We Brought Home Hardware from the Phi Beta Lambda Business Competition

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Carlos

Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), the business club of Embry-Riddle had outstanding participation in the 2016 PBL Arizona Leadership Competition. This is my first year competing and it was a great experience! PBL Arizona is a business competition that has many different areas to compete in. I competed in three areas which were: accounting principles (individual), forensic accounting (team), and accounting and decision making (team), but there were so many more areas. I could see that by far, Embry-Riddle had many more students than the other colleges, which was so cool.

Embry-Riddle and faculty provided transportation and hotels for every one attending. Our first day of competition was Friday 8^thand afterwards we went to Buffalo Wild Wings to hang out for the evening. Everyone was dressed so cool. The first day was business casual. The second day the dress code was totally business formal — suit, tie, formal shoes and dresses were the minimum for the second day.

At the end of the second day all the participants gathered in a salon where we had a great buffet and afterwards we received the trophies and medals. When the event was totally over, we stayed a little bit longer just to chat socialize with the other teams.

Before this tournament I knew a few people in my major, but now I feel that I have build so many more friendships. This was a great experience and I am certainly doing it again next year!

Go Hard or Go Home — My Arrival Story

Posted on January 21, 2016 by #ERAUPrescott

I would like to share a piece of advice to anyone reading this blog. I know I am not your friend (I can be though if you leave a comment!) or your parent but if I can help or motive somebody out there it will make me happy.

I was just a kid of 18 years old when I decided to come to some wrestling tournaments in Arizona (remember, I’m from Mexico). The infrastructure behind the tournaments was impressive and right away I really wanted to stay and compete here in U.S. I only could participate in one tournament because they were so expensive. But I won! I won the only tournament that I could afford (thank you to my parents!). In that tournament I caught one coach’s attention (Fernando).

I noticed he was always around to see my matches, so I introduced myself and we exchanged e-mails to keep in touch. “He is a great guy” I thought. After some months of emailing each other, Fernando put in front of me the opportunity that was going to change my life. He asked if I would like to come to U.S. to finish high school and learn English. There are not words enough to describe the feelings that came over me. I said yes right away! The only problem I could foresee was that I did not have any prior or even basic knowledge of the English language. The only two words I knew were “bathroom” and “food” and I think I could not pronounce them correct!

One of the hardest days in my life was leaving my home country. I had to give up friends, family, culture, food, my living style, basically everything I had and I knew for this one single shot of success. It was going to be way more difficult than just trying to “learn a little English and finish high school” as Fernando inferred.

I was under a lot of pressure. In one year I had to get a scholarship, finish high school, and learn more than basic English or I would have to go back to Mexico and leave my wrestling team. Fernando helped me do all the paper work required to get in high school. He had faith in me.

Everyone in the school told me that to graduate from high school, for someone in zero level English, was going to take a minimum of 2 years of special classes. Even my consul said to me, “Carlos, I am sorry to tell you this but finishing high school in one year is not something achievable.” The only thought that came to my mind after everybody told me that what I wanted was impossible was, “No body will tell me what I can or I can’t do, I am graduating!!”

I still remember the first day of classes; it was cloudy, wet and very cold. The school placed me in an English program for level zero English students. I can think of nothing that has challenged me more than the first two months of high school. I could not understand anything in classes or in regular basic situations. I used to get very frustrated in the two regular classes I was taking – Pre-calculus and U.S. History – classes that even for English speakers are complicated. I pushed my self every single day for the next six months. Then suddenly I could understand 60 percent of the whole class. For me that was what I needed to push myself even farther. The next week I went to the principle to tell her that I was dropping the special classes to become a regular student. Regular classes were awful and hard and I wasn’t able to communicate with any professor yet. But finally, when those 12 months were over, somehow, I overcame every single obstacle. I passed all the classes; I passed the state test; I finished the 3 credits I was behind; I got a scholarship; and I graduated. It was one of my happiest days in my life.

This is just a short part of what I have been through. I’m writing this because I would like to reach as many students as I can to tell them that any obstacle, any hard class, any problem can be solved if you want it bad enough. I know Embry-Riddle is not an easy college but it is one of the best. I encourage you to try as hard as you can and eventually you will overcome what is stopping you. If I could graduate from high school without any English knowledge, you can get done whatever you want.

