Category Archives: 2008 – 2009

April 8th

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Hey guys!
Not too much new going on around here. I am sick right now, trying to get better… it’s a bad time to be sick with finals coming up and everything. Let’s see, last week I was elected treasurer of the Flight Team and I am very happy about it. I am in the process of trying to find an apartment with my roommates for next year (my current roommate, Katie and Lauren, a suitemate). Living in the dorms was definitely great for my first year, but I am ready to move off campus. I can’t wait to have a stove, haha.

We are finally getting our new plane (I think) for the flight team, it is a Tecnam!!! http://www.tecnamaircraft.com/P92_Echo_Super.htm

That is the website. You can check it out at, it’s a P92 Echo Super. That’s exciting. That’s all I have right now, sorry it’s so short I really need sleep, and to get better for finals. Send me some e-mails or messages on facebook if you have any questions! Enjoy spring!
-Elizabeth

April 6, 2009

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Hello everyone! Wow, what a crazy past few weeks. I have never been busier! The CRJ simulator course is so much fun but so much work! Last week we started going to class everyday at 7 a.m. We are now learning everything there is to know about actually flying a jet aircraft. It is so much fun putting everything you have learned into one class. The amazing thing is that I remember a lot from all of my previous aeronautics classes. My previous teachers really did a great job teaching the information. I have one and a half more weeks of the CRJ ground lab, and then I begin my simulator sessions. I will keep you updated.

The next few weeks are going to be extremely intense! I have two papers and three tests next week alone. I’m definitely going to be a busy bee, but it will all be worth it in the end. I can’t wait to graduate in less than a month! I am so extremely excited. I am going home this summer to see the family and hopefully find a flight instructing job back in Texas. Then I am going to apply as a full-time instructor here at Embry-Riddle for the fall semester. I hope I get accepted! My goal is to teach here for the next 3 years and get my Master’s in business. Even though I have always wanted to be a pilot, I want a good backup plan. Just in case I can’t fly because of a medical issue; I want to be able to go somewhere else with my career.

Finally, remember the internship I interviewed for at Southwest? Well I got up early a few Wednesday’s back and flew to Dallas, TX for an interview with their safety team. I entered their amazing building, got fingerprinted, and toured the facility. It was so neat to see just how friendly everyone was at Southwest. After the tour, I was called in for my interview. There were four people interviewing me and it was extremely relaxed. The interview lasted about 40 minutes long and they pretty much just asked me about my self. What were my favorite classes, interests, and job experience. Finally, they asked me a few basic technical questions about safety. It was an extremely worthwhile experience. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the internship because I was pursuing an Aeronautical Science degree and they were looking for someone with a safety major. Despite that fact, I still walked away from the interview with experience and knowledge. It is always important to apply and interview for as many opportunities as possible. Even if you don’t get the job, the experience is priceless.

Well, I hope everyone continues to have a wonderful semester. I’m off to bed. I have a long week ahead of me.

April 05, 2009

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Happy late April Fool’s Day! The weather has been really nice lately with the temperature in the high 80s for a couple of days. The warm weather makes me feel happier and ready for summer! In fact, we only have about three weeks left of classes, which is exciting. These past two weeks have been pretty busy and the next few are looking even busier, but I’m looking forward to it all!

On Wednesday, April 1st, we had our QFR (Qualifying Fitness Review) for ROTC. This is the fitness test that matters because the results precede you to Field Training and you are ranked against the other cadets in your flight by these scores. I was thrilled with my run time of 12:30 and overall very happy with my final score. I believe that I gave the run everything I had, but I hope to eventually have it down in the 11:20 range. We still haven’t received our dates for Field Training but the rumor is we will find out on Monday. I want to know when I am going so badly because I want to plan out what I’m doing this summer. On another note, we did receive our packing list so we can go ahead and start buying the items we need! In my next entry, I’ll let you know when I’m going and how the packing list is coming!

Relay for Life was held this past weekend on Friday thru Saturday. I learned how much work goes into the event from being a part of the committee. The whole event was a success even though it did downpour for about a half an hour. Also, I slept in a tent for the first time in my life and found it to be pretty comfortable surprisingly. Hopefully, next year will be bigger and better!

Registration for fall classes was on Wednesday and I found out that next Spring I will be done with my undergraduate degree and able to start work on my MBA. I was pretty excited when I found that out, but first I have to meet with the Colonel to make sure everything works out with the Air Force and their stipulations. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best! My course load for next year is going to be pretty heavy with 18 credits and on Tuesday and Thursday I will be in class from 9:45 till 3:30. I think I’ll enjoy my classes quite a bit and am looking forward to being busy.

