Author Archives: Lindsey

About Lindsey

Senior

Aviation Business Administration

**Campus Involvement:** Honors Program, Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, Women in Aviation, Orientation Team, Resident Advisor, Women's Ambassador Program

Summer plans: Seattle bound

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It’s that time again. Tomorrow is the last day of class for the Spring semester, which means Finals week is right around the corner… I’m in need of a break from studying, so I decided to fill everyone in on what I will be doing this summer!

First of all, it has been my goal all year to get an internship with an airline this summer. I had interviewed with many airlines, but none of the positions I applied for were the right fit for me. Most of them did not incorporate what I was interested in. Needless to say, by March, I was losing hope in getting an internship for the summer, since it seemed like all positions had already been filled. However, I knew I still had one last shot… And it was at my dream company.

I applied for an Alaska Airlines summer internship in the beginning of March, and was contacted for a phone interview a couple weeks later. After I completed the phone interview, I was fortunate enough to move onto the in-person interview. Unfortunately, I was not able to fly out to Alaska Airlines’ headquarters in Seattle, so I was able to do a Skype interview, instead. Thankfully, the Skype interview went well, and I was chosen to be flown out to Seattle.

So, one of the first Sundays in April, I hopped on an Alaska Airlines flight from MCO to SEA. After 5.5 hours, I finally made it to Washington. I was so excited to be in Washington, even if it was just for the day, since Washington is home to me. Monday morning I woke up and went to Alaska Airlines headquarters. I had been to the headquarters last summer, as the Port of Seattle interns had the opportunity to visit and take a tour. Once I got to headquarters, I was ecstatic. I had been dreaming about having an internship with Alaska Airlines for almost two years! I was eager to meet the managers who I had spoken with over Skype a week earlier.

It turns out I picked a pretty good day to visit headquarters, as it was the day that Alaska Airlines announced it was acquiring Virgin America. There were news cameras everywhere, and I got to see the CEO speaking in the press conference through the window. Everyone was buzzing with excitement! There was even an employee rally to discuss the acquisition. The moment I walked into the building and felt the excitement and energy, I knew Alaska Airlines was the company for me. Lucky enough for me, I was offered the internship position after I left headquarters. I cannot even describe how excited I was when I got the call!

I will be starting my summer internship with Alaska Airlines in May. The position I will be in is the Schedule Planning intern. A brief overview of the position is: working with the Alaska and Horizon schedules months in advance before they are published, benchmarking Alaska Airlines against other carriers, and other related tasks. Ever since I took the Airline Management class last semester, I have been fascinated with Schedule and Network Planning for airlines, so I am ecstatic that I will be able to gain some experience this summer!

Needless to say, things seem to work out for a reason. I had almost lost all hope in a summer internship, but just when I was about to give up, the opportunity I had been hoping for presented itself. I am humbled and grateful that this opportunity came my way, and I can’t wait to get started on it.

I will definitely keep you updated with how my internship is going! Hopefully I will also get to share some travel pictures from new destinations this summer!

Until next time,

Lindsey

Back to Reality… Spring Break Recap

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Hello again!

It has definitely been awhile. I am just getting back into the swing of things, since I had an extended Spring Break vacation. Now its time to hunker down and complete all of the final projects that have been looming all semester. But first, let me tell you about my Spring Break!

I was able to take an early Spring Break, since the Women in Aviation Conference started on the Thursday before Spring Break. Myself, along with two other ladies, drove to Nashville, Tennessee to attend the conference. We ended up driving all throughout the night to get there, but eventually ended up at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. It is a beautiful resort, and the largest in all of North America. It was incredible. My friend and I actually got lost trying to find an exit to the outdoors!!

Some of us at the Women in Aviation Conference

Some of us at the Women in Aviation Conference

The conference was great. I had the opportunity to volunteer at the conference, so I spent a lot of time doing that. I also got to talk to a few companies that I was really interested in. It was nice to talk to hiring managers face-to-face, instead of over the phone/email. One of my favorite moments of the conference was getting to hear a flight attendant from the Miracle on the Hudson speak about her experiences that day. It was a very emotional and unimaginable story.

