There is less than a month remaining until the end of my freshman year. Yesterday, I read through my journal entries to reflect on what I have done this year at Embry-Riddle, and I have concluded that I have done quite a lot – both in school and out of school. Every day I learn something new, and every day I am grateful I chose to come here for business.
If you are an applicant or an accepted student that is unsure of where to go, my best advice is: pick the school that fits you best.Embry-Riddle offers degrees in just about every facet of aviation, and if you are interested in aviation, Embry-Riddle is a great choice, especially if you are looking into a career in the business aspect of aviation. If you ever have any specific questions about the university or the College of Business, feel free to email me.
My choice to take six courses is starting to hit my calendar, but summer is just around the corner and I am in the homestretch of things. Registration for fall of 2010 is coming up, and I’m excited to lower my course load down to 5… and to pick more business specific courses.Florida is warming up, and the temperatures have ranged from the 60s to 80s (degrees Fahrenheit). While these past few weeks have been “study-intensive,” I have been able to spend time on the beach with friends. At Embry-Riddle, you are just a ten minute car ride from the beach – what could be better?
The upcoming weeks will be busy, and I will have plenty of work to do. Already, I have a nice collection of projects, but, they are all aviation related, which makes them enjoyable.I’m hoping to go on an airport tour of Tampa International Airport soon, and I will be sure to include pictures in my next journal entry.
Until then,
Jonathan
Have you ever seen those shirts that say “I ? NY”? Well, I’ve always wanted one of those but thought I probably shouldn’t get one till I’d actually been there. I’m now the proud owner of one and can’t wait to make my next trip to New York!
As I mentioned before, I went on a three-day trip to New York with six other students sponsored by the Alumni Association. The purpose of our trip was to attend the Wings Club Luncheon. The Wings Club is a group of aviation leaders that come together once a month to discuss issues in the aviation industry. At the luncheon we met lots of people, including their current president and he asked our opinion on how to get young people involved in aviation. He understands the importance of investing in the younger generation and is seeking advice from all students. Also, the speaker at the luncheon was Mr. Bruce Nobles, the President and CEO of Air Jamaica. The luncheon was wonderful and a memorable event.
The night before the luncheon we had dinner with the New York City Alumni Chapter. Surprisingly, one of my friends who graduated last May has an internship in New York at Dassault Falcon Jet and I got to meet up with him at the dinner. I was so glad to see him again! To meet some alumni and hear about what they are doing now was wonderful. It was also interesting to hear their perspective of the industry and most of them are positive that the economy will begin to improve soon.
We did get to do some sightseeing while we were there, including Times Square, Grand Central Station, Staten Island Ferry, and the Statute of Liberty. I couldn’t believe how busy Times Square was and it looked exactly like it does in the movies! We were supposed to get to climb the Statute of Liberty but we missed the last ferry by fifteen minutes. Next time, that will definitely be at the top of my list! I was glad that I finally got to see her! The streets in New York are so crowded and I felt like if you weren’t paying attention that you would get trampled. One night we went to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre and it was wonderful! I couldn’t believe how much detail went into the costumes and the set design. All in all, it was a whirlwind trip, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
Oh my goodness, here we are at the end of Spring Break! Now it’s time to get back to the books and finish out the semester! Spring Break was wonderful and I love when my sister comes to visit me. She likes being down here in Florida with me so much that she has decided to move down here in May. I can’t wait to be roommates with my sister! Originally, we had wanted to go to the same college my freshman year and live together then, but other events occurred that prevented our plan. While she was here over the break, we went apartment hunting and found one that we both fell in love with. We found out the day before she left that we got the apartment and we were relieved to have found a place. Now comes the fun part, planning how we are going to decorate!
After apartment hunting, we spent the rest of our time relaxing and discovering Daytona. The weather still hasn’t warmed up to the original temperatures, so we only spent one day at the beach and we didn’t dare get in the water. I just barely placed my toe in the surf and it felt like an ice cube was touching my toe! We wanted to go parasailing but we decided to wait until May when it’s warmer. One day after discovering that it was too cold to sunbathe at the beach, we decided to take a drive along the Ormond Beach Scenic Highway. In some spots, the water was so high that it almost came up to the edge of the road. I thought the whole drive had gorgeous scenery and think it would be even prettier when there are flowers in bloom and everything is green.
