Author Archives: Maryam

About Maryam

Junior

Spaceflight Operations

Internship: ALPA - Brooke Owens Fellowship Program
Major: Spaceflight Operations
Minors: Flight, Aviation Safety, Human Factors
Hometown: Dubai, UAE
Campus Involvement: National Society for Collegiate Scholars, Women's Ambassador Program, Orientation Team, Women in Aviation, International Society of Air Safety Investigators, Spaceflight Sciences Policy and Operations Club, Career Services Student Ambassador
Why I chose Embry-Riddle: Because of my passion for flight and the great networking opportunities Riddle provides!

End of Semester: Projects, Tests, Celebrations

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Hello Everyone!

I hope you all are having a great end to this semester! I am pretty much missing classes this entire week except for Thursday and then Friday is a study day. I am super excited that I get to graduate in two weeks!!!

I have had so many projects and tests to work on. On the side, we also had end of the semester celebrations in the many organizations I am involved in! The Women’s Ambassador Program had their “end-of-the-semester” dinner at Carraba’s last week. We all had a great time and got a chance to celebrate with our graduating eagles!

WAP Ambassadors

The same week, Career Services had their end of celebration activity at Jeremiah’s. We all had a great time catching up and also meeting the future ambassadors of Career Services!

Career Services

Other than that, I have been traveling this week with the Admissions Department to Seattle and Denver for the Accepted Students Reception, which has been a rewarding experience! I love meeting our future Eagles and getting a chance to tell them more about the student’s perspective of attending Riddle.

We all walked around in Seattle and took tons of pictures. We went to Pike Place Market, which has a beautiful waterfront view. I also got to visit the “Gum Wall”, where people stick their gums up on a wall….it was nasty but cool! We also visited the first Starbucks ever started in 1971. I had never seen the real logo, but I can see why they changed it to the current one! In Seattle, I met Amy, who is our future eagle and will be starting in Fall!

Meet Amy from Seattle!

The Gum Wall

The first Starbucks ever

 

In Denver, I got a chance to meet Kaitlyn, who will be joining us in Fall!!! I got to talk to a lot of families and address any concerns they had. This is my last travel for the semester, but I had tons of fun on all my travels!

Meet Kaitlyn from Denver!

I hope you all are having a great end to your semester. To those graduating, congratulations and good luck on your future endeavors!

 

Until next time,

Maryam

Embry-Riddle Preview Day

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Hello Everyone!

I hope you’re all having a great week! Mine has been super busy so far! We had the campus Women in Aviation day on March 29th. During that day, the Women’s Ambassador Program set up a lip gloss station at the ICI Center. There were other departments with various activities that the girls could participate in. Around 350 7th grade girls were at our event!

Women Ambassadors at the WAI event

On the same day, we had our T.A.G (Thank All Givers) Day! Basically, a few of us volunteered to go around campus and thank all the professors, faculty and employees at the university who donated.

T.A.G ft Dean Mike Williams

T.A.G. ft Jenny Hinebaugh

Another major event that happened on campus was Preview Day on April 7th. On this day, we have our accepted future eagles come learn more about the campus, and even attend classes that related to their major! I volunteered and wore 4 different polos that day- COA (College of Aviation), Women’s Ambassador Program, Embry-Riddle Women’s panel, and Career Services. It was so much fun to meet all the students that are so passionate about aviation and want to join our eagle family.

WAP table at Preview Day

Representing Riddle on the Women’s Panel

All in all, it was great meeting our accepted future eagles! Please feel free to leave a comment if you have questions.

Regards,

Maryam

Accepted Students Reception with WAP

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Hello everyone,

I hope you’re doing well and had a great spring break! I was out for 4 more days after spring break since I got to travel with the Admissions Department and represent the Women’s Ambassador Program (WAP). I guess you could say I had a “mini-spring break” after the actual one! We traveled to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio for the Accepted Students Receptions (ASR). Some of the girls I met while representing WAP were Kiara (Dallas), Emili (Houston) and Rylan (San Antonio).

Met Kiara in Dallas

Met Emili in Houston

Met Rylan in San Antonio

Each future eagle got a towel as well as a folder that contained some information about our school. It had information about financial aid resources that included scholarship search and loans. It also included a list of things student should bring when they move in. Some of these include:

  • Sheets (single 80 inches)
  • Pillow/blanket
  • Towels
  • Lamp
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Laundry bag
  • Identification

One of the tips we suggest is that residents should coordinate with each other on who should bring what!

