Hey Everyone,
So this semester has finally come to an end. It has been a fantastic first semester, it’s just unbelievable how fast it actually went. I must say that while it was hard to be away from home, I definitely grew up a lot. I mean, not to say that I was immature or anything, but the fact that I have been away from home for 4 months has definitely been crazy and a life changing experience. Well, let me tell you a little about the past 2 weeks.

Exams are OVER (obviously) and I think and hope that I did well… My last exam was on the 10th. Since I was staying to sing for Graduation for the AcaFellas, I decided to take the extra week I had to go visit my sister in Texas. So on Tuesday I left and I had such a great time, I got to see my nieces, and let me tell you how much they have grown up. My older niece, Alyssa is now in pre-school and is one of the smartest in her class, and my younger niece, Taylor is growing up just as fast, she is starting to be able to talk in full sentences. I just can’t believe how much they have grown up and how big they have gotten. I came back on Saturday, and my friends picked me up from the Airport in Orlando and then we went out to dinner. We had a fun night.  When we got back to school we all hung out for a bit and then went to our own rooms. Well, campus was totally dead, since everyone had left for break already. I was the only one of my friends on that side of the Student Village and I felt very lonely LOL…. Well I turn on my computer to go talk online and I have a flashing message from my Weather Bug saying that there was a Tornado Watch for Daytona Beach. Then I realized that the weather was changing rapidly outside for the worse. So I called Jo and I was like…this is not good. I ended up going to her room to hang out with her and Erik. Well, we never went to sleep until like 5 am so we didn’t get up til like noon yesterday. So yesterday we all went out to breakfast and then Jo’s parents were coming in soon after so we did a little bit of shopping so that Jo could get some make-up and stuff then we headed back to campus.

Once I got back to my room I had to change because the AcaFellas were singing at the Masters Hooding Ceremony, and then we were going to the President of the University’s house to sing for some company he was having over. Okay, his house was HUGE and when I say huge I don’t think you can imagine how big it was. He served Prime Rib and Lobster for dinner and then we sang like 7 songs, which was really nice and we all did really good. I had a lot of fun that night. So I went back to campus and then went to bed
to prepare for Graduation today. So we sang the National Anthem at graduation in front of like 700 people and then at the end we sang the Alma Mater. We did great and I had a lot of fun.

Well, I had a flight leaving at 3:30 and it was 1:00 by the time we got back to campus, so I quickly packed and then headed out to come home. I found out that one of the guys in the AcaFellas that also lives in Buffalo had the same flights as me home, so we hung out in the Atlanta airport and then we came home. I now sit here writing to you from FREEZING cold Buffalo, New York. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year… I’ll talk to you when I get back to school… Stay Safe!

Until Next Time,

Joe Jaworski
AIM: HYPORBOY226
Email: Jaworksj@erau.edu

Hey Everyone,
Well, once again, life on the Embry Riddle Campus has been crazy. There has been so much that has been going on, some good, some bad, some I’m just not sure how to take it. I’ll be letting you guys know what classes have been like and what I am taking next semester. Well I hope you all are doing well and let’s begin!!

CLASSES
Air Traffic 302 (AT302)- William Coyne
This class has surprisingly been going a lot better than it has been previously. I know it has taken a whole semester but the professor is just not that great. I know that sounds mean to say, but he is an extremely nice guy, but I just don’t get his teaching methods. I was talking to another Air Traffic Control professor and this is what has been going on: I am in 302, and there is a 300 class before 302. Now, the 300 class has a prerequisite of AS 120 to it, but 302 does not have any prerequisites  to it at all.  So this professor knew that I was struggling in my class. What I did not understand was why I was not informed of this earlier when I was doing my scheduling. Basically, what I’m trying to tell everyone that is coming here for ATC, don’t let anyone tell you that it is okay to take 302 before 300. If you don’t have your private pilot’s license you have to take AS 120 so take that, then take 300 and eventually take 302. Don’t make yourself struggle through an entire semester like I did.

Intro to Contemporary Mathematics (MA006)- Debbie Edwards
Hopefully you all won’t be in this math, this is a “refresher” type of math class for transfers students who have not taken math in a long time, like me!!! So the class has been going well, I really like the professor for this class, she is an amazing teacher, and it is really hard to find good math professors anymore so I’m really glad that I had her. I actually am taking my MA 111 class with her too.

