Author Archives: Dominic

About Dominic

Junior

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!

Farewell, Spring Semester!

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Hey everyone! Finals and graduation have come and gone, and with that, it is the end of the Spring 2026 semester. This is a very big milestone for me because it is my last spring semester ever, and means that I am just one step closer to graduation in the fall!

Like every semester, it was a busy end. Final exams, our last broadcast show, constant studying, banquets, beach days, and school trips. I always enjoy the end of the semester, and all it brings. At the end of fall semester, I always have the holidays to look forward to, and at the end of spring, there is always a fun filled summer. This summer, I will be interning at FOX Weather in New York City, and I couldn’t be more excited!

It’s crazy to me that this time next year, I will be a whole five months past my college graduation. Time really does fly, and it feels like I just got to Riddle. In fact, it has already been a year of me sharing my stories here on My Life @ Riddle, with my first post last April being about the final hectic weeks of the semester. While my time blogging has flown by, and I have enjoyed writing every entry for you all, whether it was just sharing my day in the life or some helpful tips for students. I hope it gave you all a great way to explore Riddle more, whether you are a new or current student.

I hope everyone has an amazing summer!!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Dominic ☀️

National Hurricane Center Trip!

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Hey everyone. Finals week is almost done, but that doesn’t mean all campus activities are over. Last week, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) chapter on campus took a trip to the National Hurricane Center, located on Florida International Universities’ (FIU) campus in Miami. This trip had been months in the making, as myself and the rest of the AMS officers have been coordinating the itinerary since November.

AMS in front of the NHC sign!

We left campus just before 8 am for the long bus ride to Miami, and made it to the center by 12:30 pm. It was such a fun bus ride getting to bond with everyone, even through the Florida downpours.

Inside the NHC!

It was so surreal to be at the National Hurricane Center. All the walls of the building, both inside and outside, are made of reinforced concrete to protect it in the event of a hurricane. As someone who got into meteorology and charted my career path by tracking hurricanes, it was super cool to be in the place where they forecast them in real time. We got to meet the different teams, including the forecasting, storm surge, ocean, modeling, hurricane hunter, and emergency management. They all have different jobs, but it was super cool to see how they all contributed to one goal: keeping the public safe and informed during hurricanes.

The tracking chart for hurricanes inside the NHC!

After the tour, we got to explore FIU’s campus, and we got a late lunch at the Chili’s in their student center. It was so cool getting to walk around their campus, before getting back on the bus to Daytona. Thankfully, traffic wasn’t too bad by Miami standards, and we made it back to campus later that night.

Group picture outside NHC!

This was a super fun and informative trip for all students involved, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to help organize and attend. It was definitely a great trip to end the year off.

Thanks for stopping by,
Dominic ☀️

A Visit to the Space Center

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Hey everyone! I hope you all are off to a great April so far! My mom and younger brother were in town recently, and I had the opportunity to visit the Kennedy Space Center for the first time. Despite going to Riddle for almost three years and going to the cape as credentialed media for rocket launches, I never took a day to visit the space center and visitor complex until now.

September 2024 when I got to interview the Crew 9 astronauts at the Space Force Base!

We started off our day with the bus tour through the different launch sites on the Cape. This was so cool to be able to see the roads where they transport the rockets from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the different launch pads. The day before we visited, they had moved the Artemis II rocket from the VAB to its launch pad in an operation that took over 12 hours. We didn’t know this going into our day trip, so this was a super fun surprise. We could see the rocket waiting on its launchpad off in the distance for the Artemis II launch that happened a few weeks later.

The Artemis II rocket off in the distance!

Another cool thing that you are able to see are different museums for the space missions. My favorite museum was the one that had the Space Shuttle Atlantis in it. Getting to see the shuttle up close was super cool, and the exhibits inside the museum were also super informative.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis on display for visitors in one of the museums!

And of course we could not leave the Space Center without getting our Astronaut Ice Cream! These freeze dried ice cream sandwiches were so good, and a great way to end my first time visiting the Space Center! Embry-Riddle students can get discounted tickets through the ICI center, just like they do for theme park tickets. And since it is only an hour drive away, it is super easy for Embry-Riddle students to get to.

A view of the Vehicle Assemble Building (VAB) from the bus tour!

Have you ever been to the Kennedy Space Center, or to the cape for a rocket launch? Let me know in the comments down below!

Thanks for stopping by,
Dominic ☀️

Spring Break in Idaho

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Hey everyone, welcome back for another blog! With Blue and Gold week upon us, I have returned from my trip to the mountains of Idaho. I went to go visit my friend who lives out there, and it was super cool because I had not been off the east coast up until this.

Beautiful Mountain Home sunset on my first night!

