Make-A-Wish Internship by Guest Blogger Tiffany Wimenta

Posted on August 25, 2016 by #ERAUPrescott

This summer I had the privilege of serving as an intern for Make-A-Wish America. Although I did not work directly with wishes (since I was working at the national office), it was still an amazing opportunity to make some real contributions to the mission of the organization — to “grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.”

Surprisingly, I was able to use my undergraduate education in security and intelligence throughout my internship. You’re probably really confused right about now. Most people are. You’re probably thinking: “What are you doing interning at Make-A-Wish with your educational background? I don’t see the connection. How did you manage to use your education?” I’ll put the pieces together for you friends. I worked a lot with international wishes. Every morning, I came into the office, got my coffee, and pulled up various news sources to monitor what was occurring around the world that may affect international travel or our wish families abroad – so basically, I gave my supervisor situation reports every day. I was able to develop content to help our wish families be safe and knowledgeable while traveling internationally. I also got to work closely with the Rio 2016 Olympics Wishes, creating a detailed situation report on the internal state of Rio and Brazil (including crime, financial crisis, political unrest, and health concerns), the security preparedness for the Olympics, and terrorist developments (threats and arrests) related to the event. Now, I definitely was not expecting to use my education so much during this internship (well, I didn’t expect to at all), but I am glad that it worked out and I was able to make some pretty meaningful contributions to the organization.

In addition to working with international wishes, I was also able to independently develop content for volunteer managers so that they can more easily provide opportunities for youth under the age of 18 to get involved with the organization. You’re probably asking now, “How did you end up there anyway?” Well, I decided to throw my plan for my future away. That’s right, I started from scratch. I decided I didn’t want the life I thought I wanted before. Once that door closed, SO MANY MORE opened. The Peace Corps. Non-Profits. The possibilities seemed endless, which I will admit was TERRIFYING to me. I always had a plan. I always had some idea of where my life was going. I could see it 10, 20, 30 years out. I knew what my life would look like. That fall though, all certainty went out the window.

Eventually, I figured it out (well, for the most part). I have a direction now. Although it may not be 20 years out, at least I know I am going somewhere. I decided that I would like to pursue a masters degree in public policy or public administration with a focus in non-profit organizations, as well as EITHER international development or political decision making (at least, that’s the direction I have at the moment. I still need to feel it all out, but I know the path I am meant to take will reveal itself to me in time and through experience). So back to Make-A-Wish… this was my starting point to my new dreams and goals. AND WHAT AN AMAZING PLACE TO START! I look forward to continuing my relationship with the organization as a Wish Granter Volunteer for the Arizona chapter. I have my training this Saturday!!! It will be such a rewarding experience to work hands-on with granting the wishes of these children.

Other than being able to grow under the wings of this amazing, respectable non-profit organization, I also had the privilege to work alongside passionate, driven people who are dedicated to bringing a little more light into the world. Not only the staff, but my fellow interns made this experience and this summer the best I have had so far. They are friends I hope to keep for a long time. We were a group of people who came from many different backgrounds and experiences in life, in various places in our lives, and who are all very individual in our characteristics; but we became that group of friends that you always hope find. We were there for each other for laughs and tears, in love and heartbreak, for fun and work, to give an encouraging word and the hard truth. I am grateful to have shared this experience with such an amazing group of people who I deeply respect and who I believe will do great things in their lives. I can’t wait to see where our paths lead.

365 Days Ago – Decision Time.

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Megan

A year ago today I made one of the best decisions of my life. A year ago today I visited campus for the first time. A year ago today I made the decision to attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott Arizona. I was not one of those students who waited till decision day in May to make my decisions. I was lucky, I had already been accepted to all of the schools I had applied to and had narrowed down my list. One in state and one out of state, it was decision time for me. After numerous visits to Washington State University, it was time to take the flight and come visit Embry-Riddle.

