Global Security & Intelligence Studies: Bragging Rights

Global Security & Intelligence Studies major Grace Brown (‘24) loves to sing Embry-Riddle's praises when speaking with prospective students.

As a student ambassador giving tours on Embry-Riddle's Prescott Campus, one of the most common questions Brown gets asked from prospective students is what she likes best about the university.

“I really like getting to brag about my school,” she said. “I think that Embry-Riddle is really special.”

She spoke about the uniqueness of the campus and how what you experience here is unlike anything you’ll see at other colleges and universities.

“I don’t know where else you’re going to have kids get up out of class when you hear a jet flying by, but it happens pretty regularly,” Brown said excitedly. “Or when we hear one fly by the library, and everyone runs to the windows to try to see it.”

She also appreciates the smaller campus community surrounded by some of the most majestic views nature can offer.

“I think it’s really nice that everywhere I walk around campus, I’m going to see someone I know,” adding, “I like the Prescott area in general, too. It’s gorgeous.”

Global Security & Intelligence Studies Program

It’s not just the campus that makes Brown proud of being an Eagle. She thoroughly enjoys being fully engaged in her studies and learning different aspects of the security and intelligence field from her professors. From her more formative classes, where she got “a nice overview of the security and intelligence community,” to her more advanced courses, Brown feels she’s getting immersive college experience.

“I really like my emergency management and contingency planning class,” she said. “[We had] people from Coconino County emergency management come talk to us about what they do on a day-to-day basis and how they prep for emergencies, including how to assemble an emergency operations center,” something she sees as a potential career path.

Brown also works remotely as an intern in Global Security Services for Collins Aerospace, where her duties include creating foreign travel briefings as well as working on an ex-pat database used to create contingency plans should an emergency arise in their country of residence.

The SGA Way

Her most rewarding college experience thus far has been her role in the Student Government Association (SGA) where she was recently elected president.

“It’s been really rewarding to be able to get concerns from students and bring them to the right person, whether that be staff or faculty, and see the actual impact [it makes].”

Brown has two pieces of important advice for future Eagles, the first of which is to try everything at least once.

“There’s been a lot of stuff in college I didn’t think I’d enjoy, and it ended up being a really good decision,” she said, referring to getting involved in SGA. “It’s been a major part of my college career.”

Her second piece of advice is to be flexible.

“Be okay with plans changing in what you originally thought they were going to be, because I'm on a completely different path than I was when I [first] got to Embry-Riddle, and I’m really happy with how it’s turned out.”