It is finally cool in Florida! I just love the coffees, crisp weather, and cute, cozy sweaters and blankets! It has been so busy for me this semester, but I am excited to share all of it!

So, back in March I attended WAI 2024 in Orlando, Florida where I met so many amazing women in this industry. I also experienced different events while I was there, including luncheons, dinners, job fairs, and even a massage! One of the things I was looking forward to the most after the conference ended was getting back my professional headshots that I took while at the conference. Equus Flight Academy hosted a professional headshots studio at the conference, so when I saw this, I jumped straight in line. I never had headshots taken before, and it’s been on my list of things to-do. It wasn’t too busy luckily, and I was the last one in line, so I got extra time. The photographer worked with me while I fixed my hair and applied lip gloss. I posed for a few shots and she said “Okay! You know what you’re doing!” It was so much fun and I was so eager to get the photos back, because she told me they came back awesome. And boy was she right!

Talk about a confidence booster! I love how they came out. Special thanks to this company for offering free headshots! Having opportunities like this really help students develop their social media pages and offer a way to showcase professionalism.

Speaking of, I just received a scholarship to fully fund my trip to WAI 2025 in Denver, Colorado! Special thanks to Gaetz Aerospace Institute for being in my life for almost 10 years now and providing so much for me over the last decade.

I finished up my Spring semester wrapping up my NASA project, and started working more hours at my job, well one of my jobs! I have been focusing on my LinkedIn Learning classes, learning MATLAB, NX, and even some animation software. I also want to pursue my STK Level 2 certification sometime soon.

I surprised my best friend at work with coffee since it was my day off and I wanted to do something nice for her. It really brightened her day and it made us both smile, since we haven’t seen each other in weeks.

Speaking of coffee, I really have been loving different types of coffee lately. Sometimes if it is too bitter, i can’t drink it. But Java Express coffee + doughnuts on Ridgewood Avenue is some of the best coffee and doughnuts I ever had. They have the best tasting coffee. This was something we used to get often when I worked at the Admissions Office on campus!

Dunkin also has their fall flavors out! I love getting a medium iced coffee with cream, smores flavoring, and the new marshmallow cold foam! My go-to all year is a medium iced cofffee with cream, blueberry and vanilla flavor shots.

Thanksgiving is in 2 days and it will be a nice break. Enjoying this cooler weather, taking a small vacation in Orlando to celebrate the holiday with our family and friends is going to be so good for my mental health. Just the boost I am going to need to finish the semester strong.

I can’t believe the semester is already almost over. I am so excited to continue my degree programs and start my thesis! This semester, I took FIN 518 Managerial Finance and SYS 500 Fundamentals of Systems Engineering. I am also brushing up on my engineering skills at my job as a satellite flight controller in Merritt Island, Florida.

I am making plans for the new year and I am so excited for things to come. There are many research projects, opportunities, conferences coming down the pipline for me, I will be sure to keep everyone posted!

Time to go study for my finals now. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!