Playing in the Dirt

Posted on May 17, 2017 by #ERAUPrescott

Stage One of making a fuse bead on the fusion machine – Heating

I rarely paid much attention to the concrete in my everyday life, except to determine whether or not it would be there to catch me if gravity decided to work. I knew that it came from a mixture of what I thought was dirt and water, and that it was used to build things like skyscrapers, bridges, and sidewalks. Little did I know that this “dirt” was actually cement, and that people’s lives depend on how well it was made.

One of the days I was particularly dirty from mixing cement samples for testing.

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work for a cement plant as a quality control intern, learning the chemical and physical components that goes into making cement. This internship was designed to further my knowledge in my degree program, forensic biology. Though the two seem unrelated, the education I received in my courses, both in the lab and in the classroom, proved invaluable to learning and utilizing the chemistry used to make cement. In return, working at a cement plant provided important lessons that I can apply for the rest of my life.

My first few weeks at the cement plant consisted of training and obtaining my miner’s certification through MSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration. I learned the layout of the plant, safety procedures, and how cement was made. This process has many steps, and each of these steps are tested and adjusted to ensure that the cement will be of good quality, as determined by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Stage Two – Mixing

Stage Three – Setting Into Molds

The Final Product

There is physical testing, which requires making and testing concrete made from the cement, and chemical testing, which is done to check the actual composition of the cement. I mainly focused on the chemical testing. I learned how to manipulate various reactions to gather information, something I did in my chemistry courses at ERAU. These results were actually recorded and used, so I learned how important thoroughness and accuracy is in real-world applications.

The materials necessary throughout the cement making process

The heating tower viewed from the cement silo

I learned how to work in a professional environment, and how important it is to be able to critically think and solve problems. It was an experience I enjoyed!

My Internship at the Endophyte Service Lab at Oregon State University

Posted on May 17, 2017 by #ERAUPrescott

My summer at the Endophyte Service Lab at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon has been an enlightening and very knowledgeable experience. This opportunity has provided me with the experience to greatly increase my knowledge and understanding of skills in the areas of chemistry, toxicology, and teamwork, as well as closely relate to my future aspirations of becoming a forensic biologist.

Working with these professionals as well as other students who have common interests with me in achieving their goals has been extremely knowledgeable and eye-opening as to what my future career entails. I have learned many helpful lab skills and techniques that would relate to an actual forensic analyst’s career as well as how to use machines such as Mass Spectrometry and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Fluorescence, as well as extraction techniques and finally how to analyze the data they generate.

My job was to perform extractions of lolitrem B, ergovaline, and ergotamine mycotoxins from various grasses used for feeding livestock. The process for one extraction typically took about 3 hours and involved a lot of micropipetting, centrifugation, and drying of solvents on an N-Vap instrument. Measurements had to be extremely precise to obtain accurate results since it was on a microliter level. One tiny little air bubble could ruin the rest of the process and generate inaccurate results!

If it weren’t for the practice and knowledge I obtained from my courses at Embry-Riddle, such as Foundations of Biology 1 and 2, General Chemistry 1 and 2, Organic Chemistry 1 and 2, Microbiology, and Genetics, I would have never been prepared for the massive amounts of micropipetting I had to perform as well as any of the terminology or basic skills needed to achieve good results at my job. My courses gave me the confidence to be successful at the Endophyte Service Lab, and my experience in the lab gave me the confidence and knowledge to further pursue a forensic biology degree.

One Month Left!

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Cherie

Classes are finished on April 29th and as it stands we are a month away from Summer break!!! We are all really excited to be finishing up this semester but, I wanted to give y’all a brief update on what I’ve been doing this past few months.

The major project I’ve been working on this semester is the Detail Design of the aircraft that my team conceptualized last semester. The detail work began with building a 1/48 scale model of the full size aircraft and testing it in the closed circuit wind tunnel in the Tracy Dorlyand Wind Tunnel Lab. Testing was not only super fun but, informative too. We tested parametric variations of the model to determine the maximum and minimum aerodynamic loads it would receive. Our test results came out just as we had expected and we are happily feeding them back into the design right now to see what improvements to the original design we can make.

The 3D Printers used for making our model parts!

