Volunteer in the Community

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Cherie

Volunteering is a fun opportunity that can have amazing rewards in regards to personal growth, I strongly encourage you to go out there and get involved in the community wherever it is you choose to go to college. Some ways that Embry Riddle Prescott students get involved are: volunteering in local schools, tutoring, awareness walks, air shows, and cemetery cleanups.

Since I have been a student at Embry Riddle Prescott I have volunteered in vigil, cemetery cleanup, benefit auctions, air shows, and cemetery research. The one volunteering project that probably stands out the most, besides vigil is the cemetery work. Its kind of strange for a college student to be going out and cleaning up an old cemetery that know one even remembers, but it is something that i enjoy doing.

Embry Riddle’s AFROTC Honor Guard

I really like this project, as unlike my other volunteering experiences it is an ongoing effort to honor the veterans and other nameless individuals that are buried in a forgotten cemetery not too far from Prescott. The reason I have grown so attached to this work is that I actually had my first performance as a member of Honor Guard in that cemetery. Since then I have wanted to continue honoring those who lay at rest there, and my hope is to remind others to honor them too.

So what I mean when I say that volunteering can enhance your character is that you might find a passion in a very strange place, that overall will make you a better person. Ever since I began to volunteer in the cemetery I have achieved a greater respect for life and a curiosity about those who are unnamed. It has been a year since we started the project and every day I work a little on it, hoping that I will get closer to finding their names. There hasn’t been much luck but, within the next few years my goal is to inspire others to continue this work and to not allow our predecessors be forgotten.

So as you can see, volunteering has made a positive impact on not only myself but, on the community. Now people know about the cemetery and our work there, we are getting an even bigger following every year. It is my hope that others will find their own passions while volunteering and will pursue them in order to make not only themselves, but their community a better place.

Freshman Dorms

Posted on October 13, 2013 by Cherie

A topic which I get a lot of questions on while doing campus tours with incoming students is what are the dorms like? Well, you have asked the right person!! We have 14 residence halls on our campus, of these halls the break down is as follows 🙂

5 Freshman Halls- Each of these halls (1-5) has 3 stories and the dorms are arranged in what is called a suite, there are several suites on every floor. In each suite there is a lounge which includes a refrigerator, a two burner cook stove shelving units, cabinets, a coffee table, entertainment center, 2 couches, free WiFi, and free cable TV. In the rest of the dorm there are three bedrooms, there are two people to each bedroom. All of the bedrooms have two bunk beds with large desks, two dressers, two filing cabinets, and closet space. There is also two bathrooms, well equipped for 6 people to share and a hallway with more cabinets and a closet for longer hanging items.

Additionally each room in the suite has its own climate control system. These dorms are really nice to live in and quite spacious in fact. I really enjoyed living in them during my freshman year and I hope that you will too!

The other halls are 5 upperclassman apartment style rooms, where you and 3 other students would live. These include a larger closet space, a larger lounge, and a full kitchen. There are also suite style rooms in the upperclassman halls where you and a single roommate share a room, and you share a community bathroom with 3 other students. These suites do not have their own kitchens but, there is access to a community kitchen in the hall.

The remaining 4 halls are for international students, transfer students, and overflow housing. These rooms have access to a large community kitchen and are shared only with one roommate. In addition all of our halls on campus have access to a large laundry room where students can do their laundry.

Staying Healthy

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Cherie

Its that time of year again everyone! The weather is cooling down and all of our favorite winter coats are being dug out of the closets and worn throughout campus. Unfortunately, this also means that the cold season has also returned. So here comes my list of tips and tricks to stay healthy and succeed in school this winter.

1. Vitamin C- this can be found at literally every store in a variety of different forms. Vitamin C boosts your immune system and gives you energy.

2. Hydrate!! No matter who you are and what you do it is important to hydrate properly as this helps prevent illness and also helps you focus/ stay awake in class.

3. Stay Warm- wear layers and lots of them. If you get too hot you can always take off a layer and put it in your backpack. Gloves are also a great thing to have so that your hands do not get dry, crack and bleed. This can be a painful problem to deal with while taking notes in class.

4. Multi Vitamins- these just supplement your nutritional values. In other words, they help keep your body balanced so that you can perform better in school and keep yourself from getting sick.

5. If you do get sick, the best thing is mixing emergen-C supplements with orange Gatorade, it tastes like orange soda (YAY) and the combination boosts your immune system, electrolyte levels, and energy. This really helps you recover quickly from any illness, it works 9 times out of 10 in my personal experience.

6. Wash your hands!!! I know you hear this all the time but, it is a serious issue!!! You can cut down on the spread of germs by 90% by just washing your hands. Please, please, please do this, it is simply gross if you don’t!!

