Sam Ruggio (2022) gained a range of great experience from his time in ERAU's GSIS program, from ROTC to internships with Boeing. After graduating, he worked for 2 years in St. Louis as a [check on this job title...] defense inspector...? at Boeing, but then decided to go back to school. He's now working on a graduate degree in International Relations at George Washington University. Writing and communication have been central to both career tracks, whether its writing technical reports or policy documents. Sam's advice to current Eagles is, even if you don't like writing, those COM courses are going to be important! Speaking and writing are key skills for whatever you want to do with your professional life.

As a Trust and Safety Officer for Turo, Kenda Wilcox (2023) investigates an exciting range of incidents, documenting every tiny detail along the way to help her solve the case and report a successful outcome. Kenda appreciates how well her degree in Global Security and Intelligence Studies prepared her for this work, with a shoutout in particular to prof Alan Saquella and the reports he assigned in his classes.In this episode, Kenda also reminisces about her sorority days and the close friends she made in Alpha Zeta Delta, and also shares how much she loves her job. Her advice to current Eagles? Take time to center and recenter yourself through big life changes. And go to your professors' office hours!

Stephen Rocha, 2011 graduate, shares stories and details from his current work with Delta Airlines. He flies internationally and enjoys that every day is a little bit different--even when flying to the same city or the same airport terminal. Communicating clearly with the crew, flight control, maintenance teams, and industry safety organizations is a key requirement for all professional pilots.Stephen remembers many great hikes and camping trips during his time at ERAU - Prescott. For our current Eagles, he says don't be afraid to let your goals change and evolve. Try to let go of "what might have been" and live in the moment as much as you can.

In this episode, Ivana Martinez (2023) shares with us her unique Embry-Riddle journey, including how to make time for the arts, passion projects, and side hustles during a busy college career. Ivana is now applying everything she learned as an Aerospace Engineering major to a variety of work at a defense contracting company. Writing and communication are everywhere in her current job-- from creating safety procedures and checking standards to writing documentation and correspondence across the company. She hopes current Eagles will remember that their college experience doesn't have to look like everyone else's and not to let imposter syndrome get them down.

Gaurav Nene, a recent graduate from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, works at Relativity Space in Long Beach, California, developing the Terran R rocket. His role involves mission reliability, focusing on ensuring rocket success through independent verification and design improvements. Gaurav’s experience includes internships at SpaceX and leading the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Rocketry Group, which achieved a significant launch in 2024. His daily tasks include tracking risks, conducting hazard assessments, and writing technical reports. He emphasizes the importance of experience and the need to balance it with openness to new ideas.

This week we are bringing you a special look into what goes into making What's the Word? From how the podcast came to be to the process of creating each episode to favorite pieces of advice, this week's episode gives an inside look at the process from the people that bring you What's the Word.

This week on What’s the Word, we dive in with Jordan Savoy. A graduate from 2017, Jordan majored in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Propulsion. Starting as an engineer at Raytheon, Jordan moved through the ranks and is now a Contract Manager where she directly oversees a team of engineers and also has become one of the faces of Raytheon. Jordan reflects on her writing experience as a Contract Manager and emphasizes how important creating an outline is to ensure good writing. Jordan also tells Eagles to be sure to enjoy all the moments of college and make great memories to look back on. 

Edward Micklos, a recent graduate from Global Security and Intelligence Studies, currently works for Epic Systems. He reflects on learning to work quickly to produce highly important communications during crisis situations, as well as how useful it was to apply skills from writing classes in his history classes, or welding skills in chemistry. In his current job, Edward needs to write with a clear purpose and craft content that will be useful and valuable for whoever needs to use it—whether that's an internal audience or a more public audience. Making useful content means focusing the topic appropriately, being concise, and choosing just the right words and phrases to influence readers how you intend to.

Barrett Hendrickson talks through his experience as a flight instructor, flying for Horizon Air, and now teaching airline operations at ERAU-Prescott. He reflects on writing ASAP reports and maintenance logs as a captain. Since you never know when the FAA might need to inspect the records you have written, it's very important to make those notes precise, concise, and clear.