Before this trip, I had never been to Arizona and thought it was a place where everything was poisonous and wanted to kill. I was wrong. I was shown the glorious cactuses, the Disney-like rock formations in the Dells, and the wonderful sun of Arizona. After a day on campus, I was sure that this was my home. My tour guide gave me a glimpse into the school, and the students I met on campus loved their majors and were excited to tell me about the school. Seeing the green grass in front of the student union and the dorms where I would be living showed me what life would be like at Embry-Riddle. The thought of moving states away and leaving my family was hard, but once I walked on campus, I knew this would be my home for the next four years.

Looking back on the past year and all the changes, blessings, and challenges I can only smile. The stress of packing up my life and moving to another state (I flew to campus with my parents and fit everything I needed in 3 boxes and 2 carry ons), dealing with homesickness, and falling in love with my major, I could not imagine being anywhere else. Late night adventures, early mornings, and a new family here have made me even more thankful for this decision I made 365 days ago.

As acceptance letters keep rolling in during these next few months I urge you to visit all the schools you are seriously considering. Seeing campus on a computer and seeing it in person can make a world of difference, or at least it did for me. So as you keep going on this adventure, the odds are in your favor that you’ll find the perfect school for you. I am sure that you all will find a home at university, Embry-Riddle or not, and have the ability to look back a year from now and smile!

Why a School That is 1,362 Miles Away from Home?

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Megan

Yay college application session! This time of year can be extremely stressful and exciting for high school seniors. Pressure from parents, teachers, classmates, and yourself can be overwhelming. But the thought of going to college and being on your own is exhilarating. I remember going through this just one year ago, and I can tell you it will all work out. I have been asked numerous times why I chose ERAU which is 1,362.8 miles away from home. I want to share with you all (prospective students) why I chose ERAU for the next four years of my life…

When children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, some will answer “princess,” others say “doctor.” My dream was to be a professional tree climber, a pilot, or a spy. Although my career aspirations have matured, when I was twelve years old, I realized that my dream could become a profession.

At twelve, I had the opportunity to accompany my dad to Shanghai on a business trip. While my father worked, I would find ways to entertain myself. The best source of entertainment I found was reading the Shanghai Daily newspaper. Reading the newspaper became part of my daily routine, and throughout my three weeks in China, I learned about disappearances, governmental struggles, and people’s thoughts about the United States. Every day I opened the newspaper and searched for articles about international events and turmoil that was brewing, hoping that someone had found a solution for the issues I had read about the day before. Each day, however, a new problem would surface with no resolution to the ones from the day before. The constant, unresolved problems aggravated me and made me realize I wanted to solve international problems and make the turmoil go away. That discovery led me to research the US Department of State, and I learned about foreign diplomats and diplomatic security. At the age of twelve I decided this was the career for me. Within the global security realm, I believe that Embry-Riddle will give me a global perspective and prepare me for the reality of the international world.

A foreign diplomat might not be called a spy, but to me, the work that the Department of State does is what I imagined for a career when I was growing up. Although my dreams of being a professional tree climber have passed, I know that with my education from ERAU, this little girl can achieve her dream of becoming a spy.

Now that you understand why I chose ERAU I want to leave you all with this: Do not be afraid of being rejected for a university or living up to the standards of others. Apply to the schools that you are interested in because in the end you are the one who will be going to school there and you will be the one who is living away from home for the next four years of your life. Go into college applications with an open mind, and I am sure you will find the school that is meant for you!

Follow Me Through my Freshman Year!

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Megan

Hi everyone! My name is Megan and I am a freshman here at the lovely Prescott, AZ Campus ERAU Home of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I am originally from Renton,
Washington, which is about twenty minutes outside of Seattle, and very different from Ari My home in WA zona.
Coming from a rainy part of the US, the sun took me by surprise, but I can honestly say that I have fallen in love with Prescott, the sun included.

During my time at ERAU I will be studying Global Security and Intelligence and plan on double majoring in Global Business as well. I am studying GSIS because I want to make a difference in people’s lives, and help them feel safe and secure no matter where they come from. This is something I have known since I was little, and finding ERAU has given me a path way achieve my dream. After college my top goal is to work for the Department of State as a U.S. Diplomat.