7. Cover your moth/nose- if you have to cough or sneeze cover your mouth or nose to block the spread of germs that go flying. It is best to do this using the inside of your elbow so that you don’t spread germs by using your hands to cover a cough/sneeze. If you do use your hands then WASH THEM. Better yet carry hand sanitizer 🙂

8. Throw tissues away- if you have a runny nose, make sure you throw your tissues away and immediately wash your hands. This cuts down on the spread of germs!!! And you don’t have to pick up nasty tissues.

9. Wash the dishes- Don’t leave any dishes laying around, and wash them using HOT soap and water. This will eliminate germs and keep dishes clean.

10. (Last one I promise ) Wipe down door handles and frames- this is best to do if oyu or someone you live with is sick or has been sick. It removes germs from the surfaces that we most frequently touch so that they cannot be spread to others.

Overall, just be considerate of others. No one likes to be sick so keep that in mind, and if you do become sick and need more information or would like a check up then stop on by our Wellness Center on campus. Good luck in school everyone, stay healthy!!!!

October West Festivities

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Cherie

So as most of you probably know October West started this week and its been going great so far!! We are all very excited for the Air show to start tomorrow, myself and a few of the others bloggers will be out there so if you recognize us please feel free to say hi 🙂 The coolest part of October West this year, besides the planes of course, was the unveiling of the Prescott campus’s very first completed Jet Dragster!!!!

We are all very proud of the work that this team has put in to produce the first Prescott dragster, just 4 years after the project all started here at our campus. The recognition of this hard work started with a fly over, speeches by the chancellor, Chris Larsen (the founder of Larsen motor sports), and finally a demonstration by Elaine Larsen.

The demonstration was so cool!!! At Riddle we love jet engine nose and this car was all engine!!! Intense flames poured out the back as it rolled its way across the tarmac and fans roared, it was seriously amazing!! If you were lucky enough to be at the event you could even feel the pulses from the engine firing. Some sweet pictures are included below, please look through and enjoy. If you can be at the Prescott Airport tomorrow, be there so you can have a look at that dragster and join in the festivities 🙂

Fall is Finally Here

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Cherie

Even though the leaves aren’t changing yet, you can feel it in the air here at Embry Riddle Prescott: Fall has arrived!!!! The monsoons have been gone for about 2 weeks now and the winds have returned making it a little bit chilly out there. So for all of you newbies its time to break out the cold weather gear, and if your from California like me, you might have to go buy some.

I would just like to share with you what my favorite parts of fall are and see if maybe you would like to share with us here at Embry Riddle as well 🙂 So the top things I like about Fall are:

Scarves- They are warm and stylish!!

Hoodies- comfy for class and studying

Cookies- In the upperclassman dorms we have ovens to make them in!!

Stew- Reminds me of home, and its a delicious way to warm up after a long day

Hot Cocoa and Tea- Relaxing and awesome.

Pie-Just because pie is awesome 🙂

and………(Drumroll please)….Halloween!!

I really have no idea what I will wear for Halloween this year, although last year my friends and I dressed up as skittles 🙂 We ran out of colored T shirts though and I ended up being the random skittle in the bunch, but it was still a ton of fun. During my freshman year we had a few engineers who made their own costumes and wore them to classes, so if you love fall as much as we do then this is the place for you!!!

Please stop on by and visit us here in Prescott, we would love to have you join us in our Fall Fun. To schedule a visit just click here!!!

Ruck at Riddle

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Cherie

What a Ruck looks like

Good Morning everyone!! I just completed a 5K 40lb ruck for PT this morning and I’m feeling great. It was seriously so much fun!! So I was just curious to see how many of our readers are veterans, current military/ROTC, or CAP/JROTC who have done a real Ruck march. Please comment below and share your fun/not so fun experiences about Rucking.

For those of you who do not know what a Ruck is, it is basically a really long walk/jog with an extremely heavy backpack. It is not as bad as it sounds, if you have gone backpacking before then it is pretty similar to that. Most of the time for Rucks you will be using an old backpack and a 35-40lb sandbag, depending on the individual you may decide to do more than that however, for Air Force PT this morning the sand bags were standardized at about 40lb per person.

So my fun Ruck story from this morning begins with a lack of a proper backpack….yes not a good thing. The back pack I brought to PT was way to small for the sandbags, this resulted from the fact that my regular class backpack is so shredded that it would not stand a chance against a 40lb bag of sand. (I need to go shopping and get a new one, in Air Force ROTC you will ruin on average about one backpack per every 8 months). So rather than not going on the Ruck I grabbed a bag of sand put it on my shoulders and went for it!!

It actually wasn’t too bad, I fell a little behind because balancing 40lbs is a little bit more difficult than carrying it on your back. But, myself and the other cadets on the Ruck all finished within good time and with awesome experiences to share. I could write on and on if I wanted to but, if I would like to address more specific topics/stories/questions or whatever you would like to hear so if you would like to hear more about my morning or share your own story please comment below we would love to hear from you!!

