Hello everyone, my name is Michael Kokes and this is my first student journal entry! I have never done this before so bear with me while I learn about expressing my day-to-day experiences with you in writing. Let me first start by telling you a little about who I am, where I came from, what I am doing, and where I am heading.
My home state is New Jersey, and I grew up in Wall Township. During high school I started by attending boarding school then transferred to public school. I graduated from Wall High School in 2007. When applying for colleges, I choose 11 of the best schools I wanted to attend. From these 11, I think, I was accepted to around 7 or 8. The school I choose was… Virginia Tech. Wait…what…“how are you here?” I am sure you are asking. Well I am actually a transfer student to Embry-Riddle. When starting out at Virginia Tech I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to major in. I tried my hand at engineering, but quickly realized it wasn’t for me. During my freshman year at Virginia Tech my mother (who always has the best ideas, always listen to your mom), decided to purchase me an exploration flight at a flight school. I really enjoyed it and started flying with an instructor every chance I could. After my first semester at Virginia Tech I realized it wasn’t for me. The blistering cold/warm/rainy/snowy crazy weather at VT just wasn’t for me, and the large class sizes compounded with the school’s majors I didn’t like, pushed me to start looking at other schools. When researching colleges in Florida (it was a major criterion), I came across two schools that I liked, Florida Atlantic University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. After visiting both schools I quickly realized that ERAU was the place for me. The staff was friendly, the major (Homeland Security) fit me, and… it was 85 degrees when I visited. One thing I forgot to mention was that I am in love with surfing and the beach. For two summers in a row I was an Ocean Rescue Lifeguard at Sea Girt Beach New Jersey, sitting in the sun for 40+ hours a week is my thing. Another revelation I had was what I wanted to pursue in life as a career. Ever since I could remember I have wanted to be in Law Enforcement, but for some reason when I applied for colleges I had never taken this into account. I always joke with my friends and say that I was a cop for Halloween every year, of course this is not true though, I was a fireman once. In all honesty, I figured “If am a going to spend four years of my life in school, it better be for something I enjoy” and that is exactly what I have done.
So, fast-forward and I have just finished my second year at ERAU (third year of college). I have one major and three minors: Business, Industrial Safety, and International Relations. I have maintained a high GPA and experienced some great things. The best part, I have one more year left! So where does that leave our relationship? Currently I am interning at the Drug Enforcement Administration in Orlando and am taking summer A classes. My internship with the DEA started February 1 and will continue till June 18. I will be sharing these experiences with you (at least what I am allowed to share). In addition, I will be starting another internship July 6 (my birthday) at the Ocean County Prosecutors office in New Jersey. I will keep you up-to-date on my experiences and life, as hopefully this will give you an accurate portrayal of what life as an Embry-Riddle student is like.
Please feel free to email me at Kokesm@my.erau.edu or add me on www.facebook.com. Search the name Mike Kokes and you will find me. I do not have twitter yet but if enough request it, I might start. I appreciate those who have read this whole thing, and congratulations to those who are graduating high school!
Sincerely,
Michael Kokes