In addition to conference, I spent a few hours exploring Nashville. I had never been there before, and I love country music, so I figured it was the perfect time to see the city. I got to walk up and down Music Row, see the Country Music Hall of Fame, eat at two of the most popular restaurants in Nashville, and see a concert at the Grand Ole Opry!! Originally, I just walked over to the Grand Ole Opry to see it, however, after walking inside the ticket office, I discovered that Dierks Bentley was playing a show there the next night… Needless to say, it didn’t take me long to decide that I was skipping the conference banquet, and going to the concert instead. It had always been a dream of mine to see a concert at the Grand Ole Opry, and I am so glad I took the opportunity when it presented itself. The show was incredible. It was awesome to see the other nine country artists who all had different styles of country music. So, basically, Nashville and the concert were awesome! It was a great way to start off my Spring Break.

Standing in front of the Grand Ole Opry

Standing in front of the Grand Ole Opry

Inside the Grand Ole Opry

Inside the Grand Ole Opry

Once I got back from Nashville, I hit the road again to drive down to Fort Myers, Florida. I spent four days in Fort Myers, which was nice because it was my time to relax. We went to Sanibel Island to see the lighthouse, went fishing for an entire day, and went shopping at the outlets. It was a very nice few days, besides the fact that I got very sun burnt, and am still feeling the affects.

After a few days in Fort Myers, I traveled back to Daytona, where I would fly out to New York City on Friday. I got the opportunity to spend my last weekend of Spring Break in New York City and Washington, D.C. with the Admissions team. As you know, I am a Women’s Ambassador, which is why I was able to travel and speak at the Accepted Student’s Receptions in both cities.

We spent Friday night and Saturday in New York City. Surprisingly, we actually had time to tour the city Friday night. We went up the Empire State Building, went to see Ground Zero, saw Broadway, drove through SoHo, saw Madison Square Garden, and saw the Statue of Liberty. Our hotel was right in Times Square, so we also got to see all of the tourist attractions there. We didn’t end up getting back to our hotel until about 12:30am that night, but it was so worth it.

On top of the Empire State Building

On top of the Empire State Building

Times Square

Times Square

After the Accepted Students Reception, we went to Penn Station and caught a train to Washington, D.C. I had never been on a train before, plus the fact that we got to see New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. by train, so I was very excited! The train ride was a lot of fun since we were in Business Class and had a lot of space to ourselves.

We arrived in D.C. late Saturday night, and stayed until Monday morning. After the event on Sunday, we went and toured around D.C. I got to see the Lincoln Memorial, the National Mall, the WWII Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the White House. It was an incredible day filled with so much history. The only unfortunate part was that the cherry blossoms were not blooming, and the National Archives closed before we could go to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. All in all, I had an amazing time in our nation’s capitol.

Standing with President Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial

Standing with President Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial

The National Mall

The National Mall

The White House

The White House

So, that’s my Spring Break recap. I was able to meet some amazing aviators, families, and future ERAU students. I had a few days to relax and live the island life. Then, I traveled up to the freezing weather to talk with incredible students and sight-see, of course. Overall, I am so grateful for the adventures I got to enjoy during Spring Break 2016.

Until next time,

Lindsey

Two Week Recap

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These past two weeks have been full of excitement and memories! As I mentioned before, the Daytona 500 was two weekends ago. Luckily, the weather cooperated, and it was a beautiful day for some racing!

We woke up early on Sunday morning to walk over to the track. There were people and cars everywhere! The roads were all at a stand still. Thankfully, Embry-Riddle is close enough to the Speedway, so it wasn’t a bad walk at all. Once we got to the Speedway, we walked around and looked at all of the vendors. There were tons of merchandise tents, as well as a lot of food options. After a few hours of walking around, we went up to our seats and took in the sunshine and wonderful views.

