Daniel Ruiz Jimenez

Aviation mechanic, Pilot, Jet broker, Entrepreneur and host of The From Ground to Great Podcast

My First Days as an Embry-Riddle Worldwide Student

I haven’t even made it through the first week yet, but I couldn’t wait to write about officially starting my journey at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide. This still feels unreal — I’m officially an ERAU student, and I’m just getting started.

Embry-Riddle is known as the world’s leading university for aviation and aerospace education. It began back in 1925 when John Paul Riddle and T. Higbee Embry started a small flight training school in Ohio. Over the years, it evolved into a university with campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, Prescott, Arizona, and a global Worldwide campus — which is where I’m studying.

Even though I’m online, I’m part of a university with almost 100 years of aviation history, and that feels pretty amazing.

I’ve just started setting things up for my first two classes:

  • OBLD 317 – Organizational Behavior
    Learning how people interact in workplaces — leadership, motivation, teamwork, communication. It’s about understanding how organizations function from the human side.

  • AMNT 416 – Aviation Maintenance Management
    This one focuses on the management side of aircraft maintenance: global regulations, airworthiness, maintenance planning, safety programs, and how aviation companies manage aircraft around the world.

I haven’t done much yet — I’m just logging into Canvas, reading the syllabus, and trying to get organized.

How It Feels to Start

Right now, I’m:

  • Setting up my study space

  • Getting used to Canvas and the online system

  • Reading course introductions

  • Figuring out how much work each class will be

  • A mix of excited, nervous, and motivated

My Goals for This Term

Before the first full week even ends, I’m setting a few personal goals:

  • Stay ahead on assignments

  • Participate in discussion boards (even if it feels new)

  • Develop good time management since it’s online

  • Learn from classmates working in aviation

  • Actually enjoy the process, not just rush through it

 

Final Thoughts (So Far)

I’m just starting this chapter and I haven’t completed my first week yet, but I already feel proud to be part of Embry-Riddle. It’s the beginning — not the summary. I’m excited to see how much I grow in aviation knowledge, leadership, and discipline over the next few months.

More updates coming soon… once I actually survive Week 1.

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