Pumpkin Carving

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Cherie

Today some of our RA’s or Resident Assistants organized a pumpkin carving contest in preparation for Halloween. Some of the pumpkins were pretty awesome and others just plain gruesome. Overall though, the event was just another goofy even that we have here at Riddle to bring our students closer together around the holidays.

Our student body comes from all over the world, so when participating in events such as the pumpkin carving party it is entirely possible that you may meet someone who has never taken part in the tradition before. I met two such people today and it was really cool to be able to hear about their countries and make new friends all because of a simple tradition!

Events like this bring all of our students closer, and create a community on our campus that is unlike any other. We all love it here and we would like to invite you to come on over for a campus visit and experience it yourself. For a campus tour click here and learn more about what Embry Riddle Prescott has for you!!

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!!!!

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!!!

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!!

Computer Aided Design

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Cherie

Hey there, so I just started a class called Computer Aided Design where we use a program called CATIA to create working models to defined specifications. For example, have you ever seen a structural drawing of an object with its various components labeled by their dimensions and units? Well this is CATIA. Most engineering majors at Riddle require students to be proficient in CATIA as it is a medium that aids in the communication of ideas between you and the teacher, researcher, or fellow student.

U Joint in CATIA

The program is essential to communication because you can define the exact elements of your idea and provide those who are looking at your work with an accurate 3D representation of your concept. The class is also organized so that it models the work you would be doing in the engineering industry. So from day one you are not only learning how to formulate parts and models in CATIA but, you are also working toward your final project. My class’s final project is to design a Mars Rover that is similar to NASA’s rover Curiosity. We just finished the second week of class and we already have the necessary research, preliminary designs, and a portion of the knowledge to complete the project!

I am very excited to be taking this course and working on a project that is related to my major and my career. Embry Riddle Prescott courses are designed to provide the student with the experience that they need to succeed and CAD is a perfect example of such a course. I hope that you will get to take this class too so you can get the growing experience that is only available at Embry Riddle!!

New Student Orientation

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Cherie

Summer is over and it is time to begin again!! Today, Thursday August 22, all of the new students for Embry Riddle’s Prescott campus are arriving!!!! (ROTC students actually arrived on Monday, but the rest come in today). We are all very excited to see you here on campus and I’m here to offer a few tips on what you should do first when you get to campus.

1. Go to the welcome center, building 41. Here you can pick up your welcome packet and your orientation schedule. There is a map and a checklist inside the schedule booklet so that the new student will know what to do next and where to go to do it 🙂

2. The next thing you should do is go to the housing office called HAAS in building 73, you can pick up your room key here and start moving into your new room!!

3. Pick up your mailbox key from the mail room in building 11, you can actually receive mail here on campus!!

4. Register your vehicle in building 14, that’s where the Safety department is located. All you need is a valid ID and all the documents that you have on your vehicle.

5. Pick up your Eagle card in building 13, this is the Eagle card office. The Eagle card is really important as it is your meal card, your ID card, and your debit card. It allows you access to certain areas on campus as well, if you have the proper authorization.

6. Most of all have an awesome day, we are so happy to be welcoming you to our campus and we hope that you have a great first year here on our gorgeous campus!!!

-Note you can complete that list in any order

Air Force Zero Week

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Cherie

Are all you Embry Riddle Air Force Cadets ready? Zero Week starts tomorrow!!!! We have been preparing specially for you and soon you will join Det 028, The Best in the West!

Some advice for the week, just don’t freak out and where ever you go be on time and follow your schedule. Zero week is a time where you learn what it means to be a cadet, what your commitments are, and also if the Air Force is really the career that you want to pursue. It seems like a lot of pressure but, don’t worry you will do fine. Throughout your career in Air Force ROTC you will have many friends aka “Wingmen” you may even make a few during your zero week so be open to meeting other cadets.

We want this time to be educational and fun for you, so if you have any questions and concerns please ask, just follow the protocol for doing so. There will be a lot of regulations that you must learn; however, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Put yourself out there and learn from errors how things are supposed to be done. It’s no big deal, just go for it and once you know the proper way to pose a question then use that method.

Become one of us, a future Officer in the United States Air Force

The Air Force is a structured environment, as is AFROTC so learn as much as you can and like I said before, follow the protocol. Actions and activities that have a protocol are asking questions, PT, marching, reporting in/out, uniform wear, and appearance. As a cadet you must follow all regulations/protocols, there are no exceptions. Learn this early on and you will be a great cadet. Good luck to everyone as you enter Zero Week, have fun, make friends, and learn how to become an officer in the United States Air Force!!!

Fitness

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Cherie

Fitness is a huge part of being a cadet at Embry Riddle and also at any ROTC detachment or service Academy. If you plan to attend our University and be a part of either our Air Force or Army ROTC Detachments then you must be above the rest physically.

Embry Riddle Prescott is actually a pretty unique school that can really help you with your fitness. We have several fields, running trails, a track, gyms, a cardio room, and so much more to help our students stay in shape while they attend school here. The facilities are open to all students and you may use them at your leisure. The big difference about this University as compared to others is that we are actually about a mile above sea level in elevation here.

As a result of the elevation less oxygen is available so when you work out you are strengthening your lungs immensely. When you go to lower elevations you will then have an edge on other athletes because your lungs are so much stronger!!

This is also helpful if you are in ROTC because there are numerous facilities for you to work out in and build yourself up so you can perform well in PT. Adjusting to the elevation is a huge part of how you perform at this University in ROTC so the sooner you adjust the better, but be careful you can get sick or feel weak when working out here at first. It is normal just don’t overdue it and you will be fine. A slow adjustment is better because you work up to it over time and you don’t get sick from it 😀

Whatever you like to do to stay in shape we can accommodate you here!!