On Friday, I had to give a group presentation in my Air Force class and I enjoyed getting up and talking to people about Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the Air Force, I want to be in charge of budgets and deciding where the money should be allocated so I know I’ll be giving lots of presentations later on in my career. Therefore, I’ll take advantage of all the public speaking opportunities I can get now! Many of my classes are winding down and the gearing up for finals is about to begin. I will not procrastinate on studying this semester. (I’m keeping the fingers crossed on this one too!)

Next year, I am going to be living off-campus but still in campus housing-the Chanute Complex. I was able to get a studio apartment which means I won’t be having a roommate. After having roommates for two years, I was ready to see what living on my own would be like. One part that I’m looking forward to is getting to decorate the place to look more like my home. Also, I’m going to be getting a tv so I can watch all my favorite shows but I don’t know if I’ll have the time next semester. Oh well!

In four days, I’m heading to Phoenix with Silver Wings in order to attend NATCON-the National Conclave for Silver Wings and Arnold Air. Basically, it’s a three day conference where Silver Wings and Arnold Air talk about business and decide on plans for the next year. It’s my first year going and I’m looking forward to getting dressed up because every day you have to wear suits and one night you have to wear a formal dress. Plus, the ERAU Silver Wings chapter is running for National Staff and I’m a part of that because I’m running for National Treasurer. I hope we win and I’ll let you know how it goes!

Some miscellaneous stuff that has happened recently includes having a panel interview for a scholarship (we still haven’t heard the results) and winning the 2009 Diversity Paper Competition hosted by the College of Business. I was pretty surprised that I won the competition and it just proved to me that you should always enter a contest because you never know what might happen. Also, I went to Busch Gardens with a friend of mine to celebrate my birthday and I had so much fun. I love roller coasters!!

I’m looking forward to the end of school but I plan on enjoying these last few weeks because a part of me is always a little sad to see the year end. If you are having a hard time making a decision about colleges, send me your questions and I’ll be happy to answer them!

Until next time,
Kaleigh

April 5

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It’s finally spring, and I couldn’t be any more excited. There is so much going on around campus that I can’t even keep up. I will certainly do my best to tell you about everything! First of all, Task Force One (TFO) is finishing up our duties and trying to get set up for the new students next fall. On March 27, we took part in Embry-Riddle’s Relay for Life. We set up camp on the ERAU track and stayed up walking all night. Even when it began pouring down rain we didn’t quit, and the rain made it even more fun. The ceremony was very meaningful, and the activities all night were tons of fun. ERAU raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research, and the event was a huge success.

Delta Upsilon is keeping me very busy as well. We have colony meetings every Monday where we have been getting a lot of things done to establish DU at Embry-Riddle. As an officer, I also have meetings on Sunday to get ready for the next meeting and upcoming week. Recently, Delta Upsilon took part in Collegiate Kindness Day, where we painted and worked all day. Although it was an early weekend morning, we had a good time and got a lot done to help the ArtHaus improve their facilities. We are also planning on participating in more activities this semester including Oozeball (mud volleyball), which I am very excited for. This past weekend, Touch-N-Go Productions put on their big spring concert. This year they brought the band Sugarcult to ERAU, and they were very good! You may know Sugarcult from their songs Memory or Bouncing off the Walls. They were pretty good live, and the lead singer was a really funny guy. TNG also brought two opening bands, Luna Halo and The Sleeping. Both did a good job, however Luna Halo was more my type of genre. The crowd got a little crazy and crowd surfing was common, but it was a fun experience!

I thought I might give you updates on classes as we are getting to the final stretch of the semester. MA112- We took our final midterm last week and I feel like I did very well. Collins knows how to teach Math and still have fun – a skill more Math professors need to attain. He knows his stuff and knows how to teach it to the students. This is definitely the best Math course I have taken in my life.

BA201- We are about to present our semester-long project this week in Business. We have been working hard to perfect our product and set up our mock companies. My company’s name is MoKurity, and we specialize in home security. The ten of us in the group have a lot of fun and have become good friends over the semester. This past Friday we painted the spirit rock in MoKurity colors and had a great time goofing off together.

PS142- Environmental Science is a great class. Professor Cabiac is passionate about science and has some great stories to tell. Some of his many stories over the semester have included chasing a squirrel into asbestos and a person smoking 12 packs of cigarettes and 5 cigars every day. He also has some great ideas about shipping nuclear waste into space, but feels the aliens might not appreciate it. However, he feels it’s “a risk we might have to take.” But all jokes aside, the class is never boring and I have certainly learned a lot about environmental science and the Northern Spotted Owl.