Standing outside the Daytona International Speedway

Standing outside the Daytona International Speedway

After the Florida Georgia Line concert, and the driver introductions, it was time for the Thunderbirds to do a fly over! As always, it’s one of the coolest moments of the race. Sadly, my hometown driver, Kasey Kahne, didn’t win the 500, but it was still a fun experience! The last lap of the race was the most exciting part. I am already looking forward to the next Daytona 500!

The view of Turn 1 from our seats

The view of Turn 1 from our seats

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Last weekend, the sorority which I am a member of, Sigma Sigma Sigma, had our formal. Normally formal is held at a hotel or resort, where you have a nice dinner and spend time with friends. This year, our sorority decided to do something different…

We went to the Crayola Experience in Orlando. It is a huge building that is all about Crayola Crayons. It was fun to do something out of the ordinary! We got to make and name our own crayons, see how crayons are made, and even take a picture that was turned into a coloring page!

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It has been a great two weeks. Now it’s one more week until Spring Break! I can’t wait to head off to Nashville, South Florida, New York City, and Washington D.C. over break! I will let you know all about it!

Until next time,

Lindsey

Spotlight: Women’s Ambassador Program

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As some of you may know from my previous blog posts, I am a member of the Women’s Ambassador Program at the Daytona Beach campus. The Women’s Ambassador Program is a program which is underneath the Admissions Office. Our mission is to encourage young girls to become interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), as well as support women who are planning on attending, and already attend ERAU. We accomplish this mission through several different activities.

One of our passions is to help younger girls to become interested in aviation, science, and engineering. We realize that those fields are male-dominated, and want to encourage girls to strive for their dreams, even if they think that they are “boy jobs”. Throughout the year, we go to local schools to host events for the students. At these events we have the kids participate in activities that utilize science. Last year, we had them make catapults, and then had a competition for whose catapult could get the marshmallow the furthest. The kids really enjoyed the friendly competition, as well as getting to create their own mechanism. Earlier this year we went to a Girl Scouts event in Boston, where we made Goo for the girls to play with. They were all very interested in how it was made, and how they could create their own at home. It’s events like these, where we get to interact with children, that really motivate me to continue to be a Women’s Ambassador. I love to see young girls get excited about STEM fields.

In order to encourage women to attend ERAU, we reach out to accepted high school seniors. We do this by calling them once a week, as well as emailing them in the spring. During the months that we get to communicate with the girls, we learn a lot about them. Our job is to be a mentor or a big sister for each girl, so that they feel comfortable coming to ERAU. We want everyone to feel welcome, so we create friendships with the women, and meet them when they get to campus in the fall. This is one of the most rewarding parts of the role, since you feel a sense of pride when a girl you talked to makes the decision to attend Riddle. It is an even better feeling when you get to see them everyday on campus once they start classes. I see a few of my students from last year around campus, and it makes me happy to know that they are doing well, and enjoying ERAU.

Another way we are able to encourage women to attend ERAU is through Admissions events. We travel with the Admissions team to different ERAU receptions around the country, talking to the prospective students. I love that I am able to interact with students and their parents on a face-to-face level. The passion for the industry, that the prospective students have, blows me away. It is a rewarding feeling when a student I met at the reception ends up attending Embry-Riddle. Just the feeling that I was able to help them through part of the process is what makes being a Women’s Ambassador such a great position.

As the Spring semester is reaching its peak, I am excited to get in contact with more prospective students, both over the phone and in person at receptions. The Women’s Ambassador Program will continue to work hard to help new students find their new home at Embry-Riddle.

Until next time,

Lindsey

It’s Race Season

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One thing I love about spring semester is all of the excitement it brings. A major part of the excitement is all of the racing events that occur in Daytona Beach. Before I came to ERAU, I was never interested in racing or NASCAR, however, once you live next door to the most famous track in NASCAR, you learn to love it.