Introduction to Psychology (PSY101)- Jessica Cruit
I really liked this class this semester. I had always wanted to take a Psychology class and I’m glad that I got the opportunity to do so. The teacher is amazing! She knows how to make you interested in the topic and she is extremely generous with letting you know what she will be testing you on. I got a 94 on my midterm, and it was basically because she went over every little thing that would be on it the class before we took the exam. We just handed in our case studies in which we had to make a story up about a client that we had and diagnose them with a Psychological Disorder and then treat them. This was actually pretty fun and it would have been a lot more fun if I didn’t wait until the last second to do it.

Business Administration (BA201)-Tamilla Curtis
Business class has also turned around from the beginning of the year. We just presented our end of the semester projects and my group members and I got a 90 on it. We had to create a business and create an in detail business plan or its structure, financial data, and all that fun stuff. My group decided to do “The Mile High Bar and Grill” It was a lot of fun. For our presentations, everyone was wearing like ties and dress pants but since we had a sports bar my group decided to show up in jeans and sports jerseys. We didn’t know if we would get criticized or if the teacher would like it, but she complimented us on how we matched with each other and with our business plan. Otherwise we are just preparing for our final exam.

Introduction to Meteorology (WX201)
Meteorology is a fun class, the material we learn in completely boring but the professor is cool and the people that I sit around are a lot of fun. We all always compare homework in the beginning of class and we have gotten like all 100 on our homework. I finally did semi-good on a test in that class. Those tests are ridiculously hard but I managed to pull off a 78. Yes I know that sounds bad but it was a miracle LOL. Now that all of our tests are done, we are just going over final exam material.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR  ACTIVITIES
ERAU Choir
Choir has been going very well but very slow. Last week we still didn’t know all of our songs for our concert this Wednesday. It’s very irritating because there are a handful of us that are putting in all the effort and then there are just people that care about being there but are not exactly putting in the effort. I don’t like that they are the ones holding us back. It’s like learn your part and remember your part. Every rehearsal it seems like we are going back and learning songs that we have gone over so many times. I still have fun though!!!

AcaFellas
AcaFellas is going very well. We have done a few National Anthem gigs and we are doing a few holiday party gigs, so that is a lot of fun. At least with AcaFellas, when we learn music, people actually remember it and we don’t have to continually go back and learn over and over. We get to sing at the President of Embry Riddle’s house on December 16th, so I am pretty excited about that, and then we are singing the National Anthem on December 17th.

ERRSA
ERRSA is still as amazing as ever. I have been doing a lot with lately. We had our Residence Hall week just recently, and we had events for like 5 days in a row. They all went very well and I had a good time with them all. My friends in ERRSA have also been as amazing as ever. They have been there for me in the past few weeks when I have been having some problems, and I feel like I have been there for them too. They are all amazing people and I know I have said that before but there are just no words to describe what great friends they are.

I know that this semester has been awesome and I know that I have made so many new friends, but I cannot wait to go home. I really just need to see my family and spend time with them. I think that has definitely been the hardest part about this semester. I miss my family and friends back at home. What is good about the upcoming few weeks is that when I am done with exams on the 10th I am going to Texas to see my sister and nieces. I’ll be there until December 16th and then I am coming back to school to sing at graduation and the President’s house. I am so happy to go see them, they moved in August and it has been tough not seeing them.

I’m going to the Space Shuttle Launch this Thursday, December 6th, so I will let you guys know how that went, but other that I think that is all that I have. I hope that everybody has a great end to their semester and I’d like to hear from you all to see how everyone is doing with the Admissions process  and/or school selections. Any problems just let me know and I’ll get them answered for you. “There’s a kind of a sort of cost, there’s a couple of things that get lost, there are bridges you cross you didn’t know you crossed until you’ve crossed.” from the musical Wicked.

Until Next Time,
Joe Jaworski
Email- Jaworksj@erau.edu
Aim- HYPORBOY226

Hey Everyone! Hope everyone is doing well. I must say that I definitely have more to tell you this time then I did last time. These past two weeks have been crazy, fun, sad, heart-breaking and enthralling, all at the same time. One thing that you will learn when you get to college, whether it’s Riddle or not, is that emotions change in an instant. It is not unheard of to wake up happy, and by the end of the day, be crying yourself to sleep. Those are the rough times, but let’s talk about some of the good things that have happened.