Once we finish that we will be working on our final presentation which will take place on April 29! If you are visiting the University on that day make sure to have a look at all the interesting Senior Capstone Presentations. If you are looking into engineering you may be working on a similar project in the future 🙂

Other than that I have just been doing regular school work, AFROTC, Space Grant Research, and volunteering. It has been a fun, crazy, and somewhat relaxed semester all at the same time. If you have any questions about what the average day in the life of a senior at ERAU is like feel free to ask! Thanks for reading everyone!

Engineering Detail Design Course – Hard Work and Very Rewarding

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Cherie

A major part of your student career at Embry-Riddle is the capstone course. For engineers the capstone course is comprised of two semesters/courses known as Preliminary and Detail Design. As a student in my freshman year I knew nothing about these two courses and towards the end of my junior year I began hearing quite abit about them. I wish I had known what the two courses entailed much earlier as I would have definitely restructured my game plan as far as fundamental courses go.

Team Daedalus on the last day of the Preliminary Design Course

The Preliminary Design course essentially forces you to use all of the resources you have learned in the past three years at college. You will work crazy hours, get frustrated but you will fall in love with what you are doing. The course teaches you how to be a leader and a member of a team, how to face problems and fix them, but, most important it teaches pride in your work. At the end of the semester you should have an outstanding product and an increased knowledge of professional engineering.

When you move into the Detail Design course you are verifying the information that you presented at the conclusion of the Preliminary Design semester. There are many options to verify assertions. The primary one is wind tunnel testing but, often students choose to fabricate a working prototype of their concept in order to prove that it works. No matter what your team chooses to do the process is extremely rewarding as you get to see how your intuition created a viable product.

I would highly recommend that every student entering these courses attempts to be a program manager or design team lead. As a PM or DTL you are the face of the team, responsible for the schedule, budget, and work produced by the team. I have been a PM for the last two semesters and although it has been very hard it has been extremely rewarding. For those ladies out there, don’t be intimidated, you are just as qualified to lead a team as any other member in your class. In my section of Preliminary and Detail Design I am the only female and I am one of two Program Managers. As long as you are a good manager you will do well but, don’t worry mistakes happen. No one is born a perfect manager and it takes alot of mistakes to figure out your management style. Just hang in there, do good work, take care of your people, and admit when you make a mistake. That’s really all it takes 🙂

I hope this information is helpful to our incoming students as well as our up and coming leaders in the Capstone courses! Thanks for reading!

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.

The Hardest Goodbyes

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Chelsea

Along with graduation, there will come many unwanted and unavoidable goodbyes.

The first will be that one professor. That one professor that has gone out of his or her way to help you too many times to count. That professor that you wouldn’t dare skipping their class because you respect them too much. You have no way of thanking them or telling them how much you appreciated their efforts to assist you through your undergrad. You look up to them, you’ll miss them.

Second will be your squad. Yes, your squad. You know, that group of people that you met freshman year that have seen you at your worst and best. The group of people that know waaaay too much about each other. You can go to them for literally anything. This might arguably be the hardest goodbye. No longer will you be neighbors, a walk away, and there is no way you could ever explain to someone how close you all became.

Third, the best friend. The person who you could never thank enough for putting up with you and your weird tendencies. You admire this person and you’ve spent the better part of your undergrad laughing at whatever life throws at you by their side. Their family is just an extension of your own. When its time to say goodbye, it’ll hard to imagine life without them their to embarrass you…all the time.

And lastly, Prescott and your old self. Time to move on to bigger and better things. Time for a new adventure. You’ve ultimately grown into yourself in this town and whether you want to admit it or not, you love it and saying goodbye won’t be easy.

Still can’t believe how fast four years went by! I consider myself lucky that I have such hard goodbyes to make. ERAU has truly become a home for me and I know we will meet again.

It’s a White Tuesday!

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Cherie

So today we were all pleasantly surprised to see some snow! It wasn’t snowing when I went to PT this morning but, it sure was when I headed off to class this morning! Take a look at our gorgeous campus in the snow!!

Snow Falling in front of the AXFAB in central campus

Central Campus

My view from the upperclassman dorms this morning.

It usually snows anywhere from one to six times during the winter here in Prescott and its the first time that quite a few of our students get to see some snow! With that said, when you are thinking of attending our University take the climate into consideration as well. We have relatively mild winters and fantastic summers with the average temperature in the high 80’s. If that is something you would like then Embry Riddle Prescott is the place for you! Sign up to take a tour today!!