Outside of the classroom life is pretty busy. An organization I have been Sorority fun very involved in already is Chi Alpha. This group goes on adventures during the weekend and has helped me build a community in my short time being on campus.
Recently I have also had the privilege of being offered a bid from Alpha Xi Delta, and will soon be a new member of this wonderful sorority! Because of the recent club fair I am becoming involved with the Mountain Club, and Engineers without Boarders. There are truly hundreds of clubs to join and things to get involved in. Which makes life here even more fun. Even though I am new to campus and Prescott I already feel as if I have a strong community surrounding me and I will be able to achieve my goals.
Since college New Friends! is a time for new opportunities, stress, and an enormous amount of fun I invite you to follow me through my freshman year. We can go through the challenges and triumphs together, so that if you are considering ERAU or another university you will have an idea what the life is truly like as a freshman.

F… is For Friends Who do Things Together!

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Adam

Do you recognize the title from Spongebob? Well in one of Spongebob’s infamous scenes he sings about making friends and staying together…it is actually pretty entertaining, especially for Spongebob fans. From the first week until today I have made many friends at Embry-Riddle. Some that stay, a few that go, but the best are the roommates I had freshmen year…

This picture of Spongebob is pretty much what we look like as a crew.

As a freshmen I met 5 new roommates I’d live with for a year and unknowingly become best friends with 2 of them. Crazy enough I still live with them. We’re bonded with a friendship that’s strong to the core. It helps that I am in a Marine Officer Program while the other two are ROTC, one army and one Air Force. As you can see we have one huge thing in common, military lifestyles.

I think it’s great that we are all studying different subjects at Embry-Riddle! GSIS, Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineering. So even though we all manage different schedules and classes we manage to get together almost every weekend and go to Picture Show for an awesome movie that just came out or we play the new Call of Duty video game or even just go to Buffalo Wild Wings. A weekend with us is always a fun one!

Encountering these gentlemen have made my stay at ERAU a great one with memories to last forever. I hope that even after we all graduate we remain in contact because It would be hard to find friends like them again. I hope you have great roommates like I do.

Thanks for reading!

The Winter Weather Man

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Adam

Hello readers, if you aren’t currently an Embry-Riddle student then you might be wondering what the weather is like out here in Prescott, AZ. Well lucky for you I will be getting into how the weather is and how it changes mostly in respect to winter. This will be especially helpful for those coming from warm climates like myself.

So ERAU in Prescott definitely gets FOUR seasons! Summer is hot, fall is bipolar, winter is cold and spring is a usually a good mix of warm and cold weather. But you must be wondering how cold it actually gets here… Well last week it reached 37 degrees (F) during the day! That’s crazy!…..I don’t want to scare you so ill lighten it up with some good news, such as this weeks weather. The average for the week turned out to be 56 degrees (F) midday, and 34 degrees at any given time after dark.

So be prepared for the winter! while it is only this cold during the winter it does lighten up in the fall and spring, which are quite pleasant and beautiful. Being able to come out here and experience four seasons its great, there is really nothing like Prescott. For instance below is a photograph taken of Watson Lake after its snowed, which is right around the corner from ERAU. In fact most students that run, tend to run to the lake and back which takes about 30 minutes to get there, its a great trail!

But enough about how cold it gets, the real question is, does it snow at Embry-Riddle and how often? Well for the past 3 years that I have gone to ERAU in Prescott it has snowed on average 10 to 15 days each year. And i would say about three of those days does it actually come down in a storm that makes it hard to drive. So if you drive you could get away without buying chains no problem but I have some anyway. The other thing to know about snow here is that is melts very fast rarely staying on the roads for more than half a day. As soon as the bright Arizona sun hits it, it’s gone. I hope you enjoyed this blog, stay tuned for more!