So we start with Tuesday, November 6th. This was a great day for me, not only because it was an all around nice day, but for the fact that I got my first opportunity to go into an ATC simulation lab. It was so much fun. The ATC Organization went into the lab to just goof off, but I got to go on the Controller head-set and someone else was on the pilot’s headset and I gave instructions of what the pilot should do, and then it was just so awesome to actually see the simulation move with your instructions. I mean, I know that’s what it is supposed to do obviously, but it was a phenomenal experience, and I DIDN’T CRASH ANY PLANES!!! YAY ME!

So the following day Wednesday, November 8, was ERRSA election for positions in our Hall Councils. I spent that afternoon preparing to give my speech for my bid as Governor of Adams Hall, and I had it all planned out, but when it came time to give my speech I totally blew it. It was by far the worst speech I have ever given, but the good news is that I still won the position. So now I am the Governator!!! Just Kidding! Also, we had a member of the Executive Board drop out of the organization so there was an empty spot to fill for this HUGE conference called the South Atlantic Affiliation of College and University Residence Halls (yes I know that is a mouthful to say) but the Executive Board chose me to fill that spot. It was a great honor to be chosen, considering the fact I was running against 11 other people. You will hear more about the conference later in the blog!

So Thursday came and that was the Talent Show that I had told you last time about. So for my act with my friend we sang “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera, and with the AcaFella’s we sang Happy Days. What was ironic about the two performances was that they were both for the same category, so I was pretty much competing with myself. Well the act with my friend went really well, I had been having trouble getting some of the harmony for the song, and I messed that up when we performed, but I covered it by just singing the melody. So, both performance went really well and my friend and I won 3rd place, and the AcaFellas won 1st.

That weekend was the conference I was telling you about and I must say that it was a lot of fun.  The conference was held in Gainsville, Florida, and we left on Friday afternoon to drive there. At night we didn’t do much besides hear a keynote speaker who was absolutely phenomenal, and we also got some dinner and just hung out at the hotel. Saturday was filled with different workshops to go to, all about how to make residence life better and how to strengthen the organizations that we are affiliated with. I learned a lot by attending this conference and I had a great time!

This past week and weekend was not so hot. I found out on Monday that we were going to have to put my dog down, because he had gotten so sick and he was in pain. That was the start of the week and by the end of the week it just progressively got worse. By the weekend it was almost unbearable just to wake up, it seemed like everyday just got progressively worse. I got sick on Friday, and Saturday was just the worse day ever. On Sunday things progressively started to get better and I hope that this upcoming week will be a lot better than last week!

Well that all I have for you for now. I’m sorry it was so long, but I hope that you enjoyed reading and that you will be looking forward to my next blog. As always, if you have any questions please email me or Instant Message me on AIM. “Forget regret, or life is yours to miss, no other road no other way, no day but today” –Rent

Until Next Time,

Joe Jaworski
Email: Jaworksj@erau.edu
AIM: HYPORBOY226

Hello Everyone! How is everything going? Well, I will start off by saying that both acts that I tried out for made it into the talent show and the show is this Thursday (I’m getting nervous!) But anyways, it has been crazy hectic around here. Last time I wrote to you it was a good hectic, and this time, not-so-much. I have been absolutely swamped with work and tests. I think I have had 7 or 8 tests in the past week and a half alone! That’s a lot of studying and a lot of late nights. For the most part, it all paid off though! It never seems like I have enough time to get things done. Like my time management skills are so off. I used to have a set pace and a set timetable of when things will be done, and now it’s more like, I’ll get to it as soon as I can! Other than school work, nothing much has been going on around campus or anything. I will tell you guys about a few things that I have been doing and then I will wrap up with my “encouraging words of thought”

So I worked Open House for all of you who came! I was giving tours of the Residence Halls! I had such a good time, it seemed like a lot of people were interested in ATC which I thought was really cool. It was funny to see their reactions to the rooms and stuff like that, because I was the same way, it seemed like they were so small, and while they are not huge, they really do accommodate you for what you need! It was a great experience and I hope I get to do it again next year.