Swag for future eagles at ASR

There was also a handout regarding admitted student checklist in the folder. This checklist is a good reminder for students to follow and make the transition into college as smooth as possible. Here is the link to the checklist online: https://daytonabeach.erau.edu/admissions/applied-students/checklist/index.html

The ASR events were great opportunities to meet all our future eagles and to help ease any worries they had! I had a great time talking to them, and they sure loved hearing all about Riddle from a student’s perspective! I also got little gifts for working hard and going the extra mile during these events. I got a Starbucks gift card, Embry-Riddle table top propeller and a ERAU CS 172 model!

All in all, this was a great experience, and I can’t wait to travel in April to Seattle and Denver. Please feel free to ask me any questions, and I’d love to help!

Until next time,

Maryam Gracias

Spring to Life!

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Hello everyone!

I hope you all are having a fantastic spring break! My spring break has been eventful so far! For the first weekend of spring break, my family and I went camping to Salt Springs in Ocala for the weekend. Salt Springs is one of Ocala’s jewels. The spring was named due to the fact that there are potassium, sodium and magnesium deposits making the water saline. We had four tents set up, so we all pretty much had our own tents, except for, of course, my parents who shared a tent!

Partial view of our campsite

Full view of our campsite

Photo of our tents ft mum & bro

Another campsite photo

Relaxing photo ft Brent

There are plenty of activities to do in the area. When we camped there for 2 nights, we all went for a little hike and even biked around the recreation area. There is a beautiful lake named Lake Kerr, where campers can enjoy plenty of water activities. It was way too cold to go for a swim, but we did bike around the area. We had our bonfire going on pretty much our entire stay due to how cold it was!

Lake Kerr

Lake Kerr

Me gooning around on my bike

My dad acting cool with his bike skills

Brent & I next to a tree that is more than 200 years old

Lake Kerr

Me posing in general

Our massive bonfire

After camping, Brent and I headed back to Daytona due to my Women’s Ambassador Program (WAP) travel. I traveled with the Admissions Department to Cincinnati and Detroit on March 12th-14th representing WAP. We hosted Accepted Student Receptions in both states, where we got to talk to all our future eagles that will be joining us in Fall! I talked to a lot of students there and below are some of the photos with the girls I talked to! In Cincinnati, I met Sophie and Sydney. I met Lauren in Detroit, who will be joining us in Fall too! All of them are such amazing and bright women, and I am super excited for them to be joining our Riddle family!

Sophie and I in Cincinnati

Sydney and I in Cincinnati

Cincinnati Accepted Students Reception

Detroit Accepted Students Reception

Lauren and I in Detroit

After my WAP travel, my boyfriend picked me up from KDAB and we headed straight to my house in Bradenton. We all went for a dinner to Chilis, which was super fun!

My family <3

My brother Savio

Spring Break is not over yet! We have a fishing trip planned for this Saturday and then we head back to Daytona! I will be traveling next week with WAP again to Texas so stay tuned for my travel updates!

Until next time,

Maryam

Visiting Delta HQ with ISASI

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Hello everyone,

I hope you’re well and had a nice long relaxing weekend! I spent my President’s Day weekend in Altanta and got to visit Delta headquarters with one of the organizations at Riddle, ISASI (International Society of Air Safety Investigators). It was great seeing everyone again and so glad they all remembered me from my internship during Spring 2017!!!

The day started with all of us checking in and getting our visitors pass. We all then broke into groups to do three rotational activities- SIM, Flight Attendant Training and then Operations Control Center (OCC) Tour. We all got an opportunity to fly the 747 sim at Delta. It was a lot of fun to take off and land the simulated aircraft!

 

We all got to see how flight attendants are trained to handle situations, especially during an emergency. They all go through rigorous training to help passengers if the plane crashes in water.

After seeing how the flight attendants are trained to handle dangerous situations, we all headed to OCC. This is where the meteorology lab is located, and Delta employees keep track of the weather and alert pilots of any bad weather. After the tours, we all headed back and had an opportunity to learn about Delta’s PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) and everything in it. We also got to try on the suits and boots. 

After the PPE session, we toured the Delta Flight Museum. They have a Boeing 747 that is now a part of the museum as well. The last Delta flight scheduled with paying passengers on a 747 was on December 19th 2017 in Detroit. It was really cool to see the “Queen of Skies” parked near the Flight Museum.

    

This was a truly rewarding experience, and the Delta employees took good care of us for the day!

Until next time,

Maryam

 

 

 

Career Expo = Career Development

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Hello everyone!

