This week's special edition episode spotlights four alum who are all excelling in their careers. Going all the way back to the beginning of Embry-Riddle Prescott Campus, this episode goes back in time to showcase these amazing alums accomplishments.
Episode Transcript:
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Abigail:
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of What’s the Word Eagle Alumni Spotlight Podcasts. I am Abby your host, and today we have a very special spotlight. Rather than spotlight just one Eagle this week, we are actually going to spotlight a few former Eagles and we are going to fill you in on some of their career accomplishments.
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The first Eagle we have today is named Jody Davis, who is a 2003 Embry-Riddle graduate, and now works as an Aerospace Engineer at NASA Langley Research Center. Jody earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Embry-Riddle in Aerospace Engineering. She then went on to gain her master’s degree at the University of Virginia in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. During her time with NASA, Jody has served as the Technical Lead for Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator for a flight test project. Jody has also been very influential in Mars Projects research, working on Mars Phoenix and Mars Science Laboratory.
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Next up today we have Katie Pribyl. Katie graduated from Embry-Riddle in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Science. While here at Embry-Riddle Katie was very involved on campus where she was an active member of the Golden Eagles Flight Team. She competed at the National Competition for the Flight Team in 1999. Katie is now the Senior Vice President of Strategy and Programs at Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association or AOPA. At AOPA, Katie oversees the You Can Fly Program and the Air Safety Institute.
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Next up we have Robert M. Brantner. Robert graduated from Embry-Riddle in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Science as well. Robert is well known in the literary community as he has written and published four books to date with the latest of these being Sky Heist. Robert’s books lean into his passion for aviation and his earlier works rely heavily on his time being a bush pilot in Alaska. Robert continues to write in his off time as an airline captain and line check airman.
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Finally, today we have Captain Mark Overly, who graduated from Embry-Riddle in 1981, and can proudly boast that he was one of the first Eagles to have enrolled and attended the new Embry-Riddle Prescott Campus. On top of this Mark also founded the Golden Eagles Flight Team with the help of the Dean of Students at the time. Mark has had a fulfilling career as a captain at Cintas Corporation Flight Department, and he now helps mentor the current Golden Eagles Flight Team in his off time.
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These alumni and their accomplishments speak for themselves. With a number of different degrees and careers, these amazing alums just show that you can do anything with hard work and perseverance.
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This wraps up this week’s episode of What’s the Word Eagle Alumni Spotlight Podcasts. If you are ever looking for a transcript for an episode or more information regarding an episode, you can find us at the Embry-Riddle Writing and Design Lab Website. To find that website, you just simply type in ERAU Prescott Writing and Design Lab Center into your search bar and it should pull up all of our information regarding all of our past episodes. We hope you enjoyed this episode and stay tuned for more!
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Amelia:
This podcast is supported by the Department of Humanities and Communication at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. Abigail Bradberry is our host, Matthew Haslam is our Department Chair, and I am Amelia Chesley, Assistant Professor of Professional Writing. The intro and outro music is Wanderer by Aylex. Find us on Spotify or on YouTube and reach out if you are a Prescott campus alum we’d love to feature you in a future episode.
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References:
Jody Davis: Higher Orbits
Katie Pribyl: Prescott Campus Life
Robert M. Brantner: Robert Brantner Biography
Capt. Mark Overly: Chancellor's Hall of Fame, 2018