After some brief flight changes, I eventually made my way to Boise through Denver. The second I stepped off the plane, I was immediately in awe of the mountains and scenery of southern Idaho, especially coming from Daytona. We stopped in a town called Mountain Home after leaving the airport, and I was able to see my first mountain sunset.

Exploring Twin Falls!

On our first day, my friend and I braved the strong wind and explored downtown Boise, just in time for St. Patricks Day! Boise was such a nice city in between the mountains, with great restaurants and nice small businesses. On our second dat, we explored Twin Falls, Shoshone Falls, and the mountains in Sun Valley. On this day of the trip, I really got to take in Idaho’s natural beauty in different parts of the state.

My friend and I visiting the school where they filmed the High School Musical movies!

On my third day of the trip, we drove over three hours to Salt Lake City in Utah. Here, we got to explore their downtown, and even explore the school where they filmed the High School Musical movies at. This was a fun side quest day, where we were able to see even more of the mountain west. Finally, on my last day in Idaho, we explored the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Formed from lava turned to stone, this region of Idaho now looks like the surface of the moon. It was such a beautiful place to hike around for a final day in Idaho.

Craters of the Moon!

The next day brought a drive back to Salt Lake City to go catch my flight back to Daytona. I honestly had so much fun exploring Idaho, and it was even better getting to see my friend who moved out there! Now, I’m back on campus and ready for the fun Blue and Gold week will bring!

Thanks for stopping by,
Dominic ☀️

Spring Break is Here!

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Hey everyone! If you are reading this, that means SPRING BREAK IS HERE!!! It’s always nice to be able to have a break from class, relax, and get the opportunity to take a trip or visit home. My past few spring breaks I have gone back home to New Jersey, but this year I am going to Idaho to visit my best friend who recently moved out there!

In preparation for this year’s break, my Advanced Broadcast Meteorology class did a live show this morning, where we each forecasted the weather for our spring break destinations. Some of the destinations that were presented in our show today included the Bahamas, Nashville, Arizona, and even Shanghai. We also had two anchors to help bring that spring break excitement to the show and guide the viewers through all the different locations!

Our class does these shows every month in our class, each with a different focus based on what time of year it is. These shows are great opportunities for everyone in the class to get live experience presenting the weather in front of the green screen. This is just one of the many uses of the weather broadcast studio, which anyone student can reserve time for to work on projects.

Well, I hope everyone has a great spring break! I will be sure to let you know how my trip goes.

Thanks for stopping by,
Dominic ☀️

How I Chose My Minor and Degree Track

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Hey everyone! I’m back for another week blogging. If you’ve followed along for a while, you might know that I am a Communication major, with a track in Broadcast Meteorology and a minor in Emergency Management. It’s honestly a mouthful whenever someone asks me what I’m studying at school, but a lot of thought and planning went into planning everything out. Here is how I chose my minor and degree track:

I originally came into Embry-Riddle as a Meteorology major, but switched to Communication when I learned about the unique program that is offered at Riddle. Communication students are required to have a minor, but in place of this they can choose a track in Broadcast Meteorology, taking all the broadcast and weather electives with the communication classes still required by the degree. This degree seemed perfect to me, and the track was a no brainer for me to take.

The decision to add my Emergency Management minor was a little different. I added that minor during my sophomore year after meeting with my advisor. I had realized that I had 2 open elective spots opened to fill in my degree plan, and based on the weather and communication courses I had or was planning on taking, the 2 additional required courses for the minor would fit perfectly. It also will help post graduation when I am in my career. Once I declared the minor, I was all set to go.

Depending on what it is, a minor can help complement your degree. If you have a minor in mind you want to add, I recommend talking with your academic advisor to see if it is feasible in your degree plan. I hope this guide was helpful if you’re considering adding a minor to your degree!

Thanks for stopping by,
Dominic ☀️

Day in the Life: Spring Edition

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Hey everyone! Since everyone has finally settled into their routines for the semester, I figured I would bring you all on another day in my life, on one of the busier days of the semester. If you were an avid reader last semester, you may remember my 4 classes, tutoring, and many meetings on my last day in the life. This semester isn’t quite as busy, but I will let you all be the judge of that:

9:00 AM – I start my Tuesdays and Thursdays a little later this semester. However, on this particular day, I arrived to school early to get ready for our live show in my Advanced Broadcast Meteorology class.

9:45 AM – This is when I have my Advanced Broadcast Meteorology class, and on this day we did a live show about the Daytona 500, Valentine’s Day, the Olympics, and more! Everyone in my class got the opportunity to do a presentation in front of the green screen, and my friend Bella and I were the anchors. This is one of my favorite classes, and I would say that our show was a success

11:15 AM – Next, I had my Public Relations class, where we had a mini Valentine’s Day party and completed a project where we were randomly given an item and had to map out a commercial for it.