I hope you’re doing well! I hope that you all received great information about the different companies that attended the Career Expo. The Expo is a hiring event where recruiters talk to students who express interest in their companies. A lot of students attend info sessions to prepare themselves and expand their knowledge about the companies before they attend the actual Expo. I talked to a lot of companies for potential employment. Some of the big ones were United Airlines, Naval Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Kellstroom Aerospace, and GA. I even ended up getting a few interviews so I am very hopeful to get a job once I graduate. I also got a great opportunity to take a professional photo during the expo.

I think it is very important to talk to all these different employers during the Expo. But a lot of students forget to send them a “thank-you” email after the event. If you haven’t done so yet, I would highly suggest emailing the employers you got a chance to talk to, by the end of this week. It shows employers of that company that you are very interested in working for them, and helps establish a great relationship. I would also suggest following them on Linked-In and establishing that professional network with them. If you need any help with writing up a “thank-you” email, please feel free to stop by Career Services and they will be more than willing to help you!

 

Until next time,

Maryam

Swing Into Spring

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Hello everyone!

I know it’ been a while since I posted…..my last post was literally last year (well in December!). I hope you all had a fantastic winter break and started the Spring semester strong. I was in Florida for my winter break, but we had 4 families over to celebrate Christmas with us. It was tons of fun, but it did take us 2 and half hours for everyone to open their gifts individually!

 

New Year’s was super fun too! We went for mass and then followed by New Year’s Eve dance. My boyfriend, Brent, surprised me and celebrated New Year with my family! We all had tons of fun, and it was definitely a great start to the Year!!!

My winter break was fabulous, and it was great seeing my family! I sure hope you all had a great winter break with your family and loved one! So far my Spring semester has been super busy since I will be graduating this summer!!! I can still walk for graduation in May, but I have two more courses to finish up for my degree, which will be done in summer. The Career Expo is approaching soon, so I’m hoping to nail a job then. I’m either trying to get a job or start with my Masters. Good luck to all those graduating, too!

Until next time,

Maryam

 

 

End of semester is almost here!

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Hello everyone!

I hope you’re well and had a great Thanksgiving Break! I went to New Hampshire with my boyfriend, Brent, to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family. It was really fun. I went Black Friday shopping with his mum and some of her friends. We started at 1:30 am and didn’t end until 12:30 pm!!! We got really good deals. One of things I bought was  Keurig, and I’m super excited to use it soon!

We also had a Holiday Party on November 30th for Women’s Ambassador Program, where we decorated cookies. We all wore ugly Christmas sweaters and listened to carols to get in the Christmas spirit! It was a lot of fun, especially since it was my first time baking cookies AND decorating them!!!

 

I hope you all finish up this semester strong. Winter break is almost here! Good luck in everything!

Until next time,

Maryam

Student Model Highlight

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Hello everyone!

I hope you’re well! I apologize for being away for a bit. Classes are hectic since professors are trying to wrap up the semester. Women’s Ambassador Program had a breast cancer awareness fundraiser during the Embry Riddle’s Women Volleyball game held on November 3rd. We raised a lot of money and are hoping to create a lot of awareness among our eagles!

The following week, I was offered to be a student model where the Marketing Department of Riddle is working on filming current students who are willing to share their experiences with prospective students.  Some of the questions asked were about my major, involvement on campus, internships and why I chose ERAU. It was super fun, and I got to share about my experiences at Riddle so far.

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Until next time,

Maryam

Fall Break

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Hello everyone!

I hope you’re well! I hope those who were job hunting or looking to do an internship for next summer were successful during the Expo. I talked to a few companies during my volunteer shifts with Career Services. I did win the Instagram Expo Challenge! My prize was that I could give $100 to any student organization on campus. I gave it to the Women’s Ambassador Program since I am a Coordinator for it, and I really love what we do!

On the 13th through 15th, I traveled to Washington D.C. and Chicago with the Admissions Department at Daytona and Prescott to help promote Embry-Riddle. I represented the Daytona Beach Campus as a Coordinator for the Women’s Ambassador Program. There were two other students as well from the Prescott campus. I got to present myself in front of around 200 people in D.C. and about a 100 in Chicago and share my college experiences. Talking to the parents and the possible future eagles was a great experience! We also got to tour the National Mall and see the National Geographic Museum in D.C.

During my fall break, I got all 4 of my wisdom teeth and 2 of my permanent teeth removed since they grew out of my gums. I still have 5 of my baby teeth, three on top and two on the bottom. I was pretty much loopy the entire day after my surgery, but I am starting to do better.

I hope you all had a great Fall break!

Until next time,

Maryam