I Got A Big Sorority Sister Surprise!

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Carly

“Ever loyal, ever lasting, ever big/little.” – My Instagram Caption

So, as you may have previously read, I joined the Theta Phi Alpha sorority back in mid-February. One of the most well-known aspects of a sorority is the Big and the Little Sister- or simply the Big and the Little. In our chapter of Theta Phi Alpha, each new member gets an older mentor to help her acclimate to the sorority.

The process begins with the Big and Little bios. Each potential Big and Little will fill out an information sheet with contact information (the “bio”). Each Big receives the Little bios, while the Littles receive the Big bios. From there, the Bigs and Littles can reach out to each other during a period called “Big/Little dating,” where the point is for each Little to meet each Big.

In my incoming class (Beta Rho), there were two Littles, myself and one other girl, while there were four Bigs. I went on dates with three of the four Bigs, since one of the Bigs’ schedule did not match up with mine.

After that, we told our New Member Educator who we wanted as our bigs, and then it was her job to pair us up for the fun part: Big/Little Week!

Big/Little Week is the week where Bigs will send someone to deliver their gifts to their Littles. The Littles don’t know who their Big is until the reveal, and no one in the sorority will tell them, but they are free to speculate. During Big/Little Week, the Bigs also give their Littles gift baskets on each weekday. Here’s what my Day 1 basket looked like:

Reece’s are my favorite candy, but I ate them before I took this picture. Whoops.

It was really nice. Before I took the picture, I had eaten all three Reece’s cups that came in the basket. Each basket has a note in it, usually some painted canvas decorations, and food. The notes usually explain the day’s theme while also giving hints to who the Big is. However, there is no guarantee that the Big is honest in the hints…

This sort of process continued for the entire week. I’d get texts from a burner phone number that my Big had, and then she’d arrange to get gifts to me.

On Friday, at the arranged time, I went over to the College of Arts and Sciences and waited inside while the initiated members prepared the reveal. I waited with the other girl in my pledge class and one already initiated girl, who then walked us with our eyes closed in front of the Wright Flyers statue and Embry-Riddle sign.

The New Member Educator took a Polaroid picture of us with our Bigs behind us. We had to face forward while the picture developed and then when it developed, she handed it to us.

The other new member and I turned around to find my Big behind me! From there, we hugged, laughed, and talked for a bit. We took more pictures and hung outside for a bit. An hour or so later, we went to dinner.

I met the rest of my sorority family, which is a line of Bigs and Littles. Everyone in Theta Phi Alpha is part of a family, and six of us went to Ichi Ni San, an Asian restaurant in Daytona. It was a great week with a great end; I enjoyed the entirety of Big/Little Week and was glad to meet my Big. Joining a sorority was a good idea, and if you’re considering it, I highly suggest looking into them.

See you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Updates & Free Time Tips

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Merrick

Happy March everyone! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, Florida, it’s a rainy and cold weekend and I have been so busy lately that the weeks are really flowing together.

Typically mid March, students look forward to a well needed break for a week with Spring Break, but this semester due to the global pandemic, we are experiencing a “new normal”. We had our first “study” day that was enacted to replace Spring Break, but with assignments still due and office hours still being held, it felt more like a normal work day than a break. Spring break typically is a week where students are able to not think about school for a few days before the final push to finals season, so this semester is especially challenging without the scheduled period to decompress.

In recent news my study abroad program through Project GO in Meknes, Morocco has been officially canceled due to travel restrictions and is moving to either an in-person program in Tucson, Arizona at the University of Arizona or an online program which is essentially a Zoom class like I did last summer. The benefit of a Zoom class is that since you’re doing it from home you can be mask-less and aside from video calling, class seems semi normal!

Some things that I’ve found keeping me sane and hopeful lately are leaning into the small moments where I get free time and filling them with good music, online yoga videos like YogaWithAdriene on Youtube, watching a movie on Disney+ (or Netflix or Hulu), texting my sister and getting updates on my puppy niece, or ordering Chinese food or pizza on a Friday night in.

I have definitely been missing my puppy niece lately!

When I’m extremely busy with school I’ve found that that I typically sleep less and eat less healthy food. This is especially prevalent when I am busy back-to-back, with homework, projects, and tests on the weekends instead of opportunities for extra sleep or relaxation. Thankfully there is only about a month and I half of school left, and I am looking forward to a much needed break!

Some key take-aways I’ve learned over the years that are especially important when I’m busy are having good food and maintaining a good evening/morning routine to keep me energized (as well as good snacks). Some of my favorite snacks to keep on hand are fruit, nuts, granola, fig bars, granola bars, pita chips, honey, and of course either peanut butter or almond butter. I also always have oatmeal and coffee! Typically this is my go-to for breakfast but I have been known to eat some after dinner as dessert or for a snack!

A solo selfie (from alone in my room) to remind you that there are still smiles under the mask!

This semester and this time in the world are especially challenging for everyone right now, so with that I remind you that you are not alone! If you ever need anything the Center for Faith and Spirituality, the Counseling Center, and Health Services are available to support you!

Keep on keeping on folks, stay safe, will report back soon!

The College Essentials and Extras

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Carly

What can I say except… you’re welcome!

So every college has a basic packing list with stuff that you’ll need like sheets, blankets, and towels. But what about the stuff they don’t tell you to bring? Stuff that’s not absolutely necessary, but it’ll make your life a little easier? Or what about the stuff that nobody ever needs in their first year of college?

Well, I’ve made these lists for you. Here are a few things that I’ve found very, very, very helpful in my freshman year here at Riddle… and things I want to ship home. Please keep in mind that this list is subjective, and it’s just advice from me, someone who has way too much stuff in her dorm.