12:30 PM – For the next hour and a half, I had my lunch break. On this particular day, I got Starbucks for lunch. I love their Egg, Pesto, and Mozzarella Sandwich, and I paired that with a Hot Chocolate.

2:15 PM – I have my third and final class at this time, Studies in Music. This is an upper level humanities course where we have been discussing different genres of music and their characteristics. On this particular day, we were learning about the origins of Blues music, and also heard some class presentations on different instruments.

3:30 PM – At this time, I head to the Weather Lab for my afternoon closing shift. While a relatively short and quiet shift, it is always a nice way to finish off my day with a great view of the clouds.

5:00 PM – On this day, I recorded a video about the upcoming forecast for the Daytona 500 for the Embry-Riddle Weather Facebook page. I was able to use the computer in the Weather Lab to make my own graphics, and then record myself presenting the forecast from our computer corner. Recording in the broadcast studio is always so much fun, and I definitely plan on making more videos throughout the semester.

6:45 PM – Finally, my day on campus came to an end. While it was longer than my average Thursday, it was still a super fun and fulfilling day. After this, I got dinner off campus and did a Target run with one of my best friends while trying to avoid the race weekend traffic.

I hope this gave you another glimpse into a super busy day on campus for me. What’s your typical day in the life on campus like?

A Day at Magic Kingdom!

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Happy February everyone! It’s certainly been an unusually cold few weeks in Daytona. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for the warmth to return like we had just a few weeks ago. On our super warm Sunday, I had the chance to go to the Magic Kingdom for a day trip! Now, sit back and come along as I tell you about my magical day:

Main Street U.S.A. at sunset!

My day started bright and early at 7 AM, as I left Daytona Beach in the dense early morning fog to beat the I-4 traffic. I was able to get parked and onto one of the Ferry Boats right as the park opened at 9 AM, and meet my family from New Jersey that was visiting for the week.

Family day at Disney!

In our day at the park, we were able to ride most of the rides, including the tea cups, It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo, and more! It was my nephew’s first time at Disney World, so we also took him to meet Mickey Mouse and the Winnie the Pooh characters at lunch, and watched the afternoon parade!

Obligatory Mickey ice cream sandwich!

Overall, it was a magical January day with perfect weather! The proximity to the theme parks is one of the perks of Embry-Riddle. I find myself at the parks or Disney Springs at least a few times a semester, even if it’s just for an afternoon to evening. Students and faculty can get discounted theme park tickets for Disney, Universal, Sea World, and more at the ICI Center! Have you been to the parks at all?

First Week of the New Semester

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Welcome to the Spring semester everyone! We’re back in the Florida warmth (kind of) and ready to take on a new semester as we go throughout our Riddle experience. This spring semester is especially significant for me because it is my first semester as a senior, and will be my last spring semester before I graduate in December (which is crazy to think that it’s already this year). But for now, here’s some of the highlights of the past week I spent settling back into the routine of the semester.

FDOC: The First Day of Class was on Wednesday but I really only had one class, Mass Media Law and Ethics. Still, it was nice getting to see all my friends, go back to work in the Weather Lab, and start planning out our first issue of The Avion for the semester. My other classes this semester include Advanced Broadcast Meteorology, Satellite and Radar Interpretation, Studies in Music, and Public Relations. I am really excited for all of my classes this semester, and I think it is a great group of classes where some will help build on each other.

First Day of Class Spring 2026!

Let’s Go to the Beach: The first Saturday of the semester brought temperatures that were in the low 80s, and I took the opportunity to go to the beach. After a winter break full of snow, it was great to finally be able to get in the sun for a bit and relax after a crazy first week of class. I drove up to Flagler Beach, my favorite beach in all of Central Florida. I also got breakfast and an amazing donut at a local coffee shop called Swillerbees. Overall, the day felt like a perfect Florida Saturday, and made me even more excited for the warm weather in the coming months.

Beach day in Flagler!

Disney Day: On the first Sunday of the semester, I went to Disney to go visit my friend who is participating in the college program. Despite the rainy and overcast day, we still made the most of our time at Disney. We got lunch in Disney Springs, did some shopping, and then Monorail hopped between the different resorts! It was such a fun day to end the first weekend of the semester.

Disney day with my friend!

I hope your semester is off to a great start! Keep following along to see how all our blogger’s semesters are going over the next few months! 🙂

Winter Break in New Jersey

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Happy New Year everyone! I can’t believe that it’s already 2026, and the start of the spring semester. I hope everyone had a restful and amazing break, whether you were back home or still in Daytona!

For winter break this year, I drove back to New Jersey, and was promptly greeted by freezing temperatures and multiple snow and ice storms during my three weeks at home. I definitely did not have shoveling snow on my winter break wish list, but it did provide some pretty views.

The snow also helped me get into the holiday spirit as I saw my friends and family.

After a crazy fall semester, it was nice to have a few weeks to relax

A couple days ago