—As my old coach from Mexico always told me ” Go hard or go home.” That’s the best I can translate it.

Have an awesome semester!

5 Tools to Survive Winter in Prescott (especially if you are from Mexico)

Posted on January 21, 2016 by #ERAUPrescott

The last month was one of the coldest months in Prescott. The place I came from is nothing like Prescott. I’m from Mexico – warm weather and beaches. The weather back in my town is never lower than 50 F. Now you can imagine how hard and rough winter has been for me! (Don’t laugh)

I did research about the human body’s spots that lose the heat fastest. I found out that those spots are: hands, head, toes, and the neck. Based on that, the following 5 items are the basic winter equipment everyone should have to survive in Prescott.

1. Waterproof jacket — There are times when Prescott becomes a massive waterfall. A waterproof jacket is necessary.

2. Waterproof boots — Prescott is not known for having a lot of snow but sometimes it dumps (like this year). Waterproof boots will help you to keep your toes dry and warm. I can say that I really needed them!

3. Gloves — Cold hands are not funny, they hurt and the feeling of not feeling them is awful. Get good gloves. They are essential.

4. Warm hat — The research shows that the head is the spot that loses heat fastest. A good hat is very important.

5. Car cover (if you don’t have a garage) — Even with a waterproof jacket, waterproof boots, gloves and a warm hat, you still won’t want to get up early to scrape your car. Get a car cover.

With this basic winter equipment you will survive.

Beautiful snow in Prescott

Part 2 – How to Succeed as a Student-Athlete at Embry-Riddle

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Carlos

In my opinion, the most important factor for a student-Athlete to be successful is diet and good eating habits. The fact that they train and go to school every day, all week, all year causes them feel two or three times more tired than a normal stu Food Pyramid dent. Athletes are always running on 3000 revolution a minute every day trying to recover muscle, finish projects, homework, resting, going to the training room in case of injury, preparing food, getting ready for trips, losing weight, and more. Diet is essential!! Good eating habits will provide enough energy and vitamins to do all the activities that a student-athlete has to get done every day. A bad diet based on fast food or a lack of nutrients is totally destructive not only for your sport but also for the most important factor that keeps you here – your career as student.

One of my favorite dishes chicken mole with rice. So good and healthy!

A bad diet would cause you poor muscle recovery after training, poor attention in class, and can make you feel more tired than normal. If an athlete is not eating the correct food his/her body is never going to recover to keep up with the high-speed lifestyle student-athletes live in.

Breaks, holidays, and time off is a two-edged sword for Student-Athletes. Holidays and breaks are something I personally love because it’s when we take a huge breathe of fresh air into our bodies and we can go back home for more than a few days to visit our family and friends. The thing is that we are not only students, we are also representing Embry-Riddle in athletics and breaks are the perfect moment to get out of shape. This certainly happened to me over the summer when I went back home. Everything was perfect – I saw family and friends and relaxed a little. But, I knew that if I wanted to come back in good shape for the next season I had to keep running a minimum of three times a week and do some other exercises. The first week I did what I had to do, I was very motivated, but after some weeks I got lazy and I stopped training. I was at home, no school, no tournaments, and of course good food, basically no stress at all. After summer break, the time to come back arrived and when I got back to the normal training I was totally devastated. My body wasn’t ready for that level of training. I had three very hard weeks to get used to the intense training again. I was sore, exhausted, and I got a knee injury. Right then I made a promise to myself I will never do that again, ever!! Now even if I am on a break I will keep moving, exercising, running, and preparing myself for whatever new challenge is coming!

Being a Student-Athlete is often, actually, never easy. I have had times in my life when I was so tired – tired to a level that I cannot sleep, tired to a level that I got sick, tired to a level that the only thing I wanted was to give up. In those moments, sometimes I think “Why I am here? Why am I doing this to myself? Why?!! This does not make any sense! I would rather be sleeping until 9 AM, only going to school and not dealing with physical pain. Instead I have 5:00 AM training in winter, then school, then afternoon training, then homework and today is just Wednesday! Not even half the week is gone and the worst thing is I have to do laundry because I don’t have any clean sock for tomorrow!” Yes, I can get overwhelmed. Once that has passed, I remember that I want to be successful, that I want to be the best, that I want to be a great person for society, and then I remember that every single drop of sweat, every 5 AM training, every single second in the wrestling room and the classroom are totally worth it.