Standing in the infield

Standing in the infield

In January, Daytona International Speedway hosts the Rolex 24 race. This race goes on for 24 hours, and is full of cool cars. This year there were Ford GTs, Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, BMWs, Audis, and many more. All of these cars race at the same time, which makes the race interesting. Each car is different, but they are all very loud.

Canadian-painted Porsche

Canadian-painted Porsche

I went to the Rolex 24 this year, and I got an infield pass. The infield pass allowed me to walk around the infield and look at cars, look at the garages, and be up close to the track. They had old Rolex 24 cars from many years ago, which were interesting to look at because cars have changed so much over the years. They also have a fireworks show, so I came back Saturday night to watch the fireworks erupt over the track.

Lamborghini

Lamborghini

New Ford GT

New Ford GT

Now that the Rolex is over, it is time to prep for the Daytona 500. This past week, drivers and merchandise trucks have been arriving each day. Along with the drivers come their jets. The airport is packed with private jets, which are fascinating for any ERAU student to look at. Speedweeks just started, meaning there is constant action over at the Speedway. This week, the traffic should start to pick up, making it hard to navigate anywhere in Daytona Beach.

The excitement that the Daytona 500 brings is contagious. Personally, I think it would be fun to get next Friday off from school, since there is so much going on over at the track, but I don’t think that would go over well. Many people dread the flood of people who come to Daytona Beach for the week, but I think it is refreshing. It’s fun to see a different crowd of people in the city for a bit. The Goodyear blimp has been flying overhead for a few days now, and one of the USAF Thunderbirds arrived last week. Once the rest of the Thunderbirds arrive, it will be very loud, since they all have to practice for their flyover.

I am counting down the days until the 500, since it is one of my favorite events to attend. This year will be even better now that the Speedway has been remodeled. I get to sit on the front-stretch this year, which will be a new experience. Florida Georgia Line is also performing before the race, and I am ecstatic, since they are one of my favorites. Needless to say, this coming weekend should be a great one. Let’s hope that Kasey Kahne can pull out a win at the Daytona 500…

Until next time,

Lindsey

Winter Break in Thailand

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Hello, everyone! It’s been awhile since I have written a post, but I was very busy over the last month! I hope everyone had an awesome break, and is ready to resume classes! I decided it would be fun to let you know what I did for part of my winter break.

The highlight of my break was getting to travel to Thailand for the first time!! I have never been off of North America, so it was a definite culture shock to travel to Southeast Asia. I went with my boyfriend and his family. The purpose of the trip was to attend one of their friends’ weddings in Bangkok.

We started our trip by flying from Orlando to Seattle. I spent one night at home in Seattle and then headed to the airport again in the morning. We flew to Vancouver, Canada, and then had another connection in Seoul, South Korea, before we reached Bangkok, Thailand. We flew Korean Airlines, which turned out to be an amazing experience. Their hospitality was incredible. I would definitely recommend them if you are flying to Asia. We also got to fly on some pretty cool jets! I was so excited to fly on a Boeing 777-200 and an Airbus A380-800. I had never been on a plane that big!

After a full 24 hours of traveling, we finally made it to our hotel in Bangkok. I was surprised at how westernized the hotel was. I was expecting something incredibly different. After we were rested, we spent our first day at a popular weekend market just outside of downtown. The market had 8,000+ vendors, and had everything you could imagine! We spent hours looking at all of the food, clothing, flowers, and gifts that were for sale. I was amazed how people navigated around inside of the market… It was like a maze! Later that day I got to eat my first authentic Thai meal. We ate some food from a street vendor, which was actually better than I expected. I was shocked at how inexpensive everything was in Thailand. We could get a full meal for 100 Baht, or $3.00 USD. It was awesome!