COM221- This class is A LOT of work. I have not had a class yet in college that requires this much writing, organizing, and researching. However, I am learning a lot and can sure produce a great technical document.

WX201- I am still doing well in this class and it is becoming much more interesting as we talk about predicting the weather and things such as tornados, hurricanes, and storm systems. I have learned a lot, and feel like I could give a decent forecast by looking at a few weather maps.

As this semester winds down I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything done. However, being very involved and busy is great, and I love every minute of being in Florida. If you are coming down for Spring Preview day, you might find me hanging around the Oozeball courts or by the TFO information booth. If you see me, feel free to say hello. As always, if you have any questions send me an email and I will do my best to help you with anything!

Until Next Time,
Mack

March 23rd

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So spring break is over (it wasn’t long enough if you ask me) and there is a little over a month of class left, AH! My break wasn’t very exciting. I stuck around here in Daytona to work and study. I hung with friends most of the time, I did go see the shuttle launch though. It was the best I have seen so far! I did some flying and tried to cook some stuff. Chili being one of the things, it’s not that easy, it did taste really good though!

Currently I am working on my schedule for the fall, I have to register for my flight block Wednesday and next week we register for classes. That snuck up on me quick! I also have a web project to do for weather where I design my own weather web page type deal and a test on Friday. AH!!! As soon as the semester is over, nationals for flight team will be held. I don’t quite know if I am going yet, but they are held the whole month of May, then it’s back here to finish my private and take summer classes. There really hasn’t been much going on lately so I don’t have much to talk about.

I added some pictures of the space shuttle but there are a TON more on my facebook. Check them out!!! Hope you guys are enjoying the spring!!!
-Elizabeth

March 23, 2009

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Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break!

Whew! What a long two weeks. My simulator class, FA 420, started two weeks ago. It is amazing, but a lot of work. I am learning everything there is to know about the CRJ-200 aircraft; how it works, why it works, and how to fly it. I love learning the technical side of a jet aircraft; however, it definitely takes up a lot of your time. I had my first test last Monday and I got 91! It was the highest grade in the class; however I studied 12 hours for it. My second test was this morning and I got a 95 after studying for 15 hours. Let’s just say, the last two weeks I have been nose deep in an aircraft manual. But, even though it sounds painful, it actually isn’t. When you enjoy learning something, it goes by extremely fast. I would much rather study an aircraft systems book than a history book. I find it much more fascinating. Over the next few weeks, I will be getting into the good stuff, especially learning just how to fly this incredible aircraft. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

Now on the topic of spring break. That is where the location of Embry-Riddle is extremely awesome! Why leave when spring break comes to you? I just chilled at the beach most of the week and then got caught up on all of my homework. It was a well needed break.

Other than that, I have just been flying across Florida with my students, getting ready to graduate, and enjoying my last 5 weeks as a student. I hope everyone has a great week! I’m off to class.

March 22

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Spring Break is over, and I can feel the push toward the end of my second semester. With only 5 weeks of school remaining, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just as I had hoped, my grade came back from the latest MA112 exam, and it was a 97%! Although I have felt comfortable with my first two exams, the new material is much more difficult. I am trying hard and hope to score high enough on my last exam to keep my A in the class. In COM221, we have been assigned our final due dates for our papers, as well as two large group projects. Much of the success for this class comes with good time management. If you fall behind in Technical Report Writing, you are going to be in trouble. The assignments are not impossible, but there are a lot of them and you can’t procrastinate.

On Wednesday March 11, Alpha Xi Delta (one of the sororities at ERAU) held their annual Xi-Man competition. The whole point of the event is to raise money for their philanthropy, and the competition proved very successful once again. Each fraternity on campus can nominate one of their brothers to compete in the pageant-like event, and the winner is crowned the sweetheart of Alpha Xi Delta. The Delta Upsilon representative was one of my very good friends Mike. He had to take part in a swimsuit competition, Q & A session, boy-band performance (note the picture of the 4 DU’s in ponchos), and many other things. It was HILARIOUS to watch the guys get on stage and thoroughly embarrass themselves. Mike did an AMAZING job, and he placed fourth overall. Xi Man is a must-see event for anyone at Embry-Riddle, and I am already looking forward to the competition in 2010!