Midterms are on Their Way!

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Cherie

Last Friday I had my first midterm exam in statics, and I’ve got two more this upcoming week. School is definitely progressing quickly around here. Soon it will be Thanksgiving and then finals time, its such a weird thing to think but, don’t let it catch you by surprise!! Start preparing now, don’t wait until the day before the exam to study, this is not high school, this is a highly respected University so don’t forget it!!

Tests are definitely something that need to be taken seriously, so like I said start preparing early by asking questions, doing the homework, reviewing up to 3 days before the exam and clarifying any topics that you are unsure of. Doing this will ensure a higher score on your exams, which will help that GPA!

Even though it can be easy to ignore what you have to do I strongly urge you to put your school first. Yes it is awesome to go out and have fun while you are in college but, don’t forget why you came here…EDUCATION. To get that degree you need to be successful academically, that is why it is so important to put studies first.

The best way to do so is to make a list of the homework and studying that you know you must complete. Do as much as you can every day and when you are finished take a break to enjoy yourself, go out and have some fun. This will really help out your grades and you will get the college experience that you wan at the same time.

So all in all enjoy yourself but, don’t let exams and classwork to catch you by surprise!!

Favorite TV Show

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Cherie

With all this homework I really am missing watching my favorite TV show, NCIS. The original one, not the LA NCIS however, both are pretty cool. The homework load has been pretty difficult but, once you get a routine down then it gets a little easier 🙂 Just hang in there a break is coming soon and if you work really hard on homework one day then you will have less the next. The most important thing is to stay balanced, don’t stress yourself too much but, push your limits at the same time.

Doing so will make you feel awesome by the time you get to relax and watch your shows (or whatever it is you like to do to relax). So I would like to hear from you, what is your favorite show and why? Please comment below and let me know!!

I already told you what my favorite one to watch is but, not why. Basically, when I was younger I wanted to be a forensic scientist. Obviously I landed very far from where I started and its ok if you do that too. I’d like to hear all your reasons why, there are some pretty interesting people out there and here at Riddle we would love to know you!

Come and Visit!!

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Cherie

As most of you know, I am actually a tour guide for Embry Riddle Prescott, so I would just like to encourage you to come on out and tour our school. With the start of the semester we have had fewer and fewer students coming out for tours, we know your busy but, we would still love to meet you and show you the awesome place that we call home (temporarily of course).

The easiest way to schedule a tour is online at our main website for the Prescott campus but, of course if you are in the area and just want to stop on by we do allow walk ins as well. We offer two tour times, 9am and 1pm. While you are here you have the options of a Campus Tour, Flight line Tour, observing a class, meeting with a counselor, meeting with financial aid, meeting with Air Force/ Army ROTC, meeting a professor/coach……The list is endless!!!! If you would like to do it and we can get it arranged for you just let us know, we will do our best so that you can enjoy your tour experience here at Embry Riddle Prescott.

In the event of any special considerations we do also offer golf cart tours which go through the campus with a golf cart. This is for those who would prefer not to walk for the entire hour that the tour is being given. On average the campus tour is an hour, the flight line tour is an hour, and the meeting with an Admissions Counselor (which comes with every tour) can be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. So depending on what you would like to do and see at our campus your trip could be anywhere from an hour to three long (unless of course you also decide to meet with ROTC or any of our other campus entities). Like I said it is all up to you and what you are interested in.

I highly encourage you new High School Seniors to come on over and check out our school, we love it here and we hope that soon you will too!!

Fisrt 2 Weeks

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Cherie

School started Aug 26th and we are now to Sept 8, congrats everyone! Hopefully everyone’s first 2 weeks back went well 🙂 I know mine have, the only down side is all the homework!! This year I’m starting my sophomore year in Aerospace Engineering, a year that everyone calls the gauntlet. Why?

Little history info here-this is an actual gauntlet. It was worn by knights and warriors to protect their hands in battle.

Well basically this is the year that students decide if Engineering is really for them. So far its been awesome and challenging. All of my courses are highly mathematical so keeping formulas straight can get pretty hard. Despite the rumors I’ve heard about how hard it is I am not too worried. As long as you go into sophomore year with a knowledge of time management and a strong work ethic you will be fine. This can be hard to develop and maintain but, just recall why you decided to become an Engineer. Doing so will encourage you to continue to pursue your dream and serve as your inspiration to get through this next year.

I want to be an Engineer for the Air Force when I graduate, not only will I be a leader but I will also get to use my skills to support our military. Why did you become an Engineer? Please comment below and let us know!!! And most importantly stick with it, this world needs engineers such as yourself 🙂