Author Archives: Dominic

About Dominic

Sophomore

Communication and Broadcast Meteorology

Hometown: Warren, New Jersey
Campus Involvement: The Avion Newspaper, American Meteorological Society, Weather Lab Tutor
Why I chose Embry-Riddle: I chose Embry-Riddle because of the unique opportunities it offers for STEM majors (including our broadcast studio). The current major and track I am on is unique to Embry-Riddle, and is something that will help me succeed in my future endeavors. The faculty are amazing at what they do here, and being in a smaller major allows me to form deeper connections with them. And who doesn't love the Florida weather and beautiful campus that Riddle also provides!

Best Places to See a Riddle Sunset

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Let’s face it: we have a beautiful campus here is Daytona Beach. And there are also amazing spots around campus to watch the sunset, especially during the summer months. There is no better way to wind down with your day then watching the pink skies over the airport and speedway. I have seen (and posted a ton of sunset pictures) from many places around campus, and I find that it helps relieve any stress and clear my head from all the craziness that life can throw. Here are some of my favorite places:

The Parking Garage: Probably the best place on campus to watch the sunset in my opinion, the parking garage allows a great view of the sunset over the airport and the speedway in the distance since it is a couple stories high and super close to the airport. My parking garage spot is near the top of the garage, so it is always a treat to be able to watch the sunset before I leave campus for the day. You also get to see the occasional plane take off or land, making for great pictures of the Daytona Beach sunset. I even have pictures of the sunset here with the perfect angle of the Goodyear blimp that comes in every year.

The Goodyear blimp flying during a beautiful sunset this past February. Shot from the parking garage.
The Library: While I do not have any pictures of the sunset from this particular spot, the fourth floor of the library offers great views of the sunset if you are lucky enough to snag one of the chairs that overlooks the speedway. This is once of my favorite study spots when I need to lock in on an assignment, and the angle of these particular seats combined with this being the fourth floor of the Student Union make this a great place to watch the sunset. Just make sure that the sunset doesn’t distract you too much from studying.

Outside the Student Village: Okay, this spot might sound a little weird and/or vague. But, hear me out. As a student who lived in the Village for two years and who had to park in the red lot, it would always see AMAZING sunsets walking back to my dorm from the parking lot on the sidewalk right outside of the Village by the O’Connor drop off loop. This particular spot is right across the street from some of the Intramural fields, and every time I have walked past it during sunset it has not disappointed. If you live in the Student Village or just want to take a nice sunset walk, this might just be the next place to watch the sunset.

The beautiful October sunset outside of O’Connor Hall
I hope this guide helps you find the perfect places to view the sunset around campus this summer. Be sure to comment down below if I missed your favorite spot, I am always looking for new places to watch it around campus. Here’s so more sunset pictures!!! 🙂

Embry-Riddle’s Communication Major

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Embry-Riddle offers a wide array of majors for students to study. While everyone probably knows an Aeronautical Science or Aerospace Engineer major, how many can say they know a Communication major? In fact, the most common question I get asked as a Communication major is “why did you come to Embry-Riddle for Communication?”

I recently finished my second year at Embry-Riddle, but my journey at this university did not start in the Communication program. I was a meteorology major with an interest in one day becoming a broadcast meteorologist, but not thrilled about all the heavy technical classes the degree entailed. However, I was intrigued by the Communication program, and how it allowed me to still achieve my future goals from a different perspective.

The communication major is a small program, with enough students to fit in one average sized classroom in the College of Arts and Sciences. This allows students to make close connections with professors in the Humanities and Communication department, and build friendships with other students in the major since you have at least 2 or 3 classes with them a semester. I have really valued the connections with fellow students and faculty that this program has helped foster.

Communications is also a unique program at Embry-Riddle, letting students get a blend of communication and science courses that you don’t get at most schools. These include courses in social media, communication theory, public relations, and science/technology communication. Communication majors are required to choose a minor as a part of their degree plan, letting students choose what they want to concentrate their studies on. Students have minors ranging from Marketing, Latin American Studies, and Global Conflict Studies.

Many students in the major, including myself, are on the Broadcast Meteorology track. This allows students to still take many of the same weather classes that Meteorology majors take, but also learn how to effectively communicate science and complex topics to the general public. Recent graduates on this track have gotten jobs at news stations as meteorologists around the country because of their skills gained from this track like no other university in the country offers.

