Confessions of a Sophomore & Getting Married

This is the tale of my Sophomore year; surviving the gauntlet, working off-campus, and… getting married! In this vlog, I (Colton Campbell) take you through the lessons I learned my sophomore year and share some of the footage I captured during Fall of 2015 and Spring of 2016. Enjoy, and as always feel free to leave comments and suggestions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjztHKmPWuw&feature=youtu.be

 

And here is a few pics of my beautiful bride, Madeline (: We don’t have the photographer’s photos yet but Maddie’s sister snapped these during the wedding.

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Stay tuned this summer for more video blogs! If you’d also like to see more photo blogs, let me know in the comments below!

A Photographic Journey Through the Beauty of Prescott, Arizona

In the following blog, Colton takes you on a visual journey through some of Prescott’s most iconic scenery. You can click on the image to view a larger version.

First we start off with Thumb Butte, one of the highest points in Prescott.

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Thumb Butte and the surrounding area looks just as stunning in the Winter

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Next, we take a look at the lakes near to Embry-Riddle campus (Watson and Willow Lake).

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My friends and I often take our multirotors out to the lake for some aerial photos and video.

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This is the back of Watson Lake dam

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One of my favorite spots in Prescott is Spruce Mountain Lookout. From the top of the mountain you are rewarded with a beautiful view of Prescott below.

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Glowing Mountains

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Another hidden gym is Prescott’s Lynx Creek system. In winter/spring the creek flows with snowmelt and produces gorgeous scenery.

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Our final destination is Prescott’s Downtown Courthouse square. The square presents beautiful colors in the fall as well as spring, and in the winter the entire courthouse and surroundings are covered with Christmas lights. For more info on that see this blog -> https://riddlenationaz.erau.edu/tag/lights/

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Included below are a few more photos that showcase some random but amazing scenery surrounding Prescott, Arizona.

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And to close it up, a few shots of/around Embry Riddle campus!

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If you have any questions feel free to comment below!

-Colton Campbell

 

 

Watch Student UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Club

In today’s video blog, Colton gives you a glimpse into one of the most popular on-campus attractions for Riddle students… The UAS club!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEU0xwbdHu0&feature=youtu.be

 

For more information, comment below to get in contact with someone!

Stay tuned for more exciting videos about life at Embry Riddle and its surroundings.

Top Secret ERAU Secret You Must Take Advantage Of!

If you happen to be a Riddle student then there is about a 50/50 chance that you know something that many others don’t. Curious to know what I am talking about? Embry-Riddle started as flight school in 1925 and the training great pilots continues to be a strong degree program. But, not only is ERAU a top flight school, it is a major contributor of graduates to the Engineering, Business, and the Global Security & Intelligence industries.

Why is being a non-flight student at a University with a flight program COOL? I can almost guarantee that any non-flight student knows at least one pilot. And, any student that is a pilot knows that you can include one of your friends on a ride-along during an instruction. You may think, oh well that’s not a big deal, but it is! To share the experience of flying with your friends is awesome!

Just last weekend I went on a ride along and took a couple pictures from the back seat. For someone who has only flown in the large 747 plane it was a hell of an experience. It was a great way to start off spring break and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

The view in one of our practice areas.

The view in one of our practice areas.

So if you are a student at ERAU then ask your flight friends about it, and if you are an incoming freshmen then be sure to make friends with a pilot! And don’t worry about safety, the instructors at Riddle are pretty incredible. So be sure to take advantage of this experience that most of your friends at state universities won’t ever have.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned.

What can I do when I’m not studying? – [ERAU Activities Fair 2k15 VLog]

Alot of college is about studying to make those very important grades… but obviously you can’t study for the entire 4 years of college right? Check out this video to see a few of the numerous on-campus clubs we have to fill up your free time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeQCUdQ_WtE&index=17&list=PL793E000DD1CD6326

Do you like these new Video Blogs I’m doing? Comment below and let me know! Suggestions and questions are always encouraged!

Granite Basin MTB VLog

Well here’s something new I’m trying… A sort of Video-blog kinda mesh, where the video is the main focus of the blog post and this text is just an accompaniment. If y’all enjoy this format, I’m sure you’ll see more in the future.

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At last, finals were done. And what better way to celebrate than hop on my less-than prepared bike and throw myself down a mountainside with my good friend Ben. I’ll let the video do most of the talking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDMCMU89ZP8

This is my first “VLog”, and other than noticing that I move my hands alot when I talk to the camera (I’m used to being BEHIND the camera), I really enjoyed the process and hope you enjoy the result as much as I do. Leave me some feedback on what you’d like to see next/what I can improve upon!

Keeping up With all Your Work

For some students it may be easy just to attend class and ace all the exams and for others like myself, this would lead into a down fall with grades. So today I will go into a few personal tips on keeping up with all the course work in order to maintain good grades.