Just as everyone else, I was very excited for Spring Break to arrive. Nearly all of my friends left for the week, and I followed suit. My mother, sister, sister’s fiancé, and my best friend flew down to Florida and we spent a week on the beach near Tampa/St. Petersburg. The weather was absolutely perfect all week, and my skin picked up a nice tan. The first half of the week was very relaxing as we sat on the beach, ate good meals, and enjoyed each other’s company. However on Thursday, things got a little crazy. While we were all sitting in the living room, my best friend collapsed and had a seizure. I had never experienced anything like that before, and to say the least, I was horrified. The next few days were spent at the hospital, where my friend was unfortunately diagnosed with a form of epilepsy. The event was easily one of the worst things I have had to watch, and I feel so bad for her. Although I love spending time with her, I was relieved to send her back to her very concerned family in Missouri.

These next few weeks will be a busy time for the organizations I am involved with. Task Force One will be finalizing plans for the incentive and participating in the Relay for Life. Also, we will be setting up a booth for the spring sneak preview day to begin handing TFO over to the incoming students (so if you’re planning to be here – look for me). Delta Upsilon continues to be very time-consuming as well, as we work toward becoming an official chapter. We are working on recruiting new members, as well as shaping our colony of DU into what we want it to be. It is very rewarding to be involved on campus, and I continue to enjoy doing all that I do.

The time is coming to officially decide on a college, and I hope each and every one of you considers ERAU. The people, the campus, and the education are great, and I don’t think you would be disappointed with your decision. Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck with your March Madness Brackets!

Until Next Time,
Mack

March 22, 2009

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Hey guys. I’m back from Spring Break! I had so much fun back home with friends and family in New York, I spent half the week relaxing with family and the other half out with friends. I did a program at my old high school for kids interested in aviation and I talked to them not only about Embry-Riddle but about the field of aviation and the jobs and careers that are associated with the field. It went really well, I got a few people that were interested in not only aviation, but Embry-Riddle! I also did a program on college prep, mainly focusing on the transition from high school to college. The day before I left New York, I went to a track meet and watched my old team compete. They got so much better since the last time I saw them run. I am so proud of them. I am happy to be back at school to complete the last month left in the Spring 09 semester.

Classes are great. Before the break, I took a test in Instrument Pilot Operations and got an 83%. It’s not exactly the score I wanted but I did my best and it is a really good grade. All my other classes are going well; I think my grades this semester will be better this semester than last!

In two weeks, I may be going to Jamaica for my cousin’s wedding. I am so excited and really hope I get the chance to attend. The main issue right now is booking a ticket, I will be traveling American Airlines but they do not offer flights that would get me there in time to attend the wedding. I am currently looking into other airlines and seeing if I can get a flight that suits my travel better.

Right now, of the many organizations on campus that I am a part of, I am focusing a lot on ERRSA and First Gen. I know each time I make a post it’s always a different combination. But when you get involved with a lot on campus, at times you have to pick and choose what you can do over a given period of time to fit your schedule. I am running for an Executive position in First Generation for next school year. I am planning on running for Secretary, it’s the only Exec position that I have ever run for and held and I really like the position. My plan B is to run for the Public Relations position, I think I am qualified for both positions and would do a very good job. In ERRSA, we are currently working on our bid to host SAACURH [South Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls]. If our bid wins, we will host the conference in the fall of the 2010. I am working on four of the ten bid sections, but very active on the Sponsorship section. I am currently working on writing up those bids and presenting them to our NCC [National Communications Coordinator] for approval. We also have our April outing and Spring Banquet coming up. Over the summer, we will be attending the NACURH [National Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls] conference hosted this year in Arizona. The conference should take place from May 22nd until the 24th.

Friday is Relay for Life. For those of you that do not know, it is an event done by the American Cancer Society in an effort to raise money for research and cure of cancer. The event is an all night event from 4 p.m. Friday night until 5 a.m. Saturday morning. There are going to be a lot of events going on that night to keep people occupied and also to fundraise. Also, Sunday is Adopt-A-Road which is a project put on by our SGA and what we do is we go to a specific road that the school has adopted and we clean it up! However long we stay out there counts as community service and we also have the opportunity of winning prizes. This week is Student Employment Week!! It’s just a week when Student Employment honors the student employees on campus. We get free food and prizes all week long! It’s also room selection week. This is when we get to choose who our roommates and actual rooms will be next semester.

I know it’s about that time when you guys not only have to select schools, but do financial aid. I know from experience that the FAFSA isn’t the most fun form to fill out, and that picking a school that is right for you is really tough. If you guys have ANY questions at all on any topic from housing to weekend life or even scholarships, send me an email. Those of you guys that have sent me emails, I enjoy reading them and I hope my responses have helped you. A lot of you guys have been asking a lot about financial aid and scholarships, remember to contact your admissions counselor or financial aid counselor if you have questions about aid.