Do you believe in ghosts? My sister and I were looking for something interesting to do and found the 
The last picture here is zoomed in to get a closer look at the orb. I would recommend the Haunts of Daytona Tour. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, a lot of history of Daytona Beach and people who have lived there was covered in the tour. The tour lasted about two hours and costs $10. The money goes to preserving and taking care of cemeteries.
Traveling has become a regular part of my life at Embry-Riddle. The school’s students travel from all over the world to learn about every facet of aviation. While my travels to home are not as far as others, it’s still a plane ride to get home to the Philadelphia area. This past week, Embry-Riddle went on spring break, and I was able to catch up with friends, travel, and go to a conference on emerging technologies.
Hello Everyone,
After Wednesday, I spent Thursday through Sunday in Daytona Beach. The weather wasn’t exactly beach weather, but it was warm at least. I spent most of my time back here hanging out with friends and going to Orlando at nights. I’m finishing up Instrument training and I’m beginning my Cross Country flights. Private Multi is coming to a finish also as I’m just waiting to be scheduled for a Practice Checkride.
For the Student Alumni Association, I’m working on, with the rest of the executive board, setting up this year’s Etiquette Dinner. It’s a lot of fun, and a lot of work. I’m hoping the final product is a hit. Now that classes are back in session, the time is coming for the second wave of tests. I can’t wait!
For those of you who read my journal regularly: I’ve noticed a spike in the amount of Facebook Friend Requests that I usually get. If you would like to add me as your friend, just make a little note in there that you read my journal. I’d be more than happy to add you. Without saying that, I assume I don’t have any connection to you and then click Ignore.
I ventured down to Orlando with a few friends and we went to Universal Studios for a few days! What a blast! I always wanted to go to Disney World and Universal Studios since I was a kid. My family and I went to Disney when I was about three but I do not remember the experience all that well. It was only two years ago when both my parents and my sister could all have the time off from work and me from college (RIT) to go to Disney. And now, this past week I was finally able to go to Universal Studios. I have always been a big fan of amusement parks as they take you away from all your worries in the world and they make you to feel like a kid again.
I tend to forget that I am 1200 miles away from home, soaking it up in the sun, going to the beach, and I have only an hour’s drive to Universal Studios. It’s a whole new atmosphere down here in Florida and my mind sometimes forgets where I am really at…
When I was not relaxing outside, I spent the rest of my time working on my NASA competition projects and created a few digital space art images. Here is just one picture I designed over the break.
Yesterday, I filled out my wish list (Form 53) for my job in the Air Force when I commission. I had to select the top six jobs that I would prefer and I’m hoping that they will assign me my first choice—cost analysis officer. Two weeks ago, we found out which cadets got pilot, navigator, and air battle manager slots. I was so excited because many of my friends got to see their dreams come true that day! I’m not sure when I find out my job, but I think it’s towards the end of April.
One exciting thing that I got to do this past weekend was travel to Orlando for the Women in Aviation Conference. A College of Business Industry Advisory Board member that works for Air Tran was willing to sponsor two senior students and I was lucky enough to be chosen. I’ve been a member of Women in Aviation for several years, but I had never been to the annual conference. My favorite part of the day was getting to meet and talk to two former WASPs. I feel like after attending, my passion for aviation has been rejuvenated! One piece of advice that I would like to offer future students is join professional organizations because they are a great way to network and stay up to date on what is happening in the industry.
Hello, again! I’m pleased to tell you that the weather hit a turning point today and it climbed into the 70s! I took full advantage of the beautiful day and headed outside to work on homework.
Let’s take a look back on the past two weeks: I worked the Daytona 500 and got sunburned, had my first test of the semester, saw a huge spider at work, and got accepted into the MBA program. My job working at the Daytona 500 was to stand at one of the gates and tear tickets. The weather was freezing and I didn’t even think about needing sunscreen; however, the sun was shining and I spent the day looking directly at it. After two years of getting burnt, I will remember the sunscreen next year. My first test was in my Ethics class and I think it went well, but I won’t know for sure until Tuesday. This week I have my first test in Airline Management and I’m thinking it shouldn’t be that bad. The spider at work freaked me out because I hate spiders; thank goodness he’s no longer a problem! I was excited to see the big envelope in my mailbox and when I opened it there was the acceptance letter, so now it’s official that I’m going to do my MBA. Yippee!
The other day while I was working, I met an Embry-Riddle freshman who was just checking out the airport and he asked me what there was to do in the Daytona area. I figured if a new student wants to know what there is to do, then a prospective student probably does too. With that said, I’ve created a list of things to do in and around Daytona whether you are visiting the area or coming to school: