Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

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It’s the time of year again that we all anticipate or dread: Valentine’s Day! The only holiday that exists to celebrate the simplest human emotion and the relationships that bind humanity together whether it be as friends or significant others. No matter what you do this Valentine’s Day just remember to have fun! The day isn’t made for single people to mope and complain but to celebrate the friends that they have. So if you are in the single group get over it and go have some fun!!

For those people who aren’t single enjoy the company of your significant other or partner. You don’t necessarily have to go out and do something elaborate you can still have fun just watching a movie or doing something else you enjoy together.

As college students, a lot of dating happens on campus and sometimes people are lucky enough to find their life partner here at Embry-Riddle. For example, I recently heard of a couple who met day one of orientation their freshman year and became instant friends. They are still together as seniors! Sometimes you just know when you find the right person and hopefully all of our readers already have or will soon! Maybe some of our incoming freshman will be that lucky, you never know unless you take the chance.

Whether we all find that person or not, just remember that Valentine’s Day is for everyone, so no moping!!!! Thanks for reading everyone, enjoy all the candy and fun with friends 🙂

All Wrapped up for the Fall Semester!

It’s official, the semester is finally over and our new graduates are on their way!! (check out our photos)

As everyone heads home for the holidays its a wonderful time of year here in Prescott, AZ and I’m sure we are all ready for a break. However, most students must travel quite a ways to get home so, in order to expedite the trip home and ensure that you do so safely, here are some travel tips!

  1. Get plenty of rest the night before you leave town, especially if you are driving!
  2. If you are driving DO NOT drive more than 6 hours without taking a break. Also remain vigilant as other drivers may not be as good of a driver as you and could cause an accident.
  3. For our flyers, take lots of vitamin C so you don’t catch a cold on those crowded planes.
  4. If you have a place off campus be sure to turn down your heat to 55-60 F, turn off all the lights, close all windows and doors, etc. before you leave.

Brief but, useful tips! I hope that everyone has safe travels back home this year and hopefully we will see our returning students again soon. Thanks for reading everyone!!

A Photographic Journey Through the Beauty of Prescott, Arizona

In the following blog, Colton takes you on a visual journey through some of Prescott’s most iconic scenery. You can click on the image to view a larger version.

First we start off with Thumb Butte, one of the highest points in Prescott.

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Thumb Butte and the surrounding area looks just as stunning in the Winter

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Next, we take a look at the lakes near to Embry-Riddle campus (Watson and Willow Lake).

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My friends and I often take our multirotors out to the lake for some aerial photos and video.

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This is the back of Watson Lake dam

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One of my favorite spots in Prescott is Spruce Mountain Lookout. From the top of the mountain you are rewarded with a beautiful view of Prescott below.

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Glowing Mountains

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Another hidden gym is Prescott’s Lynx Creek system. In winter/spring the creek flows with snowmelt and produces gorgeous scenery.

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Our final destination is Prescott’s Downtown Courthouse square. The square presents beautiful colors in the fall as well as spring, and in the winter the entire courthouse and surroundings are covered with Christmas lights. For more info on that see this blog -> https://riddlenationaz.erau.edu/tag/lights/

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Included below are a few more photos that showcase some random but amazing scenery surrounding Prescott, Arizona.

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And to close it up, a few shots of/around Embry Riddle campus!

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If you have any questions feel free to comment below!

-Colton Campbell

 

 

Watch Student UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Club

In today’s video blog, Colton gives you a glimpse into one of the most popular on-campus attractions for Riddle students… The UAS club!

 

 

For more information, comment below to get in contact with someone!

Stay tuned for more exciting videos about life at Embry Riddle and its surroundings.

No Fear – Why I Now Love Arizona!

Arizona. If I am being completely honest, I never wanted to live in Arizona. From the sun, the snakes, and no trees I was skeptical and afraid when I moved here in August. But with the fall semester winding down, and my first semester of college wrapping up, I can honestly say that I have fallen in love with Arizona.

