Hitting the Trail: Granite Mountain

In the network of trails that constitute Prescott’s National Forest, the 7.9 mile Granite Mountain trail is a great option to hike. Driving past the Prescott Walmart and Starbucks, this trailhead is located roughly 20 minutes from campus. I personally enjoy this hike for the peace and quiet it provides, with minimal foot traffic, especially in the scorching heat of the summer season. The breathtaking views you are rewarded with at the top of the mountain aren’t too shabby either.

Here’s my full hiking vlog on ERAU’s official Instagram account.

Contrary to my previous hike at Thumb Butte, Granite Mountain is quite a long and more rigorous trek; so much so, that I was sweating at the bottom of the hike and chilled by the heavy wind at the highest climax of the path. I prefer Granite Mountain over Thumb Butte simply because Granite Mountain offers more opportunities to climb and explore when reaching the top of the trail, unlike Thumb Butte that is blocked off with signs and fences.

With an elevation of 1,656 ft. and scarce shade, the Granite Mountain trail can be either a relaxing morning hike or the next test in expanding your hiking endurance, depending on your skill level. No matter your abilities, I highly recommend trying out the Granite Mountain trail. Make sure to pack lots of water!

My Summer

Summer is a great time where free time is not scarce. However if you don’t plan it well it can become really boring after a couple of weeks.

My summer started in May right after I finished my hardest test, Themes and Humanities. An English class can be quite challenging. That day I came straight home and I fell sleep for about 12 hours until the next day. Some people go out dinner, others go out to party, others start driving back home, I just wanted to sleep. I was exhausted.

There were no classes, wrestling training ended, and no more waking up at 6 am almost every day! The release of pressure felt weird the first week, it felt almost like when buying a new pair of shoes. Soon, I realized that I didn’t know what to do with all the free time I had so, I called my parents looking for advice (I didn’t ask but I implied). “So, mom,” I said. “What are you and my dad going to do this Sunday?”  She replied, “I don’t know son but we are going to find something to do that we love.”  Wooo, it was mind blowing. Apparently, because I was so focused at school I had lost track of what I love to do. (It was kinda scary when it was hard to remember what I love to do)…

The following week I started getting back on what I love to do. For the first 4 weeks of summer I spent all my time reading, fishing, hiking, sleeping, going to the movies, morning runs, coming back to friends…

Carlos

I was busy to hanging out, going to the lake to do nothing other than lay down at the shore, and I started playing chess again at the Prescott Public Library (By the way, those elder men know how play chess, I didn’t win one single game.) —-The remaining 2 months is a story for another time.

Carlos  Carlos chess

I realize that having fun and doing what you love is as important as getting good grades. I started thinking “How I could stop doing what I love to do?” I came to conclusion that there has to be a balance between college and time for yourself and this year as a sophomore, I am going to find this balance.Carlos Sedona

Carlos hike

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AFROTC – Answers to Your Questions

Hey there everyone per request I am dedicating this post to answering some important questions about AFROTC at Embry-Riddle Prescott!

  1. This is a major question: How do I join ROTC?
  • There are a few ways to join. You can apply for a scholarship at the AFROTC website and if you get the scholarship you will bring that here to Embry-Riddle OR you can simply sign up! I recommend signing up with the detachment well before you arrive on campus. However, if you are not sure about it until the last minute or even part way through a semester you can probably still join.
  • When you join I highly encourage you to attend “zero week” it starts a few days before the “normal” students arrive on campus. Being at “zero week” allows you to get an edge on all the other cadets as you receive uniforms, basic training on marching/customs/courtesies, and you can get all your in processing paper work done. It saves you a lot of time and stress later.

2. Is everyone who joins guaranteed a scholarship?

  • Unfortunately, no. If you do not come in with a scholarship you compete against your classmates to receive one. So keep in mind that you must perform well during your first semester, this includes keeping your GPA up! With that said Detachment 028 is well known for getting tons of scholarships and awards so this is definitely the best detachment to join!

3. How should I prepare?

  • The best way to prepare is to exercise!!!!!!!!!!! We take a physical fitness assessment known as the PFA. It consists of a 1.5 mi run 1 minute of pushups and 1 minute of situps. If you can’t pass a PFA you can’t stay in the Detachment so please come prepared! We want to help you succeed as a cadet and fitness is the one factor that you have ABSOLUTE control of.
  • If you can join a JROTC unit to prepare then you will already have a basic knowledge of AF drill, customs, and courtesies. If not, don’t worry about it. We will teach you when you arrive 🙂

If you have additional questions please feel free to ask them below or give us a call at 928-777-6600 you will directed to the AFROTC office where you can get all the info you need!!!! Thanks for reading!

