I love this University, the people in it, and the things I get to do which right now includes the travel portion of my semester-long Ireland course through the College of Security and Intelligence. Follow my Facebook posts below to see what we’ve been doing…and just remember, as a student at ERAU you can do this too!
A loud obnoxious noise threw me unapologetically out of a completely sound sleep at 5:30 am PST on Saturday morning April 2, 2016. Now this isn’t normal. I don’t even wake up this early for class during the week. However, today is special. Today is one of the biggest days for the Admissions Office and for our entire campus. A mandatory workday is hard for every student employee but Preview Day is the most rewarding and most enjoyable event we have the pleasure of working once a year.
This year brought with it a staggering record number of over 370 students and their families. That’s an astonishing number that I am incredibly proud of. Seeing just how much our campus has expanded and grown and is continuing to grow in just the 4 years I have been here is the most rewarding feeling a student of this campus could feel. People are starting to discover our secret – a secret that we have hidden a mile high in the most exquisite state anyone could have the pleasure of being able to study in.
Campus Ambassadors
Preview Day always reminds me of the reason I ultimately decided to become a Campus Ambassador for the Prescott, AZ campus. As a student employee at Preview Day we provide customer service to our visitors. We transport them to designated locations on campus, provide requested information, represent the face of Embry-Riddle, and ensure that our visitors are given the ultimate initiation into the Eagle family.
Before the Welcome
Each one of our Student Ambassadors prides themselves on ensuring that every one of our visitors feel as if Embry-Riddle is their second home because, lets be honest, now that your child has been accepted into our University you have officially become family. Welcome! You have truly found your second home. The city of Prescott’s motto explains it perfectly, “Prescott Everybody’s Hometown.” Being the first impression of campus and helping a student figure out the first step in launching their careers is an invaluable feeling that I don’t take for a granted, even for a second.
This year I was given the role of administering flight line tours to families that were interested in touring the state of the art equipment that we have available for our flight students that propels them into their respected career. Showing students and their families around the flight line, accompanied by the best co-workers a student employee could possibly ask for, made Preview Day 2016 that much more of a phenomenal experience. We had the great pleasure of ensuring that every single one of the new additions to our Embry-Riddle family had a grand welcome.
As a senior, I am beyond pleased to see that the future of our Embry-Riddle community will not only continue to live out the goal of our campus, but will also surpass and rewrite the history of this campus helping to propel the Prescott, AZ campus into a bright future. I am so eager to come back to visit as an Alumni.
When I first arrived to college I never expected to add more members to my family. Growing up I only had to look out for my younger brother who is 4 years younger than me. As I grew older I realized one was all I could probably handle and became very thankful my mom stopped trying for the daughter she always wanted.
When I moved over a thousand miles away from my brother and the comfort, security, and love of my family, I actively sought out a family unit I could truly connect with here at Riddle. Through what I believe was fate, I discovered the greatest family a guy could ever ask for in the men I call brothers of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. Looking out the window of my car glancing over at the sign that reads, “Welcome to the state of Nevada” these very same thoughts made its way back to the forefront of my mind. This was it, my very last fraternity formal as an Embry-Riddle student.
Our group! Austin, Nikki, Dani, Kristen, and Brennan
Oh my how far we’ve all come as a fraternity. Having over 40 men in my life that I can honestly call my brothers is something I never expected at Embry-Riddle. Being a part of a fraternity has been one of the most challenging, stressful, exciting, and rewarding activities I’ve been able to experience during my time here. This year our fraternity believed it was incredibly important to go big or go home so we planned an extravagant formal in Las Vegas, NV to get everyone out of our normal day to day environment so we could enjoy each other’s company as a brotherhood accompanied by our dates in a city that has been made famous for just having a good time; Laissez les bons temps rouler! As we say in the city of New Orleans, meaning let the good times roll!
