Author Archives: Isabella

About Isabella

Graduate

Systems Engineering

Hometown: St. Augustine, FL
Campus Involvement: Graduate Assistant for the Office of Undergraduate Research
Why I chose Embry-Riddle: There are two big things that really pushed me to apply/attend to ERAU. One was the tremendous amount of hands-on experience that I could get just by asking to be a part of projects, teams, and research. The other was the numerous program-specific, non-gen-ed classes that started as early as freshman and sophomore year which made me excited to learn and apply concepts as soon as possible.

Class #2 of the Semester

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The second class that I am taking this semester is SYS 505: System Safety and Certification. This class mainly covers safety and risk measures, methods, etc. for aircraft like planes. I hope to take the material learned here and apply it to systems such as rockets. Daniel Penny is teaching it this semester; he is a good professor. I have had him for previous MS SYS classes. His lectures make sense and are very easy to follow; he also lectures in a way that keeps you engaged and paying attention through those 5pm-8pm time blocks. Due to the fact that it is 5pm-8pm Monday nights, we only have one class per week which is really nice. The SYS classes are pretty straightforward in general which is great. This class has around 1 online quiz and 1 assignment per week with a final exam at the end. The workload seems very reasonable thus far. Overall, it’s a great class, and I look forward to learning more in it!

Class #1 of the Semester

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Due to being in the accelerated masters program here at ERAU, I am graduating with my M.S. in Systems Engineering this May, only 1 year after graduating with my undergraduate degree! I am also taking only 2 classes this semester. In this post, I’ll chat a bit about my first class (HFS 612 – Human Factors Methods) and then cover my second class in the next post.

HFS 612 is taught by Dr. Doherty. If I remember correctly, he has been with the Human Factors (HF) department for over 20 years. This is his first time teaching this class, but I knew that I wanted to have him as my professor for a class this semester. About 3 years ago, I took HF 300 with him which was an undergraduate HF class that I took towards a HF minor (tldr on that – the scheduling did not work out for me to complete that minor). I remember that as one of my favorite classes here at ERAU where I really felt like I learned a different way of thinking that would help me throughout life and especially engineering job that I will have. I also recognized how much Dr. Doherty seemed to care about the success of his students and his passion for what he does which makes ALL the difference. Thus, I immediately signed up for HFS 612 which I am using as an elective towards my graduate degree.

This class (so far – I am not THAT far along yet haha) seems to be a really good overview to a bunch of different topics that people working in Human Factors (in multiple industries) use day to day. A lot of it is set up to be randomly assigned group work and some summaries with an exam at the end. I like the way this is done; I feel like it’s not too much work but is really valuable work to absorb the information. We use a textbook. Dr. Doherty gave us a pdf, but I also got a copy off of Amazon since it seemed to be good to have (and I want to reference it later in my career). I’ll follow up again later once the class is almost finished, but I am enjoying thus far. It is MWF 1-2pm which I like. 3-hour graduate classes, especially late at night, are difficult; I don’t always feel like I’m absorbing all the information I should.

Local-ish Activities

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I have said it many times, and I’ll say it again. One of the important ways that you can make the most of your time at ERAU is exploring the surrounding areas in Florida. There are so many cool things to do, and I wanted to share a few with you all. Then, my next two blogposts will be a bit more about my classes this semester because they are just starting and seem really exciting.

Over the holidays, I went to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa with my family and Disney Springs in Orlando. Both were great ways to spend a day with loved ones. Here are some pictures from both!
At Disney Springs, you can taste Coke products from around the world!

Pre-Finals Week Music Therapy

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Ok, finals are coming up. In the past few days I have already done a few exams (take-home and in-person), done some presentations, and am still working on some projects. Last week, in order to mentally and emotionally prep myself for this (and part of next) week, I attended a concert!….because music helps mood….which improves mental health….which improves grades….right? 👀
Anyways, enjoy these pictures from the Kacey Musgraves (with Lord Huron & Nickel Creek opening) that my boyfriend and I went to in Orlando!

Last Post of the Semester

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This is my last post of the semester. Next semester (Spring 2025) will be my final semester here at ERAU. Since I started blogging here at RiddleLife, lots has happened in my life, career, etc. When you go into college, your parents and family always tell you that this is the most fun time and that you will grow within those 4-5 years more than you ever will in life. I didn’t quite understand that back then, but I think I do now. College is an interesting experience; you will change and grow. The key to making the most of it is learning how to live life and what makes you happy.

Signing off until next semester, the final semester,

Happy Holidays, everyone,

Isabella 🙂

Last First Day

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I am writing this because it is my last first day of classes. Possibly ever.
I have spent years at ERAU. Four years in high school (long story that some of you may know), four years of undergrad, and now finishing up my last year for my graduate degree. I remember campus before the current Student Union was built, when Starbucks was attached to the library and next to the food hall with the tiny Chick-fil-a and the odd Asian buffet thing.

