Through my Freshman Year!

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Megan

Hi everyone! My name is Megan and I am a freshman here at the lovely Prescott, AZ Campus ERAU Home of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I am originally from Renton,
Washington, which is about twenty minutes outside of Seattle, and very different from Ari My home in WA zona.
Coming from a rainy part of the US, the sun took me by surprise, but I can honestly say that I have fallen in love with Prescott, the sun included.

During my time at ERAU I will be studying Global Security and Intelligence and plan on double majoring in Global Business as well. I am studying GSIS because I want to make a difference in people’s lives, and help them feel safe and secure no matter where they come from. This is something I have known since I was little, and finding ERAU has given me a path way achieve my dream. After college my top goal is to work for the Department of State as a U.S. Diplomat.

Outside of the classroom life is pretty busy. An organization I have been Sorority fun very involved in already is Chi Alpha. This group goes on adventures during the weekend and has helped me build a community in my short time being on campus.
Recently I have also had the privilege of being offered a bid from Alpha Xi Delta, and will soon be a new member of this wonderful sorority! Because of the recent club fair I am becoming involved with the Mountain Club, and Engineers without Boarders. There are truly hundreds of clubs to join and things to get involved in. Which makes life here even more fun. Even though I am new to campus and Prescott I already feel as if I have a strong community surrounding me and I will be able to achieve my goals.
Since college New Friends! is a time for new opportunities, stress, and an enormous amount of fun I invite you to follow me through my freshman year. We can go through the challenges and triumphs together, so that if you are considering ERAU or another university you will have an idea what the life is truly like as a freshman.