Keep It Up and Never Give Up!!!

How to Succeed as a Student-Athlete at Embry-Riddle

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Carlos

ERAU Wrestling!

Soccer, wrestling, and volleyball are just some of the sports Embry-Riddle has on campus for any student to join (see all of them on our sports website). Mostly the head coaches from our teams go out to do recruiting around the U.S. or in my case another country (remember, I’m originally from Mexico), with the purpose to bring them together in a team. Many student-athletes are chosen to get a scholarship to help them pass through college. Even though getting a scholarship in a sport is a great success it also brings many responsibilities and challenges to those who agree to take it. I know this because I’m proud to be on the ERAU Wrestling team (check out my signing notice).

Student-Athletes will have many challenge and responsibilities. One of the most challenging obstacles to overcome is finding the balance between college (homework, meetings, projects, etc.) and training (rest, eating habits, trips, etc.). Time-management becomes a critical skill for student-athletes. This skill will help you find time for every single activity you have to get done between college life and athletic life, also allowing you to give 100% in the school and 100% in the training.

In my personal experience, this skill took me too long to understand and develop to an optimal level. For example, early in the semester I made my schedule for homework, training times, rest and recovery times, etc. Everything was ready for the following week, but on Wednesday when I was supposed to sleep at 10:00 PM because I had training the following morning at 5:30 AM, a friend invited me to go watch a movie. “No big deal,” I thought to myself, but the movie started at 10:30 PM and ended at 12:00 AM, and so by the time I was back home it was already 1:00 AM! You can imagine what happened – I got 4 hours or so of sleep. I was tired for my training the follow morning, tired for the classes after training and too tired to keep doing the things I was supposed to get done in my weekly schedule. Time management is the most critical skill in college life. Ironically, our worst enemy is our self. In college, nobody will chase you telling you when to sleep, eat, or do homework, all of those duties are up to you.

“Conquer first yourself, then the world will fall at your feet.” -Augustine

Another area I consider critical for student-athletes is the balance between homework/classes and the sports season. Fall sports have already started. For example Cross-country is going to have its first trip-tournament in couple of days and Volleyball has already traveled.

Volleyball at Embry-Riddle

These student-athletes have some challenges to break down. First, they will have some days away meaning homework, lessons, notes, and precious time in the classroom is going to be missed. They have to make prior arrangements with the professor before the trip to ask them for homework and maybe even time extensions for due dates. The good thing is that faculty here at Embry-Riddle really support us and are helpful. Another good option is to ask friends in those classes to back them up with notes and help with homework. Second, if they got the assignments, notes, and help from their friends they still have to get them done before or after the trip and keep up with training and practice. I know, it sounds hard but it is possible and totally achievable! I’m proof.

The Embry Riddle Prescott Campus Golf Team

To be continued…Part 2 coming later this week.

I’m An Official Freshman

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Carlos

by Carlos Apodaca

Since I have been here in the USA, I have learned that English as a second language school is never easy. We need time to learn all the ways we can write a sentence and realize the strength that those combinations of words give to the meaning. I can say that this is not an easy task. I have had many problems giving sentences the meaning I wanted to, and as you can see I am not perfect, but I know that through time everyone can master this wonderful language.

Last semester I started an English course at Embry Riddle to improve my English skills and pass an international test in order to enroll this fall as a freshman. I am so happy to say that I accomplished my goal and now I am ready to start college! I, and other international students, had troubles so I know that we will never forget that test. If you passed TOEFL (the test) already, let me tell you that I know how happy and grateful you feel! I certainly went through the same thing. For those who are still stuck at this test, please don’t give up, you will eventually get it. Look into the ERLI program here. It is a big help!

Now that the semester has started at Embry Riddle (a thing that make me so happy), I feel that from now on there will be many good changes in my life. As always, since the time I started here in ERLI, I have never been alone. I have had so many questions about my fully accepted status, my status as an international student, payments methods, and how and which classes I had to choose. Staff, my academic adviser, and the CIPS office were always there to lead me through all these changes. I encourage you if you have any questions about something, ask them, they will be more than happy to help you.