Inside the weekend market

Inside the weekend market

That night we went to the wedding. I had no idea what to expect, since I had never been to a Thai wedding before. It was held in one of the hotel ballrooms, and was very beautiful. There were probably 200-300 people in attendance, and almost everyone was standing the whole time. Their wedding cake was 13 tiers high! We later realized that the top was fake, so it was really only 3 tiers of actual cake. I still do not really know what happened at the wedding, since it was all in Thai, however, everyone seemed very happy, and that’s all that really matters in the end!

Over the next few days, we spent a lot of time exploring the culture of Thailand. We visited various palaces and wats (temples), and even the ancient kingdom of Ayutthaya (once the capital of Thailand). All of them were covered in real gold. It was incredible. There were statues of Buddha everywhere, since he is a big part of their culture and religion. We also got to take a longboat tour of a small island in Thailand. I loved this tour because we got to see the authenticity of Thailand, rather than just the westernized city buildings. We got to see many houses on the river, as well as stop at markets along the water. I was very intrigued by their simple way of life.

A building on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok

A building on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok

Houses on the river

Houses on the river

Ayuttha, the ancient capital of Thailand

Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand

One of my favorite parts of the entire trip was getting to visit my boyfriend’s old foster home, and foster family. He was adopted from Thailand when he was very young, and is very fortunate to get to go back to see his foster parents. We drove out to the countryside to their house, and all piled out of our 8 passenger van. I cannot even begin to describe the joy his foster mom had when she saw her “son” walking up the road. Even though we did not speak the same language, emotion spoke louder than words during the hour we spent with them. I was truly touched by the kindness and the overwhelming joy that was felt by everyone that day. I believe I will never forget that experience.

Walking down the road to the foster home

Walking down the road to the foster home

After four days in Bangkok, we flew down to Phuket, which is a popular tourist destination. It is a small island south of the mainland in Thailand. It was the most beautiful place I have ever been. We stayed in a town called Patong Beach, which is located in a little inlet. Our resort was incredible. Our hotel room was literally right on the beach, so we slept with the patio door open to listen to the sound of the waves. It was truly paradise.

The view from the resort in Phuket, featuring my coconut.

The view from the resort in Phuket, featuring my coconut.

While we were in Phuket, we took part in several different adventures. The first was a boat tour around the Andaman Sea, on Christmas Day. It honestly didn’t feel like Christmas at all, besides the fact that the boat drivers said ‘Merry Christmas’.The water was crystal clear, and the rock islands stuck out of the water all around us. However, it was a Christmas well spent. The boat tour was an entire day trip. We got to go snorkeling, climb through a cave, go canoeing, see ancient cave drawings, eat lunch on the floating town of Koh Panyi Pang Nga, visit James Bond Island, as well as feed monkeys! Needless to say, it was the experience of a lifetime. The last stop we made was on a small uninhabited island. Once we pulled up to the beach, we saw five monkeys hanging out on the sand. We got to feed them pineapple and watermelon, however we had to keep our distance.

In a small cove during the boat tour

In a small cove during the boat tour

The infamous floating soccer field

The infamous floating soccer field

The last two adventures we took were scuba diving and elephant riding. Scuba diving in Thailand was officially checked off of my bucket list, but just barely. I almost didn’t complete the dives because I got so seasick on the hour and a half boat ride to the dive location. Thankfully, once we made it to the location, the waters were calm and my sickness subsided. We completed two dives that day, and got to see so many tropical fish, and even an eel!! The water was so warm some people didn’t even use a wetsuit. Once we completed the dives, I was eager to get in the water for one last time, and sad that we had to leave.

Scuba diving in the Andaman Sea

Scuba diving in the Andaman Sea

The last day we spent in Phuket was full of elephants. We drove up the hills to an elephant camp. We got to feed baby elephants, as well as drink authentic Thai tea, before we rode. Riding the elephant was surprisingly scarier than I thought it would be. It was two people to an elephant, and I felt like I was going to slide off the top of him the entire time. We rode them through a forest on the edge of a hill, and although it was scary, the views were spectacular. What I thought was crazy was that each elephant lives with their trainer their entire life!! The trainers cannot leave for more than a week per year because the elephant will get very sad. I had no idea!