Being a Summer Programs Coordinator

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Chelsea

Embry-Riddle offers a large variety of summer camps during the months of June and July. Overnight, day, athletic, you name it, we got it. These camps are designed for high school students who are just beginning to explore their college options or making a final decision. I had the pleasure of working with about a dozen other ERAU students and our wonderful Summer Program’s Department in making sure the summer of 2013 was the most enjoyable for all attendees. Being a Summer Program Coordinator is an ideal job for students who are taking summer courses, flying, or just want a steady pace job during the summer months. Before our first group of campers even got to campus, we had spent months preparing. This meant tons of paperwork, organization of supplies, coordination with our professors, moving into the dorms where the campers would be staying, and of course, becoming CPR and First Aid Certified.

The first couple weeks were hectic but my team of coordinators and the campers made it all a little bit easier. I was shocked at how eager and bright the high school students were. I mean, when I was 15, I definitely would not have been able to tell you every detail of a UAV. I learned very quickly that this was not the type of summer camp where parents drop off their kids like a day care. These students wanted to be here and they were ready to learn as much as they could in the week. I think that living in the dorms with the counselors made the campers comfortable and made their experience more enjoyable. However, when living in the dorms, as incoming students will learn their first year, stuff gets mixed up easily. Like, say if your name is Adam White and you work an entire shift as Jeffrey Boudoin.

This kind of thing happened often but there’s nothing wrong with a good long laugh. We honestly might have been having more fun than the campers at times. Our team was made up of pilots, CFI, GSIS majors, engineers, and me (the lone physicist) which made for a creative environment. The different mind processes brought innovative ideas to the table every week during our meetings. This diversity also helped with our wide range of camps that we offer which can be found here, http://summercamps.erau.edu/camps/index.html.

For many, an Embry-Riddle Summer Program was a camper’s first experience away from home. That being said, it was part of our job to make it as much fun as possible outside of the classroom lectures. This included trips to Sedona, Ghost Tours in downtown Prescott, dinners, movies, camper vs. counselor kickball games under the lights, hikes though the Dells, and anything else we thought they would enjoy. Activities varied from camp to camp because of the different types of students.

The end of the summer came much too quickly as most summers do. I was sad to see it was over but I also felt a sense of happiness. I had just spent the prior months encouraging younger students to become inspired, to follow their dreams, and to keep exploring things that they don’t understand. I had created a entirely new group of friends on campus through working with Summer Programs and the campers even stayed in touch with me via Facebook, Instagram, and yes even Snapchat. I received many messages like this one,

and the coolest part of it all? Now that I am a senior, I see so many underclassmen on campus that attended the camps and they look happy here at Embry-Riddle, which means I did my job.

Veterans Day Vigil by ROTC!

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Shivam

Veterans Day is a very important day for many students here at Embry-Riddle. Not only does it help students remember sacrifices given by our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, but it also helps many of the veterans on campus reflect back to their time serving our nation. Embry-Riddle has a large Veterans population on campus and has also been named a Top Military-Friendly University for the fifth straight year.

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The Air Force ROTC Honor Corps of Detachment 028 does something special every year for Veterans Day here in Prescott, Arizona. Honor Corps is comprised of three teams; Rifle Drill Team, Sabre Drill Team, and the Honor Guard. These three teams get together 24 hours before the Veterans Day Parade and stand guard at the Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs Center in Prescott. Being home to one of the largest VA Centers in the nation, the Northern Arizona Veterans Affairs significantly helps the Air Force ROTC community for Vigil. This 24 hour event is called Vigil. The first picture in this blog was taken by me at around 4:00 am. This goes to show the commitment and the courage of the Cadets that volunteer for this self-less event.

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Being an Alumni of the Sabre Drill Team, this year was no different. I started doing this about three years ago, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Starting at 10 am on Monday, November 10th, our Cadets held one hour shifts to guard the flag pole at the VA Center. The flag was guarded non-stop for 24 straight hours by around 30 cadets, taking multiple 4 man shifts. The Vigil ended at 10 am on Tuesday prior to the Prescott Downtown Veterans Day Parade. By doing this, personally, I have learned quite a bit about myself and what it means to be a future officer in the Air Force. When not on a shift, cadets are usually inside a building, with tons of food, either bonding with each other or spending time getting our homework done. At Embry-Riddle one thing is for sure, as our Colonel always says, “Student First, Cadet Second!”