CIPS staff and me

Some days ago a friend asked me if I am ready and fully prepared for what is coming. Of course I said yes without hesitation, but then thought, am I ready? I made a really fast analysis of myself. I realized that no one is totally ready, we are here to keep learning and developing skills, and for internationals students, to keep developing our English skills.

For me, the transition from being in an English course to be actually in a college program is going to be hard and probably I will be frustrated more times than I can imagine. I am saying this because the first step to solve a difficult situation is to accept it. I encourage you to prepare yourself as best as you can before college starts. Through summer I kept preparing myself doing some homework like reading, writing these blogs, listening to very formal audiobooks, and more than anything never giving up on anything.
Attending college is not going to be easy but it will be challenging and this is the beauty of it. We keep improving our skills, becoming better and better until we get at something called “Perfection.”

Don’t let anybody say you cannot do something.

“Whatever you think you can, or you think you can’t, either way you are right” – Henry Ford.

I’m here doing it — I’m an official Freshman at Embry-Riddle. Enjoy college!!!

Oficialmente alumno de nuevo ingreso. (I am an official Freshman)

Desde que llegue a U.S.A, me he dado cuenta que el Ingles como segunda lengua nunca es fácil para un extranjero que esta en el proceso de aprendizaje. Siempre necesitamos mas tiempo para crear una oración y darnos cuenta de la fuerza que esa combinación única de palabras le dan a la oración. Esto no es un trabajo fácil. He tenido muchos problemas al momento de elegir las palabras para darle a la oración el sentido y la fuerza que quiero. Aunque practico todos los días el Ingles, aun me falta camino por recorrer para dominarlo al 100 porciento.

El semestre pasa me tome un curso de Ingles en Embry-Riddle en donde el único propósito es desarrollar el Ingles a un nivel de universidad y poder pasar un examen obligatorio llamado TOELF. Estoy muy feliz de decir que pude alcanzar mi meta y ahora estoy listo para empezar mis estudias. Algunos estudiantes internacionales, incluyéndome, tuvimos mucho problemas al querer parar TOELF y yo que ellos ni yo nunca vamos a olvidar ese examen. Si alguno de ustedes paso el TOELF quisiera decirte que se que tan feliz y agradecido te sientes. Yo pase por lo mismo. Para todos aquellos que todavía no lo han pasado y que ya lo intentaron varias veces, se los digo que corazón no se rindan, ustedes pueden.

Ahora que el semestre ha empezado en Embry-Riddle ( cosa muy emocionante), presiento que va a ver muchos cambios en mi vida para bien. Como siempre, desde que empeze en el programa de Ingles el semestre pasado, nunca he estado solo. En ese entonces, tenia muchas preguntas acerca de mi estatus como estudiante, mi estatus como estudiante internacional, los métodos de pago, que clases debía elegir, etc. Personal académico, asesores y como siempre la oficina CSPI (Centro y Servicios al Programa Internacional) estuvieron siempre ahí para apóyame y dirigirme a través de todas mis preguntas y procesos. Te propongo que vallas al oficina CSPI si tienes alguna pregunta o duda acerca de cualquier proceso que no entiendas por completo.

Hace unos días, un amigo me pregunto muy serio que si estaba listo para entrar a la universidad. Yo le respondí sin basilar que si, que estaba totalmente listo para cualquier reto, pero después me puse a pensar mas seriamente, “De verdad estoy listo?” Me analice rápidamente y me di cuenta de que nadie esta totalmente listo para la universidad, y si así fuera no abría ningún propósito en asistir a una. Me di cuenta que estudiantes internaciones están aquí para seguir desarrollando sus habilidades en el Ingles, para estudiantes normales e internaciones para seguir desarrollando habilidades.

La transición de estar en un programa de Ingles a estar en un programa de bachillerato va ser probablemente un poco duro y creo que voy frustrarme mas veces de las que puedo imaginar. Estoy diciendo esto por que yo se que el primero paso para resolver un problema es aceptarlo. Les propongo a ustedes estudiantes internacionales que están por entrar a la universidad que se preparen lo mejor que puedan antes de que empiece el ciclo. Durante todo el verano me estuve preparando leyendo algunos libros, escribiendo este blog ( en ingles), escuchando audiobook, y sobre todo nunca rendirte ante nada.