After we got off of the elephant

After we got off of the elephant

Posing with another elephant from earlier in the trip

Posing with another elephant from earlier in the trip

After all of the amazing adventures in Thailand, I was so sad to leave. Thailand is such an amazing country, filled with very happy people. I feel so blessed to have been able to travel there, and will count down the days until I am able to visit again.

Until next time,

Lindsey

 

 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

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Being in Florida during December, it is hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit. All of the palm trees, 80 degree days, and flip flops are not what you picture when you think of the holidays. However, I have found a few places in Florida that are full of Christmas cheer.

Over Thanksgiving break, I went to Disney World for a couple days. Of course, Disney is always decked out for the holidays! The parks have incredible Christmas trees and decorations, while Disney Springs has amazing Christmas themed merchandise. One of my favorite things to do is to go to all of the resorts to look at the gingerbread houses. They are incredible! The one at the Grand Floridian is a working sweet shop! They sell gingerbread cookies, chocolates, and gingerbread houses. I also enjoy looking at the gingerbread carousel that is at the Beach Resort. Another one of my favorites is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios, which is where they decorate an entire street in the park with Christmas lights. All of the lights dance along with the Christmas music that is playing. The street is always packed with people wanting to get some Christmas cheer. This is my favorite holiday activity to do in Florida, as it is always a good time. Sadly, this is the last year that Disney is putting on the light display, due to the new additions to the park that are being built.

Christmas tree at the Animal Kingdom

Christmas tree at the Animal Kingdom

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Decorations in the Magic Kingdom

Decorations in the Magic Kingdom

Decorations in the Contemporary Resort

Decorations in the Contemporary Resort

Gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian Resort

Gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian Resort

Chocolate from the gingerbread house

Chocolate from the gingerbread house

Gingerbread carousel in the Beach Resort

Gingerbread carousel in the Beach Resort

Osborne Spectacle of Lights

Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Once Finals were over, I headed up to St. Augustine to see their Night of Lights. The entire historic district is decorated with Christmas lights. You can walk around the city and look at the lights, or ride on one of the trolleys. I had never been to the Night of Lights before, so it was fun to see something new. There were a lot of visitors walking around, all enjoying the Christmas music and lights. After, I had to go to the Milkshake and Waffle Bar for a Nutella and Banana milkshake. They’re delicious.

Christmas tree in St. Augustine

Christmas tree in St. Augustine

One evening I went down to the Halifax River to watch the Christmas Boat Parade. It is a parade that the Yacht Club puts on, which includes approximately 30 boats that are decorated in lights. I was amazed at the amount of people who were out by the river watching. I had never experienced a Christmas boat parade before, as I am normally in Washington during December. It was a cool experience, and a fun, free way to get in the holiday spirit!

Most recently, I traveled to Fort Myers for the weekend and saw the Edison and Ford Estates lights. Each of the houses are decorated for Christmas, as well as the entire property. It was interesting to be able to see inside of the houses, while also getting in the Christmas spirit. I learned a lot about the two inventors, who both resided in Florida just over 100 years ago.The Estate is a beautiful piece of property on the river in Fort Myers, and is decorated every year for Christmas. I would definitely recommend going!

Inside Henry Ford's house

Inside Henry Ford’s house

As of now, there are only 11 days until Christmas, and I am sure I will find even more fun things to do before then! It may be weird singing “Winter Wonderland” while driving in Daytona Beach on an 80 degree December day, but there are many ways to get into the Christmas spirit in Florida… you might just have to look at little harder to find them!

Wishing you a happy holiday season!

Lindsey

 

Finals Week Recap

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Finals week has officially come to an end for me, although many other students are still living off of Starbucks and Red Bull in the Library! I am so relieved to be finished with my most stressful semester to date.