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For one, Prescott has four seasons and trees. Perfect pool weather in August and chilly fall temperatures that makes my inner Washingtonian smile. I could not be more blessed. I love being able to walk around campus and see the leaves on the ground, with the chill of the fall breeze on my back.

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Besides the weather, there are so many adventures to be had! This past week I drove up to Page, Arizona with Chi Alpha and explored two different canyons. Coming from a place filled with trees, I found the bouldering, mountain goating, and crawling through slot canyons to be truly magnificent and different.

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Winding through narrow pathways surrounded by beautiful rocks, climbing over boulders that look like a scene from Star Wars, and watching the sunset over the Horseshoe Bend allows you to take a moment and reflect.

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Arizona has challenged me, shown me glorious things, and gave me new friendships. The fear of moving to a place filled with cactus, snakes, and sun has left and been replaced with joy, adventure, and friendship.

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Don’t be afraid of the unknown or moving to a new state, it will be scary and hard in the beginning, but trust me you are not alone. Soon the fear will be turned into other things, like it has for me, and you will wonder why you were scared in the beginning. It’s time to start a new chapter in your life, time to jump in with two feet, and know it will be worth it!

Winter is Here!

Hey there everyone, it is that time of year again where it starts to get frosty outside! Embry-Riddle students in Prescott, Arizona really love the winter weather. It is our favorite time of year because in this state it is simply magical! Check out some photos from this week and see for yourself 🙂

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Yes it is!

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Amazing Ice Patterns

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A Drop of Water Frozen in a Leaf

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Snow Flakes Close UP!

As you can see potential students, it is definitely a University where you will need a decent winter coat. We recommend decent because as most students have stated, it only gets cold enough for you to enjoy the winter weather not cold enough to freeze off those fingers and toes. For those people who haven’t seen snow before this may be the place for you! As part of the college experience you should embrace new places and experiences, seeing the snow for the first time is the perfect way to start off! The majority of the freshman class is fascinated by the beauty of snow and frost every November and hopefully someday soon that will be you!

Get that application in and start looking for a coat! We would love to welcome you to our campus and hopefully tempt you into a snowball fight some day soon! If you are fan of frosty weather stop by and visit us today! We give super fun tours starting at the Welcome Center 🙂

What Surprised Me Most About ERAU

Located in the Arizona desert is an unexpected beauty: the little city of Prescott and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Here it seems as though we have it all – brilliant and dedicated students, wonderful staff and faculty, good athletics, a truly convenient and ideal location, and the best views in Prescott – but really, the list goes on. Of all aspects of ERAU, I find that the one that has surprised me the most, and is by far my favorite part about this school, is the endless opportunities and countless resources that are provided to us as students.

In my year of being a student at Embry-Riddle, I have realized that one of the most important things is taking advantage of all of those opportunities given in order to be not only a successful student, but also a successful individual post-graduation. As I have seen so far, these opportunities are so kindly laid out right in front of us. So exactly what kind of opportunities am I speaking of? One such resource is the amazing staff and faculty. Because we attend a smaller university, it is much easier to get to know your professors and other staff on campus. Each person has an amazing and interesting story to tell, and with their stories come great networking connections from all over the aviation industry.

In this industry and especially on this campus, networking is one of the most important things you could ever do. Luckily, we have many networking opportunities. One of the biggest networking events occurs annually in the first week of October, during ERAU’s homecoming weekend, OctoberWest. This event is known as the career fair. Every fall, students dress up in their sharpest business casual outfits, perfect and print out copies of their resume, and have the extraordinary opportunity to talk to recruiters from some of the biggest aviation-related businesses. Many representatives from the airlines (Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, American Airlines, etc.) are in attendance for all those Aeronautical Science and Aeronautics students. The biggest engineering companies (Boeing, Honeywell, Raytheon), and even a recruiter from the FBI comes out to talk to our student body.

Another major resource is the vast amount of clubs and organizations that have been established on campus. There are far over 100 clubs and organizations that range from professional development organizations like the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and Airline Pilot Association (ALPA ACE) to lighter, more fun ones like Music Club, as well as the Blue Eagles Skydiving Team. One of the things I have learned is that in order to be successful in the future, you must begin NOW by learning how to properly balance school, a job, and a social life. Joining these clubs may be a fun and exciting way to pass the time, but they will also look better on a resume and show that you are more than just an intelligent student.

Although I haven’t been here for all that long, I’ve found that all of these opportunities can really make or break our career as a student and a professional. Since the beginning, I have been very involved on campus, joining many clubs (as well as greek life) and attending as many events as I can fit in my schedule. Because of this, I have reached new heights and I only hope that others can and will do the same.

Again, if any of you have questions, needs guidance, or just someone to talk to, I, along with my peers will be here with you along your journey to and at Embry-Riddle. Follow me and check out what is yet to come!

IMG_3759 (800x533)Prescott, the heart of Arizona is truly an amazing and beautiful place

IMG_2101 (800x532)Nature holds its own free shows during monsoon season

IMG_2343 (800x533)Even the surrounding nature can show promise and beauty

IMG_2269 (800x533)We’re also conveniently located a little over an hour away from other areas in Arizona such as Jerome (shown in picture), Flagstaff, Sedona, and Phoenix.

IMG_2388 (800x533)OctoberWest weekend Fall 2014 mini aircraft display. My very first airshow!

IMG_5615 (800x533)Being a part of Alpha Sigma Tau has been a wonderful journey and has provided me with a fun, trustworthy group of girls I know I can always count on.

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IMG_3828 (800x533)Being part of AAAE opened my eyes to new opportunities, sparked a love for Aviation Business, and has allowed me to do things I never would have imagined. In this picture, we flew to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a private tour. As part of the tour, they closed down the center runway and let us walk on it and watch aircraft landing and departing on either side of us!

OctoberWest Success!

This year’s October West celebration was a success yet again! There were tons of cool events planned and neat people to meet, I wish there had more time to do it all! Some of our awesome events were the job fair, shopping cart parade, Friday Fair, Wings Out West Air show, and the parachute hunt! That isn’t even the full list, it’s only the ones that I was able to participate in!!

Check out some of the pictures I took while participating in the cool events:

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Pugil Sticks at the Friday Fair

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Right before a takedown!

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Inflatable Hamster Ball Race Winner

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Jet Fly over at the Air Show!

October West is a great time to come visit the University and become immersed in our diverse, fun, and intelligent community. For current students it also the perfect time to make connections in the Industry as the job fair attracts companies looking to hire our students after graduation. The majority of these companies are also looking for interns so, even first year students have the opportunity to get employment experience that will help them when they start looking for jobs.

If you have any questions about what it is like to be an Embry Riddle Prescott student please let us know by commenting below. We hope to see you at this event next year, we are excited to meet new people!

 

 

 

Exploring Prescott- The Pond [Aerial Granite Basin Views] Part 1

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Hello all, VLogger Colton Campbell here! Back for my sophomore year at Embry-Riddle Prescott, and needed to take a study break! Touting my trusty quadcopter, I went and explored (from the air) Granite Basin recreational area in the Prescott National forest. With a gorgeous sunset and beautiful scenery, I couldn’t help but share in the spoils captured from the evening.

This is part 1 of a multi-part series of Exploring Prescott, so stay tuned for more soon!

 

Checkout more aerial stuff here ——————————————————————————-> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbQKjdB6ZinVnqsDkyZhP3g

In case you missed an earlier Vlog, checkout this one where Colton and Ben mountain bike Granite Basin loop!

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

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.

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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.
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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!
Powell Blobbing
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.

Powell Fire Pit
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!

Powell Group
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.