Here is a link to a website that has a great amount of detail about the weather in Prescott, AZ. http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/US/AZ/Prescott.html

Embry Riddle Prescott Webpage

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Cherie

The Embry Riddle Prescott Webpage has just been updated with all kinds of cool links and information that will help our prospective students get to know more about Embry Riddle!!! All of the information is up to date, including info about our College of Global Intelligence and Securities Studies which is the first of its kind in the nation!!

The new webpage is sleek and easy to navigate with drop down menus and helpful suggestions that may help you find what you need to know. There is also a search bar for stuff that you can’t find from the first page of the site and it is really helpful 🙂

Please do some research on Embry Riddle today and let us know if you like out new page, it was designed with you in mind!! Thanks for reading everyone!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Cherie

Its Officially 2014!!!!! Congratulations everyone on making it through 2013!! For those new Embry Riddle Prescott Students we welcome you!! For those who are soon to join us here keep pushing through until graduation, we look forward to seeing you next fall 🙂

Are you interested in what Embry Riddle Prescott has in store for you during this new year?? I certainly am, have a look our website through the avenues below!!

Visit Us in Prescott

Check out the Majors we Offer

Request More Information

Apply Now

Hope you have enjoyed our second year of blogging, I definitely have. Please keep reading as we keep you up to date on all the latest college insights. Happy New Year everybody, Let’s make it a great one!

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!!

Junior Year Is Over!

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Maddie

High Five after I passed my Private Checkride!

Hello Blogosphere, I know I went a while between posts there! I got so swamped that I had to take some time off. I have to admit that this was a very, very busy semester for me. I didn’t really get a chance to sit back and think about everything that I had done. Looking back on the semester, I realize that I accomplished a lot! Since I last wrote, I made it through checkride season and finally got my Private Pilot Certificate for Rotorcraft! Yay! I also got the opportunity to go to HAI’s Heli-Expo in Las Vegas which was mind-blowing. My picture even made it into the rotorcraft pro magazine, woo! Another one of Embry-Riddle’s students Celeste Hadley also had a picture of her accepting a scholarship from MD helicopters which is awesome! I also turned 21 during finals week, and still managed to get an A on the final I took the next day. In fact, I got A’s on all my finals! I’m pretty proud of myself.

My course load this semester was made up of RS 300: Observing Asian Cultures, SIS 328: Intelligence, Analysis, Writing, and Briefing, and LCH 102: Mandarin Chinese II. It was the highest workload I’ve had from 9 credits, ever. On top of that, I was doing Private II ground and flight, which kept me really busy as I studied for the three stage checks/checkride I had this semester. Intelligence, Analysis, Writing, and Briefing (or IWB, as we call it) is basically an advanced Intelligence Writing course, which I’ve touched on before. Basically, we learned about methods by which to condense and present data in a concise manner. We also continued to write intelligence briefs about a country of our choosing, to keep our writing skills sharp. Mandarin Chinese was also a continuation upon the course from the fall semester. We learned at a faster pace this semester, and practiced putting together more complex sentences.

Our presentations are not as boring as this one apparently was.

RS 300 was my most difficult course. There were 5 female students in the course, including myself. That’s some girl power!! During the course we would have focus weeks on different countries or regions within Asia. Every class period, each student would give a 15 minute presentation on a specific topic about the culture of the region we were focusing on that week. Our presentations were on topics such as religion, folklore and myths, cooking and eating practices, history, war and revolutions, popular culture, and global business interaction. Writing two fifteen-minute presentations every week was a ton of work. On top of that, we were also assigned reading from our textbook and some multiple choice questions to answer from that. But I’ve mastered the art of going from nothing to ten slides with notecards and talking points in about 3 hours, which I predict is going to be a valuable life skill for me (At least I hope so). But whoever coined the saying that whatever you put into an activity is what you get out was absolutely right. Not only did I learn a ton of information from this class, I also learned to appreciate the fact that we have a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips. All of the information that I learned was a direct result of our own research, and it made me realize that I don’t need to get a PhD to become educated on a subject matter.