Stay safe!
Andre’

March 22nd

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Well spring break is over, and it seemed that I had just left Daytona when I found myself driving back. Although the break was needed, I was ready to get back in the swing of things back here at Riddle. I left last Friday and drove six hours home to Fort Walton Beach, where I spent the entire break. I think I ended up going to the beach almost every day, and hanging out with my buddies from high school every night. I also was able to spend some valuable time with my family, who I miss more than I thought I would, which was nice.

Before I left for break, all of my professors thought it would be a good idea to flood their students with the second round of tests. Needless to say, I spent the week before break with my nose stuck in my books. I performed about the same as I did on the first round of tests earlier in the semester, so my grades are still pretty high at this point. The space shuttle was also supposed to launch before break, but as usual they found something working improperly during its inspection so it did not go up. But upon arriving back in Daytona, I heard that it went up during the break. Hearing this sort of bummed me out, because I have still not been able to see one launch since I moved here! Oh well, hopefully I can catch it the next time.

Things back in Daytona are just as I left them. I registered for my classes for the summer A term; I am taking AT302 and AT305, which are the second and third courses in the air traffic control series. For the summer B term, I am still hoping to do an internship with the FAA in an ATC facility. Pike is still keeping me very busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I enjoy being with these guys and having the support of my pledge brothers is something that means quite a lot to me. My job at the admissions office is still awesome, and I just became certified to give campus tours on my own. So when all you journal readers out there decide to come down and visit the campus, you’ll probably meet me in the admissions visitor center. And if you’re lucky, you might get me as your tour guide. Ha-ha, just kidding.

Anyhow, shoot me an email and let me know if you have any questions. And let me know when you all get your acceptance letters!

Josh

March 22, 2009

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Spring Break was wonderful and now I feel refreshed and ready to finish out the semester with a bang. In fact, I felt so revived that I stopped procrastinating on my Business Law paper and actually started it. The amazing thing is I finished it too, so now I have that out of the way! As you know already, my sister came to visit me for Spring Break and we had a good time. She even got to go to some of my classes with me and I’ll let her tell you about her experience…

Hello! I am Kaleigh’s sister, Katelyn, and I visited during her spring break. Kaleigh told me that the ERAU campus was small, but I was still surprised at how small it actually is. I think that there are many benefits to a campus of that size. For one, you are close to all of the buildings and would be able to get to class on time very easily. I went to two of my sister’s classes with her. International Business was interesting and the class size was small. The teacher knew everyone by name and most everyone participated in the class discussion. Since it was Friday, Kaleigh was dressed in her Air Force uniform and I got to watch her being inspected. She had to stand at attention while other cadets looked over her uniform and her shoes. She passed inspection. I am glad I was able to sit in on her Air Force class. Five cadets gave a briefing on planes and the history of the Gulf War. It was a really professional type of class and atmosphere.

Of course, we also went to the beach while I was in Daytona. It was really pretty, but there were a lot of seagulls. We went to Daytona Lagoon and raced go-carts, played miniature golf, and laser tag. I got to sample chocolate at Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory on Beach Street. One of Kaleigh’s friends took us out on his boat on the Intercoastal Waterway. We walked on the boardwalk and went shopping, I discovered a store I really like called Maui Nix. My sister and I love ice cream and we visited Ritter’s Custard and the Dairy Bar. The flea market was huge and had about everything a person could even think about buying.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Daytona Beach Campus. I told my sister I would love going to a school where it was warm and palm trees surrounded me. She does not realize how lucky she is! Everyone I met on campus was really friendly too. I am so glad I was finally able to go and visit my sister!

I really enjoyed having my sister come and visit me! I’m looking forward to the end of the semester when she is going to come back because there are several things we didn’t get to do. Next time, she is going to go to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and we are going to play miniature golf at a place called Pirate’s Cove. She really liked the campus and the fact that there are palm trees everywhere!

I was telling you in my last journal entry how the week before Spring Break was Operation Bottoms Up (OBU) Week. Well, my job as Operations Support Squadron Commander kept me pretty busy and I enjoyed the learning experience. My primary job was to execute Lead Lab on Wednesday morning and I was so happy that it went well and everything went according to schedule. Now, I just have a couple weeks left of Field Training Preparation. One big event that is coming up is the QFR (Qualifying Fitness Review) it’s basically another PT test, but the scores follow you to Field Training. I went running everyday over Spring Break with my sister and I plan on continuing that, so hopefully my run time will be really good.

I hope everyone is looking forward to the rest of the school year and summer! I know I sure am. If you have any questions, send me an e-mail. Be sure to take a look at the pictures I posted!

Until next time,
Kaleigh