Study Abroad in Europe Changed My Life

“When I met you in tRoad Trip to Austria 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. 7f9c8996-dcd4-41a3-b02f-1226dd9a5022 imag0756 img_20140613_220359 IMG_1104

            “Traveling. It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

Fall 2015. Senior Year. Capstone. Yes!

Hey there fellow students/potential students here’s an update on how my first month back has been! So, as you know, I am a senior in Aerospace Engineering and this semester I am working on the Preliminary Aircraft Design course of my Capstone Project. It has been pretty fun so far but is definitely hard. The courses you take prior to the capstone do help out a lot in your preparation for designing an entire aircraft from scratch. But really how cool is that — an entire aircraft from scratch!

I am also continuing to pursue the research I was working on over the summer. Hopefully, the data processing will allow us to write a paper on the research. If we are able to write it then I am hoping that the project will help me in my professional career in the Air Force.

Yes, I am in ROTC here and it rocks!!ROTC I am in my fourth year and I have the position of female cadet retention in the detachment. It is super fun because I get to meet cool female cadets, encourage, advise, and PT with them!

That’s pretty much all that I’ve been up to this semester so far, keep checking my blog for more updates, fun, facts, and useful info! If you have any questions for me please feel free to comment below 🙂

 

Semester Finale

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This is the last week of the semester and it has been crazy! Last homework assignments are due, projects are due, and presentations are due too! Thankfully, we have all been keeping our heads above the water and getting everything done.

I am looking forward to the close of the semester! To stay motivated it helps to think about what I have planned for the summer months.

I will be making money and hanging out. I plan on doing tons of crafts, going hiking, working out, and learning how to make healthy meals on a budget 🙂 What are your plans for summer??

If you are a potential freshman with no summer plans then come on by and check us out! It will be a fun way to break up your summer 🙂

College Decisions

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When it comes time to make those college decisions it can be pretty scary and intimidating. The best way to do it is to get all the facts. Find a college that has the major you want and if you change your mind about your major ensure that the college has something else your interested in doing. Also, check out there area you will be living in. Do you like the weather there? The city or a rural area? What is the culture like in that area? Make sure you also research stuff you can do in the area. This is something I did not do before I came here, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are a lot of interesting things to do (provided you have the $$) withing a 3 hour radius of Prescott.

Also, look into the living costs of the area. Check out the on campus housing and local housing in the area. When you choose to move off campus you will need to know how much it will cost and if you can afford it. You should also look into the job market in the area. Many college students pick up a job to get some extra cash or to help work there way through school.

The last thing you should check out is students feedback on the university. This blog is a great source of feedback and many universities have similar resources available for potential students to use. I personally, am glad that I chose Embry-Riddle. It is the best place for me academically and for my AFROTC career as well. If I had to make the choice over again I definitely would. 🙂 If you have any questions or requests please let me know!

I chose Embry-Riddle because of Spy Camp

Hi my name is Jessica Embrey. I am a freshman here at Embry-Riddle. I am majoring in Global Securities and Intelligence Studies. I have always been interested in this line of work. I think it would be cool to work as an analyst, in an embassy, doing field work, or in counter intelligence.

My brother had just started at Embry-Riddle so I was learning more about the school and the different majors when one really caught my attention – Global Security and Intelligence Studies. GSIS, it was everything I wanted to do concentrated in a college major. Then I heard about spy camp. It was the perfect way to try out my interests so I signed up!

My experience at spy camp was amazing. I met so many cool people that I am still friends with to this day. I also learned a lot more about what I wanted to do in my future. I experienced what it’s really like, not just what you see on TV (even though TV was a big part of how I decided I want this). The camp was very in formative and a lot of fun! We did so many cool activities like encryption and surveillance. It really helped to show me a different side of gathering intelligence. Attending Spy Camps is something that I recommend to everyone who wants to go into this field of work. No matter what summer camp you go to here at Embry-Riddle you will have fun and learn a lot of things. Whether it is an engineering camp, flight camp, or spy camp you will learn a lot and have a good time while also getting a look into a perspective career field and even getting a look at Embry-riddle to see if you want to come here one day! So take my advice, come to camp!

It’s a White Tuesday!

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!!

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Snow Falling in front of the AXFAB in central campus

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Central Campus

My view from the upperclassman dorms this morning.

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!!