When it comes to engineering courses at Embry-Riddle there is work to do outside of the classroom. Most of the time it will take more then just attending class to pass with good grades. The most significant tool I use to study and keep on track is homework. When you keep up with homework it becomes easier to stay on top of everything. It also helps retain the information for when the exam comes around.

The next step is to be sure you attend class and… pay ATTENTION… it isn’t enough to not skip class but to attention is the key. Sometimes teachers may be less than exciting but the knowledge they hold is essential to the learning process.

The last thing I would say is to take a break when you feel like you need one, even if its barely Tuesday and you’re feeling way too stressed or unfocused to do anything. It’s okay to relax for a bit, in fact, it’s crucial to improving your performance when you’re tired or not focused.

So keep your head in the game and remember why you are doing all this hard work. Stay motivated! Thanks for reading.

The Ragnar Relay

Ready to get your race on? I know I am. I am sure everyone has heard of the Tough Mudder by now and if you don’t already know the Ragnar relay race is like it but harder. Be prepared to get pumped!

Ragnar is an overnight running relay race. The Ragnar trail series consists of teams of 8 that complete 120 miles over the course of two days and one night. Yes this means you get to camp out! But camping and running is only half the fun! Not only is this relay race based on a team objective. At the race there will be live music, bonfires, food and it brings together thousands of awesome people each year.

Click on the link to check out the Ragnar page for more information.

https://www.ragnarrelay.com/ragnar

I decided to do the Ragnar trail series in November at McDowell Mountain with a buddy that is in USMC (PLC) Platoon Leaders Class with me. As a student at Embry-Riddle you will meet a lot of great people with some different and some very similar interests. This is a great scenario where you will meet people that will get you excited to reach out and push your limits! Its a great experience! I encourage you to take advantage of opportunities like this. At Embry-Riddle you will find a lot of chances like this arise which is what makes it a great place to attend college.

I will also run with my buddy who is a part of Team RWB (Red White Blue). A Veteran nonprofit organization that helps veterans across the nation in a plethora of ways including coming together and running marathons or exciting events like the Ragnar.

So check it out! Grab a couple friends and hit those trails! I can’t wait to get started next weekend! Ill keep you posted after the run and let you know how it went! Thanks for reading.

Living Off Campus

One topic that may strike your interest as an incoming freshmen is “What is it like to live off campus?” You might wonder what are the pros and cons? Well I’ve got some good news for you! Today I will go a bit into the differences of living on and off campus.

To start off if you don’t already know, freshmen at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are required to live on campus their freshmen year. Although, there are some exceptions for those that are unable to live on campus or if you are local. You may call admissions 928-777-6600 or check out the website for more information on that.     http://prescott.erau.edu/admissions/

Living off campus is a BIG step! You have to keep tabs on your bills and make sure you’re roommates are all in and responsible!

So now to the fun part, as I currently live off campus I have a bit of insight to share. The best thing about living off campus in my opinion is the home feeling you get. Every morning you wake up in your own bed and have breakfast in your kitchen. You have your own room again!

Now for the cons. Sometimes you may be forgetful, leading me into my biggest problem. If you live 15 to 20 min. away from the school then chances are you don’t want to waste time or money on gas driving back because you forgot something very important. Well by living on campus you can completely eliminate this problem because it takes maybe 5 – 10 min. to walk to your room and back to class.

Of course the big decision is yours to make after your Freshman year. I know some prefer the convenience of living on campus but some like myself are willing to give up convenience for my own apartment.

Entrepreneurship as Spoken by Dr. Kodimer

Entrepreneurship is the process of starting a business or organization. Last week Oct. 7th was IEEE day. And as a member of the student IEEE branch at ERAU I am glad to announce that in celebration Dr. Kodimer at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University gave a speech on entrepreneurship and his professional experience.

Today I will go into a few of the interesting topics he chose to discuss with us which includes goals, marketing, and a few other great discussions.

First and foremost I’d like to start by saying not everyone’s goal is the same, and your goal to be an engineer may change to being an entrepreneur. For many, it may be to own a small company that does good for the community OR, you may want your company to grow as large as Sony, Apple, or Microsoft.

It all depends. Dr. Kodimer stated, ” Remember the prime directive”.  No matter what the goal may be, it can be easy to get lost in the ownership of the company and lose track of what may be best to survive.

One of the key things he listed in his speech was what it takes to be an Entrepreneur. Health — a clear mind; Knowledge — in the field of need; Integrity, Courage — higher risks; Compassion — for others on the team; and lastly Marketing! What to say and how plays a large enough roll to severely impact your success. Dr. Kodimer revealed something called a push for market and a pull for market. A push for market is when you design something for a target group that they don’t yet know they need/want. While a pull for market is when a target group needs a solution or item that may or may not exist.

There is much more to discuss so if you have further questions or knowledge that you would like to share please contact me or leave a comment.

Thank you.

olimskia@my.era.edu