The Coffee Grind

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With this semester only having four weeks left, I have realized one of my addictions is slowly making its way back into my life…..Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you I have a problem with the amount of coffee I drink. I have been a coffee lover since before I can even remember. It has always been a part of my life growing up. My parents and grandparents drank it, it was offered to me before I ever thought I would enjoy consuming such a bitter hot beverage, and as I grew up my father taught me about different coffees. So being in college after already LOVING the caffeinated beverage you can only imagine how easy it is for me to consume more coffee than the average person. But the thing I love most about coffee is the time I spend with people when I go out to get coffee.

Whether or not you actually like coffee, most likely it is not preventing you from going to the closest Starbucks for a drink to sip on with a friend. It is very easy to ask someone to go grab a cup with you and has been an easy social icebreaker for me all my life. Not even a year ago, I started talking to who is now one of my good friends Kara over coffee. I meet with my RA supervisor for our meetings every other week over coffee. Going to get coffee is my way of connecting and getting to know people.

With the semester coming to an end faster than anyone can anticipate, it is nice to have a place to escape to and coffee shops are the perfect place to get that extra study time in. Being able to use a space to be productive and enjoy something small makes school a lot less stressful.

Advice & AFROTC

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Happy November folks! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, in the post midterm grind, and the semester ends in almost a month. Just like most of our students, time FLIES.

Coming to college is big transition, I’m three years in, a seasoned pro…just kidding! I’m still learning and growing everyday. My birthday was last week and I took a moment to consider this: before college I always had a plan for life, but somehow along the way I outgrew my plan, had some twists and turns, and here we are. So in the essence of reflection, here’s some advice for my younger self, what I wish I would’ve known coming to college:

As corny as it sounds, be yourself. You are multi faceted, you will not fit into every box you try, and you don’t have to! We are dynamic people with dynamic aspects of personality and interests.

My first year of college I struggled with feeling like I fit it. I’m majoring in Aerospace Engineering and I love planes! But I never seemed to be as plane obsessed as the people in my classes. I learned that I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not. College is about finding yourself and embracing what makes you different. I love planes, but if I spend my free time doing yoga instead of researching them I’m no better or worse than anyone around me, just different. Embrace your differences! Expand your friend groups sooner than later. Have friends that you can talk to about classes, about ROTC, about home life, and friends that you can talk to when you want to unwind! Don’t feel bad for saying no to hanging out. Self care is extremely important. If you want to spend your Friday nights working out, doing face masks, and going to bed early… DO IT! You make the rules.

My mom sent me some shells for my birthday that I put my air plants in!

You’re not alone! AFROTC is something completely new to all freshmen, do not feel alone in figuring out how to balance school and ROTC. Find mentors! I still talk to my mentor from freshman year, who has since graduated, gotten married, and is an officer in the USAF. There are always people who have been through what you’re going through, who are going through it at the same time, and who will be going through it soon. Use your resources! Ask for help from those with knowledge, walk through it together with the people by your side, and share advice with those who have yet to experience what you’re going through. Never doubt yourself. You got this.

My friend and I post early morning beach PT!

Will report back soon y’all, keep on keeping on!

Boo-tiful times at Riddle

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The month of October is officially in session which means it’s also the scariest time of the year… midterms. Just kidding, Halloween! Even with school getting more intense and midterms being well on their way here, it is important to take time out to enjoy the spooky season with friends and loved ones.

This past week in between studying for my 4 exams, I have been celebrating Halloween with fun activities such as carving pumpkins and watching scary movies. My friends love Halloween just as much as I do and are, in my opinion, the funniest people I know.

My favorite Halloween activity we have done so far is carving pumpkins. My friends were out at Daytona One, where they were selling pumpkins, so they bought us all some and broke out the carving tools. We all decided what we were going to carve and got right to it. While we were carving pumpkins, my friend, Mike went through his records to see if he owned anything for Halloween. Well, it turns out he did, and when we went t put it on we all expected songs like the monster mash or thriller and instead just got a record full of spooky horror sounds like whispering and booing ghosts and bats flying. We kept it on for all of five minutes after our belly laughter from this odd record turned into us questioning why we had not turned it off yet. Eventually, the entire apartment smelt like pumpkin and we had changed the audio in the room to a Spotify Halloween playlist. We finished our pumpkins and lit them all together.

As stressed as I can get from school, my friends are always around to remind me to do fun holiday things and take a break from the hard work I have put in. Its friends like this that make Embry-Riddle feel like home.

Recharging & Responsibilities

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Happy October folks! I’m classically blogging from Daytona Beach, currently camped out at the ROTC building on a Sunday afternoon doing homework. Fall break was this past week and it was definitely well needed. I stayed local for the break hitting up coffee shops, catching up on sleep, and doing large quantities of homework.

As midterm time is among us, I had most of my tests before fall break, but midterms also mean RA deadlines! This means new hall door decorations, new bulletin boards, and more biweekly hall traditions! This also means time for the Fitness Assessment in AFROTC which consists of one minute of push-ups, one minute of sit-ups, and a 1.5 mile run for time.

At a local coffee shop close to campus drinking lavender chamomile tea and doing incompressible aerodynamics homework.