I have also been preparing a few things for ERRSA. I am currently working on writing a Code of Conduct for our Constitution, which I think is just awesome. I’m having fun being able to write the rules for how people should behave! I’m also working with a committee to write a newsletter to past members of our organization, so I think that will be a great success. And finally, I have finally finished my bid to run for the Governor of my Residence Hall. Elections are this Wednesday so I will keep everyone posted on that!

I’m really sorry that I don’t have more interesting things to talk about, I really wish I wasn’t so swamped with work and ERRSA so that I can actually have a life!! LOL.. I hope you all are doing well, and as always if you need to talk to me, either Instant Message me or email me. Please ask away, that’s what I am here for. Keep your hopes alive, and your visions clear and in the end you will make it through!

Until Next Time!

Joe Jaworski

AIM- HYPORBOY226

EMAIL: Jaworksj@erau.edu

Hello Everyone,
Well, I must say that I have appreciated all of your compliments through email and AIM, you guys make it worth my time to write and I thank you all for reading my blogs. SO ANYWAYS, this month has been so awesome in so many ways. It has been going by so fast, I can’t believe we are already past midterms and that we are now in the second half of our first semester. I have done so much and I have gone through so much in such little time. I have grown as a person, through leaving my family, starting this school, meting new friends, and just being involved on campus. It’s been such a great experience. So there is my little preach before I tell you about all my excitement this month.

I’ll start with school first. School has been getting intensely difficult, it’s been highly stressful, but all at the same time I feel like I’m actually being challenged and I love it. I have not been doing good in my Business class, just for the simple fact that I don’t care about that class. That’s really bad to say, and I hope it doesn’t happen to any of you, but I just don’t understand what the teacher says half of the time, I don’t understand the class, it’s so early in the morning, and I really believe that it’s just not my strong suit. I really am enjoying all of my classes though. I will tell you all one thing though, this school is not for slackers, if you think you can get by like you did in high school and not do homework, and study maybe for an hour before an exam, then you are sadly mistaken. My example, I studied for 8 hours for my exam and I only made a 73 on it. This is not cake work and you’re not just going to skim by on going to class and getting extra credit. This is YOUR future and you’re going to have to work for it. In this industry, they don’t hire you by if you went to class or if you did extra credit to raise your GPA, you’re judged on everything you do. Please, keep that in the back of your mind!

So onto some fun things that I have done – Kennedy Space Center: This was by far one of the greatest things that I have done. I absolutely loved it there. We got to see the Space Shuttle Discovery on the launch pad getting ready for its launch, and we got to see the part of the International Space Station that is going up in a month and a half. The history behind space flight was just so intriguing and to see how far space flight has come was just amazing. We got to go on the new Shuttle Launch Experience, and that was just the craziest thing ever, it was so much fun. If you go onto my blog site, you will see pictures from the trip and I hope you all enjoy them.

Some other things that I have done recently – I went to Universal Studios for my first time ever for Halloween Horror Nights. That was so much fun, too. We did The Mummy ride, Earthquake, Men In Black, and a Haunted House. It was just for a few hours so we actually go to do a lot more then we thought, and it was A LOT of fun!!! This trip was with ERRSA, and I have to say that ERRSA has been the best thing that has happened to me since I have been at ERAU. The President of ERRSA has become someone that I can look up to as a mentor and that in the little time that I have known her, I could trust her with my life. She really is an inspiration to everyone who meets her, and she has given me so much already that I can’t wait to see what else she can teach me, and where she can lead me. Some of the greatest people run ERRSA, Puga (VP) Dave  (Treasurer) CJ (PCC) Erik (Riddle Vision Coordinator) Pulkeshin (CCC) and Dustin (NCC) they are some amazing people and I have also grown to respect them and I am now close with a lot of them. I hope that they will become some of my closest friends. I really don’t know what I would do without this organization. I plan to run for the Governor of my Residence Hall and, by doing that, I hope I can gain leadership skills and learn Parliamentary Procedures in order to pursue my interest in ERRSA to an executive board level, so that everything I learn from the Executive Board this year, I can carry with me and do them proud my keeping all they have done alive and keep the organization as strong as they have made it.