THE GOOD:

#1: An umbrella AND raincoat.
You’re going to school in Florida. It rains a lot. And in addition to that, there are plenty of popup showers. These storms can get pretty bad- I walked from my dorm to class during part of tropical storm Eta. (Disclaimer: it wasn’t bad, just windy and rainy. It was completely safe to walk.) It sucked, but my top half stayed dry due to the raincoat and umbrella. If you want, you can only bring one, but I highly suggest both unless you enjoy impromptu free baths.

#2: A bedside caddy/shelf, especially for lofted beds.
THIS IS A MUST!!! Without it, you’ll be getting out of bed to plug your phone in or reaching over the side of the bed. With mine, I’m also able to plop my laptop in there on the very few days I have to get up early. It’s very nice; when I register for my classes, all I have to do is pick up my umbrella.

#3: A vacuum cleaner.
I assume you’ll have at least one snack in your dorm, and your roommate will, too. People- all people- are messy. Don’t attract bugs.

#4: A super-long phone charger. And by super-long, I mean 10+ feet long.
You can always coil it up if it’s too long. A cord that’s too short won’t reach. Especially if you choose not to get a bedside caddy, get a long phone charger so it’ll reach from the outlet under/beside your bed into your bed.

#5: A back pillow.
Okay, so apparently studying in bed is bad for you, but you’ll probably do it anyways. Or you’ll want to

#6: Snacks.
Food is good. That’s all that needs to be said.

#7. A storage container that also works as a seat.
THESE THINGS ARE TO DIE FOR! I can store a bunch of my textbooks in it, throw the lid back on, and it’ll be a seat for my suitemate(s) if they want to come and sit in my half of the suite.

THE BAD:

#1: A mini-blender (or similar)
I used to make smoothies in it… and now I’m too lazy to use/clean it out. Unless you’re sure that you’re going to use it, don’t bother.

#2: More than, like, 7 pairs of shoes.
Fifteen was too many. During break, I threw a bunch in my suitcase, and by “a bunch,” I mean half of my stash. Only bring 1-3 pairs of dress shoes, and only one of those should be heels.

#3: That shirt you haven’t worn in, like, six months.
I brought waaaaaay too many clothes. As a general guideline for casual clothes, if you can see yourself wearing it at least once every 2-3 weeks, then wear it. If it’s something formal (like a blazer), take at least one.

#4: A popcorn maker.
Bagged popcorn is good.

In the end, whatever you want to bring is completely up to you. Some people bring small TVs and regret it; other people bring full-on couches for their dorms and are very happy with it. Whatever you bring, it’s a good idea to check your specific dorm’s schematics and size, which is found on the ERAU housing websites.

After your first semester, you’ll learn what you do and don’t use. If you can send some things home, that’s great! If you can’t, you can always take it home at the end of the year, sell it during the year, or repurpose it to do something else. This school does have several engineers; chances are that you’ll be or know one!

Good luck, and I’ll see you in the next post!

Balancing the Busy & Preventing Burnout

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Merrick

Happy March everyone! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, Florida, there’s approximately two full months of the Spring semester left, it’s Midterm season, its PT test season, and for me its a season highly saturated with Matlab coding. My go-tos for being very busy during this time are adding clay face masks to my nighttime routine (to help my skin combat wearing cloth face masks all day), drinking lots of coffee (and lots of water to balance the lots of coffee) and in the true nature of a college student – adding peanut butter and hot sauce to basically all my food for fast flavor for my microwave rice or noodles.

I am currently in the thick of it, in terms of being extremely busy. Something I struggle with balancing during the busiest times always seems to be powering down at the end of the day. Sometimes I have weeks of “on” mode, constantly go, go, go, next assignment next due date next quiz/test to study for, next time commitment, and it’s hard to actually slow down. While tapping into the productive flow state can be helpful for a few days or a few weeks, it is certainly not sustainable in the long term. That being said, I am absolutely guilty of planning my weeks ahead of time, scheduling my days with lists, and powering through by showing up for each item on my list. The thing most of us forget to prioritize in all that though, is time for ourselves!

Outside of yoga, coffee and conversation in car rides is one of may favorite ways to relax.

Usually when schedules get busier the first items that gets “kicked off” my To-Do list are the items that have to do with self care and taking time to wind down. This leads to burnout!

I am a strong believer that we make time for the things that are important to us, but also that sometimes there isn’t enough time in a day to complete all the tasks we elect to do.

Tips and tricks I’ve found that help me center myself and prevent burnout:

Balance is key! I have found that showing up for myself has never had negative effects. Taking a moment to calm down, meditate for a few minutes, go for a run or a workout, or nap when I need it is essential. You know your body/mind best so if you need to schedule time to check in to assess what you need to help you feel and perform your best, do so!

One of my other favorite ways to relax is looking at pictures from my sister of my puppy niece, Daisy! Never fails to brighten my day.

Let’s circle back here, while it is absolutely essential to take care of yourself, a balance is absolutely essential too. For example, I don’t like doing my homework, and my classes are stressful, but in order to eliminate my stressors I could either do my homework and get through them, or not do my homework and avoid them. Doing my homework leads me to be more stressed on my own time, but less stressed during tests/exams.

Not doing my homework and taking a break is sometimes needed, but it’s important to differentiate between taking breaks and neglecting your responsibilities. When you need a break, take a break, but if you find yourself not finding motivation to do ANY homework, circle back to why you signed up for the classes in the first place and think about your end goal.

Whether that goal is graduating, passing a class, earning any type of degree, commissioning into the military, all of us have motivation of what made us choose to be in college and why we stay. Find your reason and reflect on how it will feel to get your degree or reach your end goal. When things get tough, circle back to what keeps you going!