Something surprising that I realized over the break was… that I miss my friends! I know, this may not seem like an out of ordinary thing, but I almost don’t realize how inter-connected my everyday life is with the people around me. Now, if we zoom out a bit and look at the big picture four days is not a lot of time, but when you consider that I see my friends multiple times a day in different settings it feels off when they’re not around.

To put it in perspective: I wake up early and go to PT or to Leadership Laboratory (LLAB) with my AFROTC family, go to class until about 2pm, usually find myself back at the ROTC building a few more times for various meetings, paperwork, or presentations, then I workout with my ROTC friends, typically have an RA duty shift in the evenings or a staff meeting, then I go to sleep and copy paste and repeat Monday-Friday. 

I tend to not view myself as a very social person, because of how much I value my alone time to rest and recharge by doing yoga, meditating, or sleeping, but in reality I spend the majority of my days being social. The main point I’m getting out of this, is that I’m pretty much an introverted extrovert. Once I’m recharged after a day or two I thrive in the busy hustle of everyday life hopping between my friends from AFROTC, O team, RA, classes, etc.

Before the break I had a math test, a compressible aerodynamics test, and an incompressible test, a technical report document due, in addition to arabic homework and other meetings, presentations, and responsibilities. When I study, unless I’m doing practice problems in a group, I typically prefer to be in my room or reserve a study room in the library.

But in particular, when studying for my compressible aerodynamics test recently I found myself outgrowing my desk with my spread of papers so I migrated to my floor to go over material. After a few hours when I finished I got up and realized that my creative learning process may be a little unconventional, but it works… 

My post studying floor space before my compressible aerodynamics test.

I hope everyone bounces back to find your post Fall Break groove and keep pushing until Thanksgiving Break and finals. Will report back soon. Keep on keeping on!

Getting Ready to Soar

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The career fair is finally here. We have all been preparing extremely hard for it and putting all our time and energy into finding the perfect opportunities to continue our growth in our chosen career fields. Whether you are a freshman going to scout out future employers, or a senior hoping to score that dream job or internship, we all take the fair seriously. On top of that, it is the stressful season of the semester where mid-terms start to become prevalent and we all wish we had about three extra hours in the day. But we all have been working on our resumes, finding the perfect clothes, and preparing the perfect elevator speech to impress potential employers all while studying like there is no tomorrow and crushing all our tests.

Kara and I helping each other get through the semester

I feel this year’s career fair will be incredible. They have gotten so many employers to come out, and even though we have class most professors understand how important this opportunity is to us. Professors have been incredibly helpful with tips and checking resumes and it is so nice to have that support to make you feel career fair ready. In addition, we all have the help and support of each other to make it through this stressful and exciting opportunity.

Rory and I at last year’s career fair trying not to be nervous

Even though this week will be a lot of work, we Eagles have a lot to look forward to this week with Homecoming. There are many sporting events to go out and support from ice hockey to soccer or even if you want to participate in the fun there is a 5k on Saturday morning. Then, later Saturday night homecoming ends with a free concert performed by AJR with fireworks to top the night off. Keep your eyes out for all the homecoming activities and show your eagle spirit. I wish everyone luck this week.

Perks & Personal Favorites

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Happy October folks! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach. I’ve come to appreciate a few aspects of Riddle recently that I may have taken for granted in my past years. Let’s begin:

  1. The 24 hour College of Business (COB) computer labs with free color printers (hello late night life hack!)
  2. Night Flight! This is a free safety escort service provided by the Campus Safety and Security Department where they send officers to pick you up anywhere on campus at night in a golf cart and take you to your next desired location. I have found this very beneficial when I lose track of time doing homework in the engineering building only to realize when I’m ready to leave it’s raining (thank you Florida weather), but genuinely thank you to the Night Flight team for keeping the students safe and making my life so much easier!
  3. Fitness classes at the Fitness Center: I’ve always loved them, but there’s still so many I’ve yet to try because every instructor is different and they’re all great. My personal favorites are Yoga, Boxing Conditioning, and Cycling, although I have heard good things about Pilates…
  4. The Academic Advancement Center (otherwise known as the A^2 Tutoring Lab) that has tutoring in SO many subjects, and even if you’re not taking a specific class and just have questions about subject material in those classes they’re super helpful (ie me when I get stuck coding Matlab or using CATIA)
  5. Some honorable mentions/personal favorites: AFROTC, because it’s a huge family and one of my absolute favorite parts about Riddle, and Arabic class, which is a close second.
14 Words for Love in Arabic from a poster I found during the summer

I would also like to include some Life Hacks for college in general:

Tea- best hot and while studying

Recently received a package of fall goodies in the mail from my grandma, inclusive of this amazingly fall smelling caffeine free tea which is perfect for late nights

Popcorn- best in the afternoon or at any time of night while doing homework (AFROTC cadets have a popcorn maker in the Cadet lounge and typically there is fresh popcorn multiple times a day which always smells and tastes great)

My photo from the AFROTC Fall 2019 Cadet Wing Organization Leadership Chart

Water- always, but especially if you are tired in class, as well as before & after workouts

Hoodies/Cozy sweaters- best worn during chilly fall nights making s’mores by the fire pits, or to the local COBB movie theater at Daytona One (which happens to be less than 5 minutes from campus and offers $5 movie tickets on Tuesdays!)

