ALTITUDE – FALL – 2023

WORLDWIDE / ONLINE CAMPUS

ON COURSE TO THE BOEING COMPANY When Berlin Martinez-Rivera (’20, ’22) graduated with a B.S. in Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide Campus, she already had a full-time position lined up with The Boeing Company, where she is part of the wiring engineering team and doing challenging work that she loves. Born in Guatemala, Martinez-Rivera came to the United States when she was 7. Her parents had not attended college and her family’s financial situation was tight, but from the time she was in high school, she was determined to earn a college degree. She enlisted in the military and was stationed in Japan when she started taking classes through Embry-Riddle Worldwide, earning her associate degree by the time she left active duty in 2017.

She then continued her studies through Worldwide, happy for the path to an engineering degree that “had many different disciplines.” Ultimately, she chose circuits and design as her focus, and while earning her bachelor’s degree, she worked part-time while interning at Boeing, which was her entree to her full-time job at the corporation. In December, Martinez-Rivera earned her master’s degree in Airworthiness Engineering with a concentration in structures, again through Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus. Martinez-Rivera is an example of how online engineering programs at the Worldwide Campus are empowering students by making higher education more accessible and affordable to a broader population of aspiring professionals.

Empowering Student Voices Meet Serafina Vitale: Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s SGA President. After serving as Associate Justice on Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach’s Student Court and being chosen as the Student Government Association’s Member of the Year, Serafina Vitale wanted to stay involved with the SGA while pursuing her master’s at Embry-Riddle Worldwide. Vitale served as Secretary for one year before being elected to serve as SGA President, a personal dream come true. Vitale presented at Embry-Riddle’s 2023 Board of Trustees Meeting, a first for any Worldwide student. The meeting is where many major decisions regarding all campuses are made and provides an opportunity for the Board to be presented with all prior and current SGA initiatives, functioning as a platform for student representation among key decision-makers. I believe that because students are the heart of the university, they should be included in the conversations and voting of these decisions that directly affect them… Having the ability to give insight into aspects of student life at the university is not only fundamental but should always be valued with the utmost care.” Serafina Vitale ’22, ’24 Aeronautics, Business Administration in Aviation

GREAT OPPORTUNITY

About 13,100 openings for aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians are projected each year through 2031, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

EXPONENTIAL GROWTH

The Worldwide Campus Engineering program has grown from 100 students to more than 1,680 in the past eight years.

ABET ACCREDITATION

The B.S. in Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, abet.org.

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