I could spend all day reminiscing but am going to leave today’s post with a multitude of photos of Kennedy Space Center over the holidays. KSC always does light shows and the most beautiful holiday decorations. If you are a student, it is SO WORTH IT to get an annual membership. You get food/merch discounts, and if you go at least twice you get your money’s worth.

How To Survive Finals 101

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Whether you have a bunch of exams, only projects, or a combination of both, finals week (and frankly, the last 2-3 weeks of the semester) can be super tough. Here are some of my tips for surviving this time of the semester.

  • “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first” – Mark Twain
    • I like to refer this as the “frog mentality” half because it’s funny to say and half because it actually works. During this time of the semester, everything seems like a daunting task, but you will always have a few per day that you prefer to do over others due to fun factor, length of time, interaction with people, etc. I like to sort these tasks into a list of frogs (biggest to smallest) and tackle the big ones first. Start your day when the sun is shining and birds are chirping to do the largest, most dreadful task first. Then, finish up your day with the ones you like. This will not only force you to be productive as you race to get to those tasks you like but also make the day more pleasant.
  • I mentioned this in my last post, but studying in a group is great. It gives you some accountability for focusing on your work and boosts your mood while tackling those big frogs.
  • Pomodoros
    • My boyfriend actually introduced me to this technique recently. We were having trouble either focusing at all or focusing way to much for many hours resulting in being burnt out for many hours after that. Either way, this was not productive. Pomodoros are a timed system where you work for increments of 25 minutes with 5 minute mandated breaks in between each time. This is fun to do with friends, as well. If you need some extra motivation, there are some pomodoro apps out there that let you grow a virtual garden and don’t let you use your phone for other purposes. There are also some YouTube channels like LofiGirl that now do pomodoro livestreams with cool music in the background.
  • Self care
    • Self care is essential and will actually help you be more productive since you are less likely to burn out as easily. This could be as simple as putting on a nice face mask while you work on a take-home exam or taking a 30 minute break to take a walk outside with your roommate. Get some fruits and vegetables, eat some protein, touch some grass, and take care of yourself. Your grades and concentration capacity will thank you for it.
  • Checklists
    • I find checklists to be super satisfying. I like to check things off and know I accomplished something. Apps like Todoist (my personal favorite) will throw little virtual confetti at you and congratulate you for different productivity goals.
    • Make sure to also split these checklist items into something manageable. It may be more rewarding and motivating to check off 3 tasks, 1 for each part of your take-home exam, than one big task called “take-home exam”.

Things You Should Know in Freshman Year

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It’s been a while since I’ve written a post on some tips for students. There are a few things that I think are really important for freshman, and even students in other class standings/years, to know and consider.

  • Start finding your future roommates early
    • It seems super early, but start to look around you (in your friend groups, clubs, etc.) mid-Fall to figure out your roommates for the next year. Discuss options with the people that you want to live with and how compatible you will be (noise levels, room temperature, bedtimes, etc.). This way, by the time you need to sign up for housing (or even look for somewhere off-campus), you know what you all need and can approach it quickly as a united front to snag the best option for housing as soon as possible. This was my key to housing success each year. Best thing I’ve done.
  • Take advantage of studying in a group
    • You and your friends don’t necessarily need to talk to each other or study the same things but having even just one or two people around while you study will give you that extra accountability to focus. This will push you to get so much more done and be so efficient. Take advantage of having all your friends live close together (especially when you’re on campus).
  • Apples and Oranges
    • Apples and oranges are your best friends. I’m allergic to apples, so in my case I just eat a lot of tangerines. During midterms, exams, busy months, etc., you are going to resort to some burgers, fast food, etc. to get something easy and quick to fuel you while you are doing your homework. The BEST thing you can do for your health is to go out and buy a huge, cheap bag of apples and/or oranges from Costco, Walmart, etc. Then, every morning throw like 1 or 2 in your backpack to snack on during the day. When you are constantly busy and on the move, this will help you to get some fruits and healthy stuff in your diet. I still do this haha.
  • Find jobs
    • If you can take the workload, try to look for paying jobs as soon as possible. There are some really great opportunities on campus if you cannot travel off campus. Making income as soon as possible will really help you further on though as you start to need to pay for things like rent, food, gas, etc.

First Half of Fall 2024

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The first half of this semester has been amazing. In my next post, I will delve into what classes I am taking and how that is contributing to finishing my degree in May 2025. However, for now, I want to focus on some other experiences I have had thus far. This blog has given me the confidence and experience to start my own independent blog on Instagram @thehungryducky where I do super honest food reviews for restaurants and sometimes collaborate with them if I think the food is really great. The pictures above are just a sneak peak of things I have posted. There are also some pictures of when I last visited home in St. Augustine. I attended a lipstick making class with my mom and a bunch of family friends where there was a GORGEOUS charcuterie sort of layout complete with a mini toaster. Then, we each got to sit at the counter and make our own shades of lipstick with scent and additives like limp plumper. This was such an amazing time with an amazing view out of the higher portion of the Treasury building in downtown St. Augustine.