Ir la universidad nunca va a ser algo fácil se los puedo asegurar, pero el reto es lo bello de esto. Desarrollar nuestras habilidades cada día, seguir moviéndonos asía nuestras metas, seguir mejorando asta que lleguemos a un punto llamado “Perfección.”

“Nunca a nadie decirte que no puedes lograr algo ”

“Tanto si piensas que puedes, como si piensas que no puedes, estás en lo cierto.”

-Henry Ford

Better Than I Expected — the International Festival

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Carlos

When I first came to Embry-Riddle one semester ago, I was very impressed with the fact that almost 11 percent of the students at this college are foreigners. I thought right away that it was awesome. Then, some months after the semester started, I heard about something called “ International Festival”. At first I did not understand what that title meant, and my first thought was, “ Oh, how cool, may be it is the way they name a party for weekends.” I kept hearing how fun and awesome it was going to be and since I thought there was going to be a party I certainly wanted to go. At that point I decided to ask to one of my English professors what it was about. When I was listening to her describing what “International festival” was, I realized that I was very wrong and instantly, I wanted to be part of such an event. She said the “International Festival,” is a yearly event coordinated by CIPS office to show and share to all the Prescott community a little bit of the culture around the world. Even with that explanation, I was still curious. The next morning I went to CIPS office seeking more information about it. Andy Fraher and Deborah Parris told me that this event is an opportunity to meet other cultures around the world such as people from UK, Sa

ERAU International festival 2015

udi Arabia, India, China, etc. Also, they told me that every country participating has to cook a traditional plate to share at the festival. At that point I had no doubt, I wanted to be a part of such an amazing event.

I started thinking about what kind of food I was going to cook and how I was going to get a costume for the occasion. The same day I received an e-mail from CIPS office telling me that there were more Mexican students willing to participate in the event too. I got so excited because I thought I was going to be the only Mexican in the festival. This event also gave the opportunity to all Mexicans attending Embry-Riddle to meet each other. I can tell you that I was really happy to not be alone. The next couple days we talked every day in other to decide which plate we were going to cook. Also, I invited to my parents who were more than happy to attend and participate at the event.

On the day of the festival I was the first of my friends to arrive and set up our table. It was astonishing for me to see so many different flags hanging on the roof (I did not recognize many of them by the way), a lot students were wearing traditional costumes from their country and for sure there was a lot of food everywhere. The “International Festival” was better than everyone described to me. People begun to arrive and I could see people of all ages. In less than 15 min all the place was crowded. A friend and I were wearing traditional costumes from Mexico while we were serving food to our guess. I personally took the time to go around different countries tables to try their food as well. Without doubt, I can say that it was one of the most fun days I have had here in Prescott since my arrival. When every table ran out of food the show started. Middle Eastern dancers danced, then after they finished, Saudi Arabia guys started to dance with their traditional music, and at the end a little free dancing closed the event.

The “International festival” that Embry Riddle provides to the Prescott community is, at least for me, a wonderful event to bring together pieces of the world at least for couple of hours. When I was in the festival I felt that people are people everywhere. I felt that the only difference between me and them are the traditions and I felt that the world was no longer as huge a place as it looks. Simply amazing!

Mejor de lo que esperaba- Festival internación (Better than I Expected)

Cuando llegue a Embry-Riddle el semestre pasado, fue impresionante saber que el 11 porciento de los estudiantes son extranjeros. En el tiempo que estuve en clases, algo se escuchaba muy a menudo, algo llamado festival internacional. A primera instancia no sabia que significaba y lo que primero que pensé fue, ” yo creo que así le deben de llamar a las fiestas del los fines de semana” No todos los días pero se escuchaba hablar acerca de el festival. Los comentarios de mis compañeros captaron mi atención. Como no sabia de que se iba a tratar exactamente decidí preguntarle a un maestro en el campus. En el momento en que me explico que era, me di cuenta que estaba totalmente equivocado, y definitivamente quería participar en ese evento. Ella me dijo que el festival internacional es un evento anual coordinado por la oficina SPCI para dar a conocer a la comunidad de Prescott un poco de la cultura que nos rodea. Pero incluso con su explicación de que era, me quede con muchas dudas y preguntas sin responder. La mañana siguiente fui a la oficina SPCI buscando información mas precisa del evento. Andy Fraher and Devora Parris me explicaron que el festival internacional es un evento que permite conocer a personas de diferentes culturas como por ejemplo, personas de Arabia Saudita, India, China, etc. También me dijeron que ese evento consistía en que cada uno de los países que iban a participar tenían que cocinar un platillo tradicional de su país para compartir con los invitados. En ese momento decidí indudablemente ser parte de la fiesta.