The Communication program also offers great opportunities for undergraduate research through courses and with professors. One example of this is the annual Humanities and Communication Research Symposium that occurs at the end of each semester, and allows students from different research and theory courses to present their work from the semester.

While it might not be the first program people think of when they think Embry-Riddle, the Communication major is a flourishing program in the College of Arts and Sciences that allows all students to succeed in a way that only Embry-Riddle can provide.

A Busy End to Sophomore Year

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Hey everyone! As the spring semester comes to a close I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Dominic Popolo and I am a Communications Major with a track in Broadcast Meteorology and a minor in Emergency Management. I recently completed my second year at Embry-Riddle, which is crazy because it feels like I just started! I guess time just flies like that.

A picture of me in New York City last August!

This past week was probably the busiest I’ve had all semester. Between banquets, finishing up projects, presentations, and more, it has been a marathon. As stressful as it was, it was also super fun and rewarding.

My week kicked off on Easter Sunday, when my friends and I drove up to Matanzas Inlet to have one last beach day of the semester. I definitely enjoyed soaking up some sun before I return home to New Jersey, where it won’t quite be beach weather yet. The sun was definitely a little harsh and I got a little sunburnt, but I still had a blast!

Life is better in Flagler!
Ocean fun at Matanzas Inlet!
It was a nice Easter Sunday at the beach!

Tuesday started off with my final presentation in my Thunderstorms class about the March 25, 2023 tornado outbreak. My partner Reagan and I had been practicing all weekend for this presentation, and we were able to successfully give all the information about the severe weather event in the allotted time. It was definitely a stress reliever to complete the presentation.

That night, I had the annual end of the year meteorology banquet, where we celebrated the accomplishments of both the Meteorology Department and the American Meteorological Society / National Weather Association (AMS/NWA) Chapter on campus. This banquet was a great time to get together as meteorologists on campus, eat some barbeque, and watch the annual “Professors Read Mean Evaluations” video. The executive board for AMS/NWA next year was also revealed at the banquet, and I will be serving as Secretary. I am so excited to help further the mission of the organization on campus!

The AMS/NWA Executive Board for the 2025-26 school year!

After the banquet, I went to my final Avion meeting of the semester as News Editor, where we celebrated the semester with a party and staff awards and superlatives. It was such a fun year in Avion this year, and I am so excited to continue my journey in the organization as Managing Editor next year!

My final meeting with my News Team in the Avion. News Team Best Team!!!

Thursday was another busy day. I started my day off by presenting my research project at the Humanities/Communication Research Symposium. My group researched how upperclassmen digitally market themselves to potential employers for our Communication Research Theory and Methods class. It was such an enlightening experience to be able to present our research that we have been working on all semester.

Presenting my research at the Humanities/Communication Research Symposium!

Later on Thursday, I attended the Student Government Association (SGA) End of the Year Banquet. Here, we highlighted the accomplishments of the SGA throughout the last year, and looked forward to what next year will bring. It was a great chance to spend time with my friends and celebrate our hard work throughout the year. We also got some great pictures at The Avion’s brand new photo booth!

The 2024-25 Avion Executive Board celebrating at SGA Banquet!
The Avion’s photobooth at SGA Banquet was so much fun!

With Friday came study day, and I worked an entire day in the Weather Lab tutoring students for their Introductory and Aviation weather courses. I really enjoy my job here, being able to share my weather knowledge with students from all majors to help them succeed in their classes. Starting Friday night, I also assisted with the Late Night Study Sessions in the Student Leadership Suite, handing out donuts with the Avion as a part of the SGA’s broader initiative to feed as many students up late studying during finals. We gave out 10 dozen donuts in 17 minutes, which was crazy!

Finally, my week came to a close on Saturday. After working on our final reports and projects all day, my friends and I decided to take a drive to the park at Ponce Inlet with some Taco Bell for a break from the stress of finals week. This was a nice way to end our super busy week and spend some time with each other before we all disperse for the summer. A couple of my friends are graduating this semester, and I am so sad to see them leave. But I know there will be even more friends to be made and adventures to have when I return to campus in August.

A nice night at Ponce Inlet to cap off my crazy week.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my final week of Sophomore year on campus. Just know that there is much more to come over the summer and next fall! See you all soon!