Good day, all!
As the midterm comes and goes, I’ve realized how quickly time is passing. Although I arrived on campus almost 10 weeks ago, I feel like the semester just started. It seems unreal that in a few days I will be registering for my spring classes.
As you may have heard, Embry-Riddle recently hosted the Wings and Waves airshow on the beach. I’d been to air shows before, but there was something extra special about sitting on the sand and watching the planes skim the water close to shore. As a member of the Avion, I got the privilege of interviewing two very prominent aviators, Maj. J.R. Williams, Thunderbirds pilot #5 and Cheryl Stearns, champion skydiver and parachute, both ERAU graduates. They were both really interesting to talk to, especially Cheryl Stearns, because she has broken records and gender barriers in aviation.
This is me interviewing Major Williams.
Thunderbirds planes up close.
The Snow Birds at Wings and Waves.
In addition to the exciting things I’ve done on campus lately, I also got to take my first trip to Universal Studios with the other ERRSA members for Halloween Horror nights. I am not a fan of scary movies or haunted houses or ANYTHING scary, but I still had a ton of fun. I got to ride all of the themed coasters from movies that I grew up loving like The Mummy and MIB, and it was a neat experience to see it all come to life. I hope to go again sometime so I can visit the other parks!
Now that midterms are over, I got to relax and go home over the weekend for fall break. It was nice to see my family and friends again after two months of school. However, the best part was the food. Now, the food here at ERAU is pretty good, but it is nothing compared to my family’s home cooking. Also, since I love to bake, it’s been hard not having constant access to a stove or oven here at school. I spent a whole day making two types of cupcakes, apple cinnamon and pumpkin, topped with ginger cream cheese frosting and butterscotch caramel. They were delicious!
I hope that you are all enjoying reading about my experiences. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments you have!
This weekend also brought TEDxEmbryRiddle to campus, where distinguished speakers talked about their research and life experiences. The theme was “Powering our Future,” which really intrigued me. I’ve watched TED talks online before, so it was awesome to actually be a part of a conference!
One of the things that I was really looking forward to as a college student was all the free events. This week is homecoming week, and I am looking forward to all the fun activities. Jim Gaffigan is coming to campus, and Touch-N-Go productions brought in We the Kings for a concert on Sunday evening.
Fast forward to the present day, I just finished up my fourth week of classes. I have been at Embry-Riddle for a month and can’t believe time has gone by so quickly. My major is Aeronautical Science, which is the degree program to become a professional pilot. Currently, I am working on obtaining my Private Pilot license. A lot of class time is spent in the air, and in my opinion is the best classroom in the world! I currently live in Doolittle Hall, one of the four freshman dorms. I also became a member of two clubs on campus and also part of an intramural flag football team. Our first game was earlier this week, and unfortunately we came up a little short in getting the win. Since the team is comprised mostly of freshman, we didn’t know all of the rules to flag football and penalties got the best of us.
This weekend, I will be attending an airshow at Cocoa Beach with the Sport Aviation Club. I will talk about it in my next blog entry. I also have a model airplane under construction in my dorm that I hopefully will be able to fly by the next blog entry as well.
If you have any questions, feel free to 
We all know that there is a lack of females on the Embry-Riddle campus, but it leads the girls who are here to become great friends. I’ve grown incredibly close to my roommate, Blair, and suitemates, Clare and Maggie, and we get plenty of girl time with dinners out and pedicures (sometimes the guys even join in). There are so many clubs to be involved with and new people to meet that I am never bored! I have always liked to be involved, so I joined “The Flock” spirit club, volunteer my computer graphics skill to The Avion student newspaper and am a Hall Representative for the Embry-Riddle Resident Student Association.
Also, most of the time the weather is warm, but beware of pop-up showers in the afternoon! Carry an umbrella on you at all times. Regardless, the cloud patterns are magnificent. I love looking out my window and seeing the lightning and clouds for miles and miles. It only affirms my goal to get a minor in meteorology!
Hey y’all, I’m a southern sweetheart, transitioning from blonde to brunette, Daddy’s girl born and raised in the “First in Flight” state of North Carolina with 17 years to my credit. Friends and family call me Sam but my given name is Samantha Gray Allen. I am pursuing an Aerospace Engineering major and minor in Applied Meteorology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. I am very pleased to introduce myself and begin sharing my experiences here with everyone.
Middle School life was here before I knew it, and I had made a few changes over the summer break. My bedroom was no longer pink, boys weren’t quite as bad as my Daddy hoped I would still believe them to be and becoming a Chaloner “Junior Yellow Jacket” was a big deal for a young girl with high hopes. Here I came to expand my horizons and take my first technology class taught by Ms. Turner. She gave me the confidence that pushed me to aspire to work in the engineering field. From the hands-on building of our own small cars to the computer work behind it all, Ms. Turner brought our studies to life. It was from taking the technology courses that I began to desire hands on experimenting of my own. So I sought out opportunities like US Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. This was one of my funnest experiences, but also one that best prepared me most for Riddle life; my shuttle team was fifteen guys and only two girls. However, this didn’t stop me from grabbing the position of head engineer on our first mission. Can you say inspiration at its greatest? This camp not only gave me the courage to go forward into engineering, but also the ability to take on numerous extra-curricular tasks at once. Already involved with dancing and with ten years of dance competition team under my belt, I still decided to add more. I became involved with cheerleading, Spanish club, track, softball, peer builders and became student body president. A mouthful of course, but that’s nothing; wait until I compact four years of high school into three!
High school: the point where “idiocracy” and genius collide. Although I never really had a normal high school experience, it was great nonetheless. My first two years were at Roanoke Rapids High School, now with fully matured wings as a Yellow Jacket, and this was the time to prepare take off! From day one I would have to say my DECA advisor and Marketing teacher Ms. Tugwell had been my motivation and my rock. As Dan Rather once quoted, “A dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to new heights, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.” Ms. Tugwell pushed me to become a fearless individual and speak in front of all the North Carolina DECA chapters, while running for state officer. She would always be honest and helpful, regardless of how many times I complained to her after school. It was this fearless nature that not only gave me the courage to take double math and science as well as summer online courses to get ahead, but also to fly. Climbing into the first small engine plane was sort of an out of body experience for me. With my grandmother, Linda Turner, in support of me all the way, I was able to once again conquer my fear of heights. I not only felt in control, I was hooked. I could see the world from above, which was exactly what I intended to do. So by the time I reached my sophomore year my plate was overflowing. Dance, DECA, student government, history club, RUSH, Key Club, softball, civil air patrol, volunteering for Halifax Medical Specialist Clinic, tutoring students at local learning centers, starting the scholars program, assisting with middle school science Olympiads, and cross country… I still have no clue on as to how I managed all of this.