So my final piece of news is about me! I am auditioning for the Talent Show. I am auditioning with the AcaFellas and we are going to sing Happy Days (since our homecoming theme is Primetime TV) and I am also auditioning with my friend Kelly to sing All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera, so wish me luck!
Hope all is well with everyone, and keep all your hopes alive, because the dreams that you wish, will come true! (mine have)

Until Next Time,

Joe Jaworski

Hey Everyone,
Hope you are all doing okay! If you have been following my blog posts you will know that I have been “On Trial” for the Acafellas and I just wanted to let you all know that I have officially made it. I must say that this group is amazing, they are the funniest yet nicest guys in the world and it’s such an honor to be a part of them now.

So I’m now in my new Residence Hall in Adams Hall. It is a Freshman Residence Hall but it is actually really nice. It’s fairly spacious and it is right in the Student Village. The Village is a large building with 4 Halls in it. There is O’Conner, Adams, Wood, and Stimpson, along with Einsteins Bagels and The Buffet! This is also where the ERRSA office is located and the Housing office!

So for the Acafellas, we were able to sing the National Anthem at the Heart Walk and it went really well, we all did really good and it was near perfect! Otherwise, it has just been crazy as usual, lots and lots of Homework, lots of tests, lots of studying, and NO TIME!! Trust me when I say that your semester will FLY by (no pun intended) but I think it is a good thing. Whenever I get free time, I tend to find myself thinking about and missing home which is never a good thing, because then I get depressed and just don’t feel like doing anything. It is good to keep yourself busy, maybe not with as much stuff as I do, but it really is a good idea to be involved. You should never be bored on campus, and I know I have said that in my previous blogs but it is sooooooo true.

Classes:
AT302— Air Traffic class is going well, we took our first test and it was fairly difficult but all the same we are really getting into very interesting things, such as sectional maps, special ops, airspace, and all that fun stuff!!! I actually look forward to this class, despite the fact that I have it at 8 in the morning!!!

MA006— Math is soo much fun, the teacher is great, the class is easy, it’s just an all together good class! I believe I have an 87 in the class currently which is fairly good due to the fact that she is a very hard grader. I know I said the class was easy, but she doesn’t believe in partial credit, which means if you forget a negative sign it’s totally wrong. I don’t really believe in that type of grading but whatever floats her boat!!!

PSY101— Psychology is a great class. There is really not much to say about it, but its very interesting and it’s an easy “A”

BA201– NOT SO MUCH!!! Not a fan of this class AT ALL… it’s really boring and it’s an 8 am class! The class is a bunch of following Powerpoints and class work that is irrelevant to anything that we are learning. I try to get interested in it, but it really is just a boring topic to me. (BA201= Business Administration)

WX201– Meteorology is a hot/cold type class! I Love the topic and I love to learn about weather, but we aren’t really learning about…. well weather…. I mean we are but we aren’t. It’s the basics of weather, so we aren’t into anything substantial yet, it’s a lot of Air Particles, Air Pressure, conversions, and BLAH BLAH BLAH!!! It’s a really fun class to be in but it’s actually really HARD. The average score on the first test was a 68, just to give you a visual on how hard it really is!

So that’s about all for now, If you look at my pictures there are pictures posted of the First Acafellas performance of the National Anthem and such. I hope all is well at school for all of you, I hope you are all doing good, and as always, never hesitate to contact me for ANYTHING!!!

Until Next Time!

Joe Jaworski
Aim: HYPORBOY226
Email: Jaworksj@erau.edu

Hey Everyone,
So I decided that I got involved with way too much, way too fast. However, I do have good news! I made the AcaFellas!!! For all of those who don’t know who that is (which is probably all of you) it is an all male Acapella singing group at Embry Riddle. They are a really good group and it was an honor to be accepted into the group. It has been a CRAZY few weeks. I have now had a test in all but one of my classes. I must say that when you go to study, study the opposite of whatever the professor tells you to study LOL… Just Kidding! But on a serious note, I studied my butt off for my ATC exam 1, and I went in there knowing exactly what I thought was going to be on the test and it was the exact opposite of what he told us to study!! I was quite upset to tell you all the truth. I pulled a 79 on it, but it was a wake up call and a reality check… STUDY STUDY STUDY!!!!