After hours of studying, I am officially free for the rest of this year! This finals week has been the easiest for me so far. In an effort to be nice, three of my professors moved their final exams to the last day of class, so my finals week started early! The last week of classes was therefore a stressful one, however, I got to finish my finals earlier than most students. I had one test for BA320 on Saturday, which went surprisingly well. Then, yesterday I had a presentation for my BA215 class. Although, we just had to show up, since our presentation was a prerecorded podcast. I am happy to say that I earned A’s in all of my classes! I honesty don’t know how I pulled that off.

Most students leave hours after their finals are over, however I am staying until December 17th to work for my RA job. So, I am faced with a week and a half of free time! I can’t think of the last time I had this much time on my hands. I have been able to sleep in everyday, watch movies, and catch up on scholarship applications. I am also getting an early start on packing!

I have been struggling to keep myself entertained, however. It is a very weird feeling for me, since I am usually always on the go. Tonight I am going to go to St. Augustine to look at the lights they put up around the city. I have heard that it is one of the best displays in the country! Tomorrow, I will probably spend the day cleaning my room, and getting ahead on things for next semester. I’m hoping that this weekend I can go down to Fort Myers for a mini vacation before I leave for Winter Break. I’m crossing my fingers.

Looking back, I have no idea where this semester went. It honestly flew by! It seems like every semester seems to go faster than the last one. Soon enough I will be graduating, or at least it seems like it!

Well, that’s all I have for now. For those of you just finishing finals, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Happy studying,

Lindsey

 

My Journey to Chicago

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Two weeks ago I was able to travel to Chicago, IL for an interview with United Airlines. I was interviewing for a Network Planning and Scheduling Intern position. The whole process started at the ERAU Career Fair, where I turned in my resume to a recruiter. I was then called for an interview that night. I interviewed at ERAU for about an hour. It was very different from an interview I had done before, which was a challenge. Luckily, I was able to make it to the next round!

I was contacted about a month later, and invited to come for an interview in Chicago! I was ecstatic when I got the call. They scheduled me on a flight from MCO to ORD early on Thursday morning. I went down to Orlando the night before to stay the night. Thursday morning I woke up and headed for the airport at 4AM. Luckily, there was room on the flight, so I got a seat!

Approach into ORD with the Chicago skyline

Approach into ORD with the Chicago skyline

After about a 2.5 hour flight to Chicago, I made it. The next challenge was to find the train. I had never rode a train before, and I had never had to navigate ORD by myself before, either. It took me awhile to actually find the train, but once I got on, all stress was relieved. It was about an hour train ride to downtown Chicago, so I used the time to prepare for my interview. Once I got off the train downtown, I was greeted with the chill of cold air. I was freezing! I did not come prepared for 30 degree weather, that’s for sure.

Statue right after I got out of the train station

Statue right above the train station

My next task was to walk to Willis Tower, United Airlines’ headquarters. They provided me with a map, however I was not very good at reading it. It took me awhile to even figure out what direction I was facing. I rushed into Starbucks to get warm, and to try and find directions. After a short coffee break, I hit the streets again, frantically trying to find the tower. Thankfully, I had been to Chicago years ago, so I remembered what the street looked like where Willis Tower is located.

After I got to the Tower, I checked in and headed upstairs to United Airlines. There, I was greeted by two fellow ERAU students, who also had interviews that day. We all ate lunch, and then started our interviews. I thought the interview process was wonderful. I really enjoyed my experience at United Airlines, and hope that it all works out for me.

Coincidentally, my dad was on a work trip in Chicago, so he met me after my interview. We rushed to the train station, and got on the train headed to ORD. I only had about an hour until my flight boarded, so I was in a huge rush. Of course, the train had mechanical issues, so we were stalled for an extra ten minutes. However, it was nice to talk to my dad the whole train ride. Once I got to the airport, my flight had already started boarding. The security lines were packed, so I had to beg TSA to let me go to the front of the line. Thankfully, they did! After making it through security, I ran to my gate. Of course, my gate was all the way across the airport. I don’t know how, but I somehow made it just before the door closed. I was so lucky.