Sitting at the dinner table with the men and women that I started my journey here at Embry-Riddle with, that have deservedly become my brothers and sisters, made me realize that I have so much to be thankful for in my life. Here I am 21 years old surrounded by an immense amount of love that has helped get me through my best and my worst days without ever asking for anything in return. I don’t know if this journey would’ve been remotely possible without the great men of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and the woman of Alpha Xi Delta and Alpha Sigma Tau sororities. Even though I didn’t win an award for my last formal (still a little salty about that lol) it was such a rewarding feeling being able to look over at my brothers as a senior knowing that I’ll be leaving this fraternity behind in good hands. It really is true, “Brotherhood is the very price and condition of man’s survival,” Carlos P Romulo.
After this weekend it became evident to me that it wasn’t the city that graciously hosted our formal this year that elevated it to one for the books for our fraternity but that ultimately it was the relationships we have all developed over the years being together along with our impeccable growth as a family that made this year’s Pi Kappa Phi formal one that I will always remember as I get ready to take the next step towards accomplishing the goals I have set for myself in my aviation career. I love my brothers of Pi Kappa Phi Iota Eta chapter and I will forever hold you guys near and dear to my heart for the rest of my life. Thank you for such an unforgettable weekend!
Enjoying our time at formal!
Me and the beautiful Sophia! Sister of Alpha Xi Delta
Me and my bestfriend, President of Alpha Xi Delta : Kristen at formal (Mac photo bombing)
“When I met you in t
he summer!” This very phrase sums up summer 2014 perfectly for me. The amount of people I’ve been blessed to meet along with the different countries I was able to explore made that summer the journey of a lifetime.
Summer ’14 felt as though I was in my own version of the music video for the song “Summer” by Calvin Harris. This simple phrase carries with it an enormous amount of weight that has left behind a great deal of memories imprinted in my mind and in my heart that will follow me for the rest of my life.
I was looking out the large windows of Chicago O’ Hare International airport at the skyline of the city of Chicago when I noticed the impeccably beautiful Boeing 747 and it finally hit me. This was it, this was the moment I had been waiting for all semester; I was getting ready to depart the United States with my sights set on Europe for an entire month. The class I was attending on this study abroad was Aviation Appreciation, administered by the Daytona Beach campus and serves the sole purpose of educating the student on what and how aviation got started here in the United States as well as overseas through two world wars.
The one thing everyone talks about when they describe their experiences studying abroad is personal growth and embarking on the most fulfilling journey of their lives. I get the chills every time I think back to how much Europe changed me as a person. Being 20 years old at the time, getting an opportunity to live in a foreign country for a month, having to rethink everything I thought I knew about life and navigate around a place I had only seen in movies was the scariest and most rewarding experience of my life.
When I returned to the United States and looked at myself in the mirror for the first time so much had changed. The way I saw the world and what I wanted my future to entail was completely different than what it was when I first began my journey at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 2 years prior to this trip. Being a guy from New Orleans, LA this type of thing isn’t something anyone expects would ever be possible for him or her. It really was honestly one of the most surreal moments of my life. My eyes were opened wider than they had ever had been. I was now aware and cognizant of different ways of life, culture and people and I couldn’t even begin to imagine how I was going to be able to return to my routine. I had grown so much spiritually and emotionally; I had fallen deeply in love with Europe.
There’s still not a single day that goes by that I don’t think about the times I spent abroad…watching the changing of guards at Buckingham Palace, catching the tube to visit new friends (whom I still talk to two years later), soaking in all of the beauty that Parliament and the London Eye reveal under the dark skies of London, riding up to the top of the Eiffel Tower to check out life altering views of downtown Paris, lying in the grass at midnight to watch the light show dancing up and down the Eiffel Tower flaunting all of its pure iconic beauty, visiting the incredibly heavy and emotional grounds of the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany where you could just feel the empty cold empty dark souls that roamed the grounds of the camp during World War II, getting a chance to ditch an engine and glide over the countryside of Germany with the German Alps at the forefront of my view…
That trip taught me so much about a subject that I’ve been passionate about ever since I could talk and say the word, “airplane”. I learned about the people that live on that side of the world and how they truly perceive the world and how they feel life should be lived. It has helped me become a more well rounded and accepting individual to every different culture and background that I now encounter in my life.