Now, I have to do my “Getting Involved Speech” I am currently in 7 organizations and I must say it is time consuming!!!! It is really nice to be involved on campus but just watch out how much you do. I must say my two favorite organizations are ERRSA (Embry Riddle Residence Student Association) and the AcaFellas. Between those two organizations, they take up a lot of my time! This campus is awesome when it comes to getting involved though… there are always different org’s to join and different things to do….. you should NEVER EVER be bored on this Campus!!!

This past weekend, I went on the ERRSA retreat and it was like the BEST thing that I have done here so far…. We did a lot of Team Builders all weekend and I met some people that I will probably be friends with for life. This is like the best group of people on campus… What we do on campus, is that we are the liaison between the residence and the department of housing. We put on a lot of programs, and we really work hard to make YOUR life on campus a lot better. Our office offers rentals of movies, vacuums, DVD players. We also have video game systems for you to play IN OFFICE ONLY!! I truly had a great time this weekend and I urge ALL OF YOU to join!!!!

Well I don’t want to make these too long, because we all have things to do, but like I said, If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call or email me, I would be more than happy to answer some of your questions!!! Have a good one!!

Joe
Email: Jaworksj@erau.edu
Phone: (716)713-9397
AIM: HYPORBOY226

Hey Everyone, since this is my first blog post I thought I should formally introduce myself, at least as best as you can by way of the computer, but I’m Joe and I will be here all year for you to come and read about what college life is like, what it’s like being and Air Traffic major, and to tell you about the great things that happen here at Embry Riddle! I hope you enjoy reading these and it brings insight as to why ERAU is such a prestigious University! LET US BEGIN!

Once upon a time…. JUST KIDDING!

Orientation:
Let me just say that the orientation process was CRAZY! They throw 590437759834985 different things at you and think that your going to remember it all, and do you? No! It’s a great way to get to know the University a little bit better, and it gives you a chance to understand more about your major, meet some professors, and developing friendships that are sure to last a lifetime! My orientation was spent figuring out why my financial aide was not going through ( I suggest you figure that out B4 you come here LOL) but it was eventually settled and took a load off my shoulders!

Housing:
I came to check in to O’Conner Hall which is a hall for many of the transfer students. Throughout the weekend before classes, I got to know a lot of my suitemates and I knew from day one that they all were going to be great!!! When I checked in, I was not supposed to have a roomate, however, I did get one and I’m very happy that he was a nice guy. He’s from Kenya, Africa, and I don’t know aboout you all, but I thought it was awesome to get to room with an international student. He told me a lot about his life and how he just felt so blessed to be in America, since that is everyone’s dream back where he is from! I thought that was super cool! Anywho, the housing situation was perfect and it made for an easy transition after my parent left to go back home!

Registration:
OH MY GOSH!!!!! That was the craziest thing I have ever gone through in my entire life! BUT don’t worry! For Freshman, your schedules are pre-made for you so you don’t have to go through any of that hassle! For transfer students however, it was insane. They had classes that didn’t match course numbers, they were trying to sign us up for classes we had already taken, and then when it came down to the wire, we were limited with class choices anyways due to the fact that we were the last to register! It was crazy, but as I said, unless you’re a transfer student you have nothing to worry about!

First Week of Classes:
Contrary to the fact that registration was so bad, MY CLASSES ARE AWESOME!!!!
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
8:00-9:00 – AT302 w/ Mr. Coyne, 9:15-10:15- MA006 w/ Debbie Edwards,10:30-11:30- PSY101 w/ Jessica Cruit
Tuesday, Thursday: 8:15-9:30 BA201 w/ Tamilla Curtis, 9:30-11:00 WX201 w/ Chris Herbster

I’m so happy with all of my classes and all of my teachers are great!!!!! We did get quite a bit of Homework for the first week of class but, WELCOME TO COLLEGE!!!! It’s really not that bad!

So I think that will be all for this time around! Make sure you check out pictures of my room and stuff like that, and if you want pictures of any part of the campus just to know what it is like, let me know and I’d love to take them for you!

If you ever need to get ahold of me, my door is always open (not literally, I do close the dorm room door!) but do not hesitate to email!

Until Next Time!

Joe Jaworski
Jaworksj@erau.edu