I am so thankful for my experience in Chicago. Whether I get the internship or not, I think it was a valuable experience. It was fun traveling alone to a big city. Although, it was a very long day. I will update you on the status of the internship, as I hear back.

Until next time,

Lindsey

A week in the life of Lindsey

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This week is a huge week for me! It has been very busy so far, with more to come! Although, it is expected, since it is the end of the semester. Once Thanksgiving Break hits, I will be almost free! So, I’ve decided to give you an update on what a week in the life of Lindsey looks like. Here it goes…

Monday: Mondays are always great days for me. Most people seem to dread them, however, I always look forward to them, since my sorority has chapter in the evenings! Besides getting to see all of my sisters, I also only have two classes, which makes Monday much easier. However, when I was not in class, I was focusing on my three final projects that all are due next week!

Tuesday: Tuesdays are normally a lot busier for me. Classes are an hour an fifteen minutes long on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as opposed to fifty minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Because of this, Tuesdays always seems to drag on. Once classes were finished, I had meetings scheduled to discuss the upcoming Farmer’s Market Tri Sigma is putting on. We had to discuss last minute logistics, since the Market is on Friday! After the meeting, my afternoon was filled with sending emails, writing a report, and running around campus picking up and delivering various things. We also have our weekly Women’s Ambassador Program meetings on Tuesdays. We are in the process of hiring new girls into the program, so I am super excited! After that meeting, I had an RA meeting, where we discussed closing procedures for Winter Break! I cannot believe it’s that time already!

Wednesday: Once again, Wednesday is going to be comprised of more meetings. I have a Women in Aviation meeting to attend, in which we are discussing our upcoming conference in Nashville, TN. I am stoked about this conference, so I cannot wait to start planning for it. Next, I will have several meetings for the sorority. I accepted a Treasurer position for the 2016 year, so I will be learning how to fulfill all the duties of the Treasurer. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve on the Executive Board for Tri Sigma. Once all of my meetings are over, I will be headed to Orlando for the night!

Thursday: Thursday will be a huge day for me! I have an interview with United Airlines in Chicago, so I will be flying out early Thursday morning. Once I get to Chicago, I will have a few hours to get downtown, before my interview. After the interview, I will meet up with my Dad, since he happens to be in Chicago for work at the same time! I am so excited to see him, since I haven’t seen anyone in my family since early August. Then, I will be catching a flight back to Orlando that night. It will be the first time I am flying non-rev (meaning I am flying standby), so I am hoping that there will be seats available! I am looking forward to being back in Chicago, even if it is for a couple of hours. It is such a beautiful city.

Friday: Whew! If I make it through Thursday, then Friday should be an even bigger challenge! The Tri Sigma Farmer’s Market is from 8am-2pm, and I am the coordinator of it. I will be getting back late Thursday night, and then waking up early to setup for the Farmer’s Market at 5am! I think I am starting to go crazy, already. Although I will be exhausted, it is totally worth it. The Farmer’s Market is one of my favorite events of the year, since about 30 vendors come onto campus to sell produce, homemade items, and jewelry. All the proceeds of this event will be going to children in hospitals in Florida, and the Domestic Abuse Council. Since the event is so close to the holidays, all of the vendors are putting holiday twists on their merchandise! I cannot wait to see how it turns out!

Saturday: Time to go SCUBA diving! I started a SCUBA course last weekend, and on Saturday, I will be doing my first real dive in a spring. We are waking up early to go to Alexander Springs, where we will complete three dives. I am very excited to get to dive in a natural habitat, rather than a pool.

Well, that is my week for you. Add in some homework, presentations, and studying, and it sounds about normal! I know it will be overwhelming, but I love to stay busy. If all goes well, it should turn out to be a very fulfilling week! I will update you on how it goes!

Until next time,

Lindsey