Music, Language Round Out the Student Experience in GSIS

Anthony Plummer
Hometown: Princeton, NJ
Major: Global Security and Intelligence Studies/Chinese

On just about any day you are likely to encounter Anthony Plummer taking a break in the student union at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. But you won't find him playing billiards, Wii or ping-pong. He'll be playing Bach and Beethoven, or an original composition, on the piano in the main hall.

Anthony, a freshman in the Global Security and Intelligence Studies (GSIS) degree program's new Chinese track, gets revived by his daily mini-concerts that have attracted a following of fellow students. As a student in a Chinese language-intensive program, that kind of support is worth a lot to him.

"I can walk around happy all the time. If something goes wrong, instead of just mope about it I can just jam," Anthony says.

Indeed, Anthony is a student who relishes change and adventure. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he's one of a growing contingent of students at Embry-Riddle who are attending under the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill Yellow Ribbon Program, which covers the lion's share of costs for students. After Navy tours working in aeronautics in Europe and Pacific Asia, Anthony was ready to move into a private sector life, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He was directed by friends to Embry-Riddle's GSIS program.

"What I'm good at, and what I wanted to do with my career, is in the intelligence field," Anthony says. "Looking around, talking to colleges and getting a feel for intelligence and global security, none of them seem to know what they were doing except Embry-Riddle."

As part of the GSIS/Chinese curriculum, Anthony will travel to China to study abroad for a semester in his Sophomore year. He also looks forward to doing an internship in Washington, D.C., where Embry-Riddle faculty and career services staff have cultivated strong connections with security and intelligence agencies, including the FBI and CIA.

Anthony hasn't been disappointed. His favorite class is Chinese I with Dr. Leann Chen.

"She's hilarious," Anthony says. "The coolest thing is all my teachers have doctorates and they really know what they are talking about."

Dr. Chen is equally enthusiastic about Anthony.

"Anthony loves learning about other cultures and other languages, "Dr. Chen says. "Last Monday, for example, I was singing a Chinese children's song that went with the content of the class. When I asked who would like to try to sing it, Anthony raised his hand, and he sang accurately! All in all, Anthony is a gifted and excellent student."

It's not easy to impress a high school 4.0 GPA student and Navy veteran who holds honors that include Meritorious Service, Good Conduct and a National Defense Medal. Like the archetypical Embry-Riddle student, he's used to high expectations and enjoys being surrounded by others who are uniquely talented and motivated.

Anthony describes his new friends as people who are more on his level, his frequency.

"I have friends who have something super special that they don't even know is special." As a veteran, he is a bit older than many of his classmates and understands their challenges, because he's already been there. That drive to help inspire other students led him to join the College Success Club, a group that helps students take pride in their unique gifts, and "not to be afraid to be yourself."

And, being from the eastern climate of Princeton, NJ, he's also enjoying the mild weather and soaring landscapes of the Southwest.

"The horizons, the mountains blew me away. I had never been in the southwest before," Anthony says. "Even if it wasn't so nice, I still want to be here just because the program is what I want to do, that's pretty much going to be my career, and Embry-Riddle is the best at it."

Learn more about Global Security and Intelligence Studies at Embry-Riddle, the only degree program one of its kind in the U.S.

Read more about GSIS
Schedule a campus visit
Chat with an admissions counselor