I believe the most valuable benefit of my experience studying abroad was the person I became as a result of being overseas and having to rethink how to navigate through life through everyday activities and responsibilities. I found myself scared yet excited, shocked but intrigued leaving me with a greater since of appreciation for other cultures and their lifestyles. I could not understand that by staying here in my own country studying a particular subject.
This world is so large and truly magnificent and I believe every singe human being owes it to themselves to get out there explore, enjoy, learn, and just take in all that has been given to us to experience. Studying Abroad is truly a life altering experience that is priceless beyond words and should be taken full advantage of. I enjoyed my study abroad experience so much that I am currently in the process of preparing for my second study abroad this summer the Troubles in Ireland class being administered by Professor Austin. My advice to you is to get out there and take advantage of this beautiful planet we all call home. There’s a whole world out there just waiting for you to discover. You owe it to yourself to discover the mysteries of this life that will help mold and define you as who you were always destined to be in this world. 
“Traveling. It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
The Terraces Apartments in Prescott Valley, AZ
My balcony covered in snow!
My shoes covered in snow!
I have been living here in Prescott, AZ now for a little over 3 years. I’ve experienced three Northern Arizona winters and I can say without any hesitation that this year’s winter season has been the most active winter in the regards to snow fall and consistently cold temperatures in all the three years I have been living here. Some may say it’s too cold or it’s been too wet but no one can complain when you have 3 back to back two hour delay starts to the morning or what we had this Monday which was our very first snow day of the semester! It’s is also my very first snow day at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and I am a senior this year!
After last year’s very disappointing winter this one has definitely made up for it. This recent snowstorm was more unique than the others we had roll through the area earlier this winter season. This storm brought with it blizzard like conditions with winds gusting at about 40 mph and heavy sleet turning into consistent snow fall dropping about 4-6 inches on the town of Prescott and Prescott Valley resulting in a Snow Day for everyone in the Quad City area.
Being from New Orleans, LA this is something I thought I would only get to experience vicariously through actors in movies. Now I know what you’re thinking… the only reason I love snow days so much is because of the fact that all classes are cancelled for the day but I enjoy it so much because most people that attend this campus are from places in the United States that don’t experience even a single inch of snow fall or a real winter so being able to see everyone’s inner kid come out to run around campus throwing snow balls at each other, or trying to build the most unique snow man, or sledding down the lower soccer fields, to even having my friends come over to my apartment for some English Tea, a nice bowl of Taco Soup next to my fireplace and just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company is what makes a Snow Day a true Snow Day.
Snow just has a way of making everyone so happy in this town (mainly because it melts really quickly so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of it for too long) and it’s just a great feeling to share that joy with all of the people that help you get through those long hard days when you just want to curl up in your bed and hide out until the semester is over. This snow day I had the time of my life and I am very optimistic and incredibly excited to see what Mother Nature has in store for us the remainder of this winter season.
Here are more photos from students around campus who went out in the snow!
Snow prepared!
Pedro and friends’ Giant Snowman
A snow break.
Snow in the pines
Even the fur beasts got in on the fun!
To say this weekend in Palm Springs, California at the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA) Conference was incredible would be an understatement. I can’t quite explain just how valuable it was to take a minute away from the study world to partake in an unforgettable weekend with my Riddle family.
I am so passionate about the industry I am apart of and I love the people I have surrounded myself with over these last few years here at Embry-Riddle. I’m so grateful for the growth I’ve made since last year’s NGPA conference.
This year’s conference brought along new experiences, new opportunities, new friendships, new sets of goals, and a completely different outlook on where I want my career to go in the future. I was able to solidify an internship opportunity with United Airlines and a possible job opportunity with PSA Airlines once I receive all of the required flight certifications. Yes, it’s that powerful!
We even met and talked with Caitlyn Jenner who was at the conference and is a pilot herself.
I believe the NGPA conference is an incredibly valuable conference for any aspiring pilot to attend because of all of the networking opportunities that are available with people from all parts of the industry. I’ve never been so happy just being me and I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it weren’t for what NGAP stands for and the community they have developed over the years as a safe zone for pilots all over the country. It is such an exciting and liberating feeling anticipating where my career will take me next. This is only the beginning the rest is still unwritten.
You’ve been here now for about 2 months; I know it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, time flies here, no pun intended. You’re slowly beginning to get into the swing of things. See it wasn’t so hard. Midterms are finally over. This is also a time where you are left with a little bit more free time than before and your mind has time to wonder and think of home.
You start to realize that those phone calls and Face time sessions are no longer enough. This is when that thing, that one thing no student wants to admit they have caught, homesickness, shows up. As a freshman it’s hard to admit. No one wants to admit that they are missing home, especially to their parents because you know there just going to tell you “I told you so.”
As a freshman it’s normal for you to begin to miss home around this time in the semester. Looking back now at my freshman year I remember this moment very vividly. It was hard. Being from New Orleans, LA there are a great deal of things we do that are a part of our unique culture that many other places don’t do and even think we’re crazy for doing. Small things like getting excited for Christmas in the Oaks in City Park, trying to get your last fix of snowballs before it starts getting too cold to want to eat one, attending the Saints games now that football season is beginning to get a little bit more interesting, trying to get that last batch of crawfish from the Seafood Pot before the season officially ends and just hanging with my family and friends when I need someone who understands all of my weirdness.
Making snow angels in downtown Prescott.
Crawfish, Corn, and Cajun Potatoes!
It’s hard because you just arrived here a few months ago and Arizona isn’t quite home yet. I know, you can’t even imagine calling Arizona home, but trust me you will. It happens to all of us after Christmas break when we realize just how amazing this state is along with not knowing how we were ever able to live life without the friends we’ve met here at Riddle this semester. Just hang on, don’t let the stress of being homesick take over your mind by swallowing your thoughts and making it difficult to stay focused. Continue to stay busy. Hang out with your “crew” continuing to create incredible memories. Oh and if midterms got the best of you don’t let it discourage you. This is your first introduction to the format of college exams. Take it as a learning experience and build from it. We all do bad on at least one exam, it happens. Keep pushing through, the semester will be wrapping up in a blink of an eye and before you know it you’ll be back home with your family and friends enjoying all that the holidays have to offer and before you have the chance to notice, you’ll be wishing you were back at Riddle with the second family you’ve had the opportunity to build so far. This is just the beginning of your journey the rest is still unwritten.
Pi Kappa Phi and Alpha Xi Delta Formal.
My favorite semester is fall, not just because I’m coming back to school and my friends but because there’s some great adventures I’ve made into a yearly tradition. and I want to tell you about them. I hope you try these out when you get here!
Snowbowl Ski Lift, Flagstaff, AZ. One of my favorite off campus events I enjoy 
doing in the Fall is driving an hour and a half north to the city of Flagstaff driving around downtown and towards the San Francisco Peaks. 
Here in Prescott we get a fair share of fall foliage around town and even more closely here on campus. However, one of the best places to view fall foliage is in the city of Flagstaff. As a guy that was born and raised in New Orleans there is no such thing as fall foliage. The seasons down south are a lot less defined as it is in most states around the country. I still to this day get very excited when the Fall season starts because of the impeccable beauty it shares throughout Northern Arizona. I try to make time to take a trip up to Snowbowl every year in late September. At Snowbowl you can ride the lifts up to the very top peak of Mount Humphries and get a chance to look out and see miles and miles of crisp beautiful yellow, red, and orange leaves surrounding the San Francisco Peaks and throughout the town of Flagstaff, smelling the fresh aspen trees as you ride the lift up to 11,500 ft. the highest mountain peak in the state of Arizona. 
It is honestly one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had while living here in Northern Arizona. It is one of the most relaxing and de-stressing day events that really help keep you leveled when the fall semester workload is beginning to pick up. Another really cool thing that you get a chance to take advantage is that they have amazing sales at the ski shop located at the bottom of the lift. You can take advantage of the exceptional deals and pick up some great snow and ski gear to impress skiiers and snowboarders once the winter season gets into full swing.
Off Campus: Go Kart Racing, Scottsdale, AZ Whenever I have the need for speed 
I love to drive down an hour and a half south and visit Octane Raceway and go Go Kart Racing with my friends and fraternity brothers to take a break from studying. Octane is located in Scottsdale, AZ which is a city located to the east of Phoenix. Scottsdale has great shopping and some amazing restaurants so there’s a lot to check out while you’re down there. Octane Raceway has a very challenging course that takes you from the inside of the facility to an outdoors patio lounge area where you get a chance to feel the very dry hot air from the Phoenix dessert. The Karts go up to 45 miles per hour so there’s a lot of power for you to get your urge for speeding and racing out of your system. Its so much fun taking a break and coming down to race with my friends because it gives us a chance to hang out get a little competitive and just have an incredible time with each other.
On Campus: Halloween Haunted House sponsored by the Safety Center If you are like me and enjoy your occasional scream here and there around the Halloween season you don’t have to look too far. Our Robertson Safety Center puts on a 
zombie-themed haunted house that utilizes their crash site as the backdrop. There’s nothing more exciting than the eerie feeling of wrecked planes surrounding you while zombies pop out at every corner crouching over bent propellers and behind crushed fuselages. It was so much fun being able to have a moment where my friends and I could laugh at each others facial expressions as the suspense of not knowing what was behind each corner or even next to our feet etched the most amusing look of fear on our faces. I honestly hadn’t laughed so hard in so long. It helped make that Halloween season one I will forever remember here at Embry Riddle with some of the most amazing people I have been so lucky to have met during my years here.
Here’s an update: Just went to Flagstaff this past weekend for the fall colors again!
My name is Jeffery Boudoin I’m from New Orleans, LA. I am a senior here at Embry-Riddle studying Aeronautical Science minoring in Global Business. My goal is to fly for British Airways flying multiple incredible routes all over Europe. I have been in love with aviation for as long as I could remember and decided to come to Embry-Riddle to pursue my dream of being a professional pilot, studying in a place where everyone shares the same passion as I do for flight.
As the sun began t
o peak through the window of my room at 5:30 am breaking through the night’s previous invasion, I couldn’t help but think to myself “How do people in this state survive during the summer when they are awakened at such an early time?” Before I could even get overly grouchy, a surge of excitement filled my body. This was it! This was the beginning of a new start. This was the start of my adulthood. I was no longer in my childhood home, I was in college.
At first, of course, it’s a little intimidating but I knew my parents had done everything they could and more throughout my childhood to prepare me for this very moment. Going off to college is an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience and now as a senior, as I look back to 2012 when I started my very challenging and rewarding journey in obtaining my bachelors degree in Aeronautical Science, I realize that there is honestly no more exciting year as Freshman year.
To this day my best and most profound memories are from when I first started my journey here at Embry-Riddle – seeing new faces, experiencing a new state, experiencing a new culture. It was all incredibly exciting.
Ok, so the first day isn’t only exciting, there are moments where things are a little scary but I’d argue that actually helps the college experience. It challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and really be who you’ve always wanted to be. This is a new start; this is a new chance for you to get it right. High school is over; you never have to worry about working on assignments that you feel are pointless, well only your humanities class work, but you’ll soon realize that those classes are an easy GPA booster (so don’t blow them off).
Ex
plore everything that Prescott has to offer.
Don’t be afraid to jump in your car and just spontaneously drive to every corner of this impeccable state. Arizona has an incredible landscape. You can drive 50 minutes north and feel as if you just entered a Christmas wonderland with all of the pine trees surrounding every corner of the city of Flagstaff. Then you can drive 60 miles south and really experience what it’s like living in a true inferno (Phoenix) which will lead you to jumping in a tube and floating down the famous Salt River. This is just the beginning. You have so much to accomplish here!
Introduce yourself to 
people you see around campus. We really are a family oriented campus. You will soon realize this once the fall semester comes to a close and you’re back at home thinking life is so boring without your ERAU “crew”. The people you meet at this school will truly become your extended family and will be the people who help you build memories that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.
The friends I have made at this school continue to remind me that I made the best decision in choosing Embry-Riddle as my place of study.
