Springing into the Semester & Meet Maddie!

Happy spring semester all!

I would like to begin my first blog by introducing myself! I am from Castle Rock, Colorado (in-between Denver and Colorado Springs) and a sophomore studying Aviation Business here at Riddle! My passion in life is traveling, hence why this is the perfect school for me! On campus I am in the Honors program, an RA (Resident Advisor) in the New Residence Hall for the Honors Living and Learning Community, Associate Justice on the Student Government Student Court, secretary for Women in Aviation, ambassador for Women Ambassadors, a Business Eagles member, student assistant in the Office of Development, ambassador for the Orientation Team, a sister in the sorority Theta Phi Alpha, and now, a student blogger! Needless to say, I keep busy on campus!

With all this involvement comes a lot of time management practice. This time of year we are all rebooting since our schedules have changed so much! The past few weekends I have spent in training or at retreats. I love that the activities you partake in during college are mainly student-run. All organizations must have an advisor, but the students run the show! During RA training all meals are catered, so a lot of good food (even though you have to come back a week early from break)! Since RAs are meant to be a resource for students, we do a fall and spring training to keep the most up-to-date and as reliable as possible. The Student Government Association and my sorority also held retreats. Good food is provided here too, of course!

One of my favorite things about being on campus is all the activities that we have! Clubs range from skydiving — to the Microgravity Club that is currently working on a project with NASA! There is truly an activity for everyone to get involved with. Not only does this help your resume, but it’s a great way to make friends and take a break from school. Not sure what clubs to join? There is an Activities Fair in both the fall and spring where the campus is teeming with students checking out what all clubs have to offer!

While the activities are fun and all, classes have also begun. It is always a little nerve-racking to start again, but our professors are so interesting! One of my professors is an attorney and another was in airline marketing before changing over to teaching! I have learned lots about long-haul low-cost airlines and alliance codeshares in the past week. Learning things like this make going to my 8 am a lot easier!

I hope everyone is starting their semesters off strong!

– Maddie

Theta Phi Alpha

Women Ambassador

Orientation Team

Business Eagles at a Southwest Camp

Women in Aviation Tour

Women in Aviation Conference

 

 

 

The best advice you could ever take

Hello Readers!

 I hope the New Year has been a good one for you so far. There are many exciting new things happening on campus to kick off the New Year. Our campus has been graced with a beautiful new building, the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS). I took a walk through it on this past Monday and what a sight it is! Five stories of the most modern classrooms and labs you’ll see, topped with the largest collegiate telescope in Florida. I have a physics class in the building and I’m quite certain it will be my favorite class simply due to its location there.

The New College of Arts and Sciences

If I could provide the best advice for success while at Embry-Riddle it would be summed up in one simple phrase…

Get involved!

Here at ERAU there is a wealth of resources available to students who are willing to go after them. 2013 was a transformative year for me at Embry-Riddle simply because I decided to do more with my time here on campus. It all began with the decision to pick up an election packet for a Student Government Association position. I was unsure of my place within Embry-Riddle and I didn’t know where I really fit in. With the election packet, I was tasked with gathering 50 signatures from the student body and writing a short essay. It was hard to ask students to support me in something I wasn’t totally certain of myself–but I did it anyway, I knew It was the right choice for me to get involved.

After a few weeks and some basic campaigning I was a student elected SGA official, specifically, a Representative for the College of Aviation.

With SGA involvement follows the opportunity to enhance student life at Embry-Riddle through the provision of services, events, and representation while providing a means for students to address issues with the administration. With my position I gained many exciting opportunities to meet staff on campus, interact with students, and do neat things I would have otherwise missed out on.

“Think of Embry-Riddle as being like a large buffet, you should chew and absorb as much as you can in your time here”

By far my favorite (and most tiring) part of 2013 was Fall orientation. From waking up at 6am to help signup new flight students for flight badges, to helping set up a dance party in the student center past midnight—I got to be an essential part of new students first days on campus. And it was a blast! What followed throughout my first semester was an expansion of my experiences and opportunities so fulfilling that I cannot even recount it all.

But that wasn’t all. I also took interest in The Avion Newspaper, which is the campus news outlet and a branch of our Student Government. Again, I was unsure if it was the right place for me to get involved but I attended meetings anyway, just to see what it was like. I wrote my first article in the paper and attended my first production on a Sunday afternoon to layout the paper. I wrote another article, and then another. I couldn’t seem to get enough, I loved what I was doing there, and the other staff members were very welcoming to me. By semester’s end I was among the top contributors to the paper, and I was offered a position as News Editor for Spring 2014. I took it.

 

 

 

 

My simple decision to get involved on campus with SGA led me down a path to many more neat experiences which have enriched my life here at ERAU. Through my experiences I was even able to acquire this blog writing position. It’s a truly humbling opportunity which I don’t deserve. Through this blog I get to interact with many prospective students like you and tell you about this great University.  Embry-Riddle has so much to offer you even beyond  its incredible degree programs. I encourage you to take a look into what is offered here, then come schedule a visit. Don’t let doubts hold you back, there could be a world of opportunities just beyond the next hill. There was for me.

You are always welcome to contact me with any questions, I am greatly encouraged by email feedback  wilkinsz@my.erau.edu

“You always miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take” — Wayne Gretsky

From the Cockpit Desk of Kyle Ludwick

In front of the Riddle AMS Gulfstream III.

Hey guys!  Being a student at the world’s leading institution in aviation studies is quite the task, and also quite an honor.  The experiences and opportunities that students get here are unbelievable and it’s awesome to be a part of it.  Growing up as a kid I always wanted to have that big desk in the corner office, but my first love was flying, and here at Riddle I can pursue both!  I’m an Aviation Business Administration major here at the Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach campus and also have my Commercial Pilot multi-engine and single engine ratings.    Learning the “Business of Flight” here at the College of Business and juggling many other tasks makes life hectic, but there’s no other way I would want it.  Many long days are put in as I am also a Student Government Representative for the COB, a COB Student Advisory Board member, and a student assistant in the COB Dean’s Suite.  Like I said before, students at Riddle get some amazing opportunities, like the chance to tell all of you about my experiences through this blog.  I hope you all enjoy it and continue following my journey through my junior year down here in Daytona Beach!

Kyle