Al siguiente día después de preguntar de que se iba a tratar empezó a pensar en que tipo de platillo iba a cocinar y también que necesitaba un traje tradicional Mexicano urgentemente. Algunos días después recibí un correo de SCPI comunicándome que otros Mexicanos en la escuela iban a participar en el festival internacional. Me emocione mucho porque pensé que iba a ser el único mexicano participando en el evento. Todos los mexicanos nos pusimos en contactos gracias a la oficina SCPI que nos conecto a través del nuestro e-mails. Nos mandamos mensajes casi todos los días para decidir que tipo de platillo se iba a cocinar. Lo mejor de todo fue que exactamente el festival mis papas iban a estar en Prescott de visita. Todos los engranes casaron perfectamente.

El día del evento llego mas rápido de lo que pensamos. Yo fui el primero de mis compañeros en entrar al salón donde el festival iba a tomar lugar. Había muchas banderas de diferentes país, las mesas estaban llenas de comida y los estudiantes usando ropa tradicional de sus países, era algo impresionante. En ese momento nomas pude pensar en una cosas, ” Creo que las personas que me describieron como iba a ser este evento se quedaron cortos” Después de que acomodamos las mesas y pusimos la comida que por cierto era mole, enchiladas, y pastel de limón, pude ver personas de todos las edades, desde niños asta gente de la tercera edad. En menos de 15 minutos el salón se lleno. La gente hacia filas muy largas nomas esperando su turno para probar las diferentes comidas de los diferentes paises ahí presentes. Éramos 8 mexicanos sirviendo pero nomas un amigo y yo usamos ropa tradicional. Mi compañero se vistió de charro y yo me puse un sombrero. Me tome un tiempo para probar la comida que ofrecían en las mesas tambien. Sin lugar a duda fue el mejor día que he tenido desde que llegue aquí a Prescott. Cuando se acabo la comida, otro tipo de show empezó, bailarinas del medio oriente que empezaron a danzar, luego les siguieron algunos compañeros de Arabia Saudita y al final de todo para cerrar el evento empezamos a bailar todos los extranjeros incluyéndome al mismo tiempo.

El festival internacional que provee Embry-Riddle a la comunidad de Prescott anualmente es para mi por lo menos un evento que reúne culturas alrededor del mundo por unas cuantas horas. Cuando estuve en el festival sentí que las personas son personas en donde quiera que se encuentren. Sentí que la única diferencia entre ellos y yo eran las tradiciones. Me di cuenta que le mundo no es tan grande como parece. Simplemente increíble.

An Opportunity for a Good Life

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Carlos

My name is Carlos Apodaca, I am an international student from Mexico and a wrestler. I am a guest blogger and would like to share my story.

Three different colleges offered me a scholarship when I finished High School in Rio Rico, AZ. The three scholarships were tempting offers to take, but when I compared the benefits they could give me, choosing became easy. I chose without any doubt the scholarship that wrestling coach KC Rock offered me. Embry-Riddle was the best option for success. Embry-Riddle is not only one of the best in aeronautical sciences, it also has a strong, welcoming feeling for students from around the world; no matter what color, belief, religion, race, or sexual orientation. In fact, I feel that Embry-Riddle is free of discrimination.

Embry-Riddle welcomed me last semester in their English program known as ERLI that helped me to improve my English skills. I was able to pass the TOEFL test after six months. I cannot find words to describe how kind, warm, and friendly everyone was with me when I arrived, especially the people at CIPS office (Center for International Programs and Services). They were always patient with me and never freaked out, even when I did not fully understand all the paper work I had to turn in, when I gave them the wron CIPS g address and made a very important paper of immigration almost go to the other side of Mexico, or when they couldn’t understand what I was saying in e-mail or when I was talking. I am very thankful for them because otherwise I wouldn’t be here holding in my hands an opportunity that has the potential to change my life for good.

Not long ago I contemplated what Embry-Riddle offers its students and I realized that this college offers an opportunity of a better life for students that work for it. Students attending Embry-Riddle are warriors of body and soul, they want to succeed more than they want to breathe, and they’d rather die than give up. For me Embry-Riddle embodies many things, but mainly it is an opportunity to improve my life, to become a better person, and to get prepared for the world out there. This college gives us the tools to succeed in our lives.

ERAU International festival 2015

I thought that no one was going to take care about me when at first came to the U.S., that everyone was going to leave me out of everything and I thought that I was going to be alone all the time. However, I was mistaken. I have made many good friends that worry when they have not seen me in a while. I feel nostalgic sometimes when I think about my family and friends back in Mexico, but that feeling fades away when I think about the new family that I have right here at Embry-Riddle.

Una oportunidad de vida.

Mi nombre es Carlos Apodaca, soy un estudiante internacional de México y practico lucha grecorromana. Me gustaría compartir mi historia con todos ustedes.

Tres diferentes universidades me ofrecieron beca al terminar mis estudios de nivel superior en Rio Rico, AZ. Las tres becas que se me habían ofrecido eran muy tentadoras, pero al comparar los beneficios que cada una de ellas me podía ofrecer, elegir a que universidad asistir fue una decisión fácil. Elegí sin ningún tipo de duda la beca que el entrenador principal KC Rock me ofreció en primera instancia. Elegir Embry-Riddle como primera opción, creo que es la mejor elección para una vida éxito. Embry-Riddle no es solo la mejor universidad en ciencias aeronáuticas, también es una universidad que se distingue por aceptar e impulsar estudiantes alrededor del mundo a asistan a esta prodigiosa universidad; no importa el color, creencias, religión, raza, u orientación sexual. En esencia, siento que Embry-Riddle es un colegio donde la discriminación no será tolerada bajo ninguna circunstancia.

Embry-Riddle me recibió el semestre pasado en un programa de Ingles conocido como ERLI que me ayudo a mejorar en mi Ingles a nivel universidad. Gracias a este curso pude pasar un examen llamado TOEFL en menos de seis meses. Me faltan palabras para describir que tan amables, buena gente, y amistosos toda la comunidad de Embry-Riddle fueron cuando llegue, en especial los trabajadores de la oficina CSPI (Centro y Servicios al Programa Internacional). Todo el tiempo me tuvieron paciencia y nunca se desesperaron, incluso cuando no entendía completamente ningún trámite que se necesitaba hacer para estar totalmente inscrito, incluso cuando les di una dirección incorrecta y mandaron un papel de imigracion casi asta la otra punta de Mexico, o cuando no me entendían al momento de escribir un correo o cunado trababa de entablar un conversación con ellos, siempre me tuvieron paciencia. Estoy muy agradecido con ellos, sin esas increíbles personas no estaría aquí escribiendo este blog y sosteniendo en mis manos una oportunidad que tiene el potencial de cambiar mi vida por completo.

No hace mucho estaba pensando que es lo que Embry-Riddle ofrece a sus estudiantes y llegue a una conclusión; Embry-Ridde ofrece una oportunidad para obtener una mejor calidad de vida a todos aquellos que trabajan duro para obtenerla. Estudiantes que asisten a esta universidad son guerreros en cuerpo y alma, ellos desean triunfar tanto como desean respirar, preferirían morir antes de rendirse. Embry-Riddle representa muchas cosas pero principalmente es una oportunidad para mejorar tu calidad de vida, crecer como persona, y al final pero no menos importante, esta universidad nos da las armas para sobrevivir en el mundo real.

Cuando recién llegue a E.U.A yo pensé que a nadie le iba a importar, que nadie se iba a preocupar por mi, y que me iban a excluir de los círculos sociales. Sin embargo, estaba equivocado. He hecho muchos amigos que me buscan cuando por algún motivo no me han visto por más de dos días. Algunas veces me siento nostálgico cuando pienso en mi familia, amigos y conocidos que deje en México, pero ese sentimiento desaparece cuando pienso en la nueva familia que encontré aquí en Embry-Riddle.