My friend Kara and I on a homework break

To sum it up, I’m busy but extremely grateful and I love Riddle and everything it has to offer. Will report back soon! 

Spooky Season

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Today commences the beginning of spooky season. That time of year filled with ghouls, goblins, monsters, and impending due dates for assignments/ midterms. With all of these stress inducing things, many struggle trying to find a way to get by, but don’t you worry. I am here with simple solutions and actions I take to make the time run smoother.

Pro-Tip #1:

Going to the Beach

Living in Daytona Beach, we all take the second part of our city name for granted. The beach is clinically proven to wash away even the biggest problems, …don’t look that up.

Getting out of your dorm/housing and straight into nature provides an amazing chance to just breathe and appreciate all that’s around. You can watch the sunrise over the horizon, watch the sunset, bird watch, or even star gaze. The options are endless, but the end goal is to take a moment to breathe, regroup, and then approach studying or what not with a clear mind.

Pro Tip #2:

A Rewarding Snack

For some, a nice treat can make their day, and who are you to deprive yourself from treating YOURSELF. If you can’t go out, or bake in your home, you could always make a mug cake/brownie. Pinterest is full of amazing recipes that are friendly to anyone’s personal diet (or you could make a trip to Wal-mart for their mug cake). I also recommend Cow Licks next to the shore, off of S Atlantic Avenue. The price and flavor are totally worth the drive or Uber.

Pro Tip #3:

Relax the Best Way that Fits YOU

Regardless of what other people tell you, you know what works best for you. If leaving the dorm or room causes you even more stress, then allot some time to watch a show or a short YouTube clip as your breather. Or if physical activity helps you clear your mind, take a jog or go to the gym, which is open from 6 am to 11 pm on Mondays – Fridays and 10 am to 9 pm on Saturday – Sundays. As long as what you do to unwind is safe and healthy for you and those around you then by all means do it.

The semester may bring pressures but small moments of self care helps to move along those tough times and make them brighter!

And that’s the tea. Until next time!

Fall & Fresh Updates

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Happy September everyone! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, the official Autumn season begins September 23 and runs until December 21, I’ve been busy lately, and I’m trying my best to not be stressed.

I’ve found myself becoming a bit overwhelmed with the constant high speed flow of life recently, so as I woke up this past Sunday morning I took a couple minutes to set intentions for the week, write my to do list, and drink water. In the midst of the chaos when I find myself getting anxious about everything I need to accomplish for the day, I have to remind myself to take a step back, breathe, reset, relax, and take it one step at a time.

On a happier note, Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year, so despite Florida not having the most stereotypical autumn experience, I still try to make the best of it. I’m on my 3rd year at Riddle and thus far I have made it to a Floridian pumpkin patch every year (typically in late fall when the weather is in the low 80s).

As I currently drink my cup of coffee with pumpkin spice almond milk creamer and do homework in my room that smells like apples from my oil diffuser, as long as I don’t go outside, it’s basically fall, right? My prize possessions are definitely my calculator, my Keurig, my laptop, and my essential oil diffuser. Which you probably already deciphered because I drink a lot of tea/coffee, do a lot of homework, and I love yoga.

My newest fall essential oils that I am obsessed with! They make my entire room smell amazing. The scents are Maple Leaf, Fall Rain, and Harvest Moon.

As I note I would like to add my supply of “fall” flavored teas is growing. A classmate asked me the other day how many cups of tea I drink a day and I really had never thought about it, but I make tea all the time and typically always have a cup with me (in my reusable to-go cup of course).

Me enjoying the mere idea of fall even though it’s hot outside.

Now that we’ve caught up, as a Professional Officer Course (POC) cadet in AFROTC this year (under-classmen are referred to as General Military Course (GMC) cadets until after they return from Field Training the summer between their sophomore and junior years) I earned the privilege of being able to have a clipboard during training to conveniently carry around my orders, other needed papers for the day, and of course pens, sharpies, and a ruler.

Everyone’s clipboard is different, and in my opinion, essentially represents you as a person. I decided to decorate the top of my clipboard, which is covered by my daily orders in training to stay professional. My clipboard also has a large letter of my flight on the back, and my name which are the visible portions when conducting leadership laboratories (LLABs) and physical training (PT). 

To provide a small amount of background on my clipboard decorations, in the backyard of my house in Virginia we have a surfboard hung on the fence that we’ve been putting stickers on for years now. The stickers are from wherever we travel, and everyone in the family puts new ones on all the time, so the next time you look at it it’s constantly changing and growing. Naturally when I got my clipboard I had been gathering some smaller stickers from my travels and wanted to adopt the same philosophy. 

The top of my AFROTC clipboard that isn’t normally visible, but makes me happy knowing that it’s there!

Keep on keeping on folks, will report back soon!

A New Semester

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Hello Everyone! I hope everyone has had an amazing summer and stayed safe during hurricane Dorian. To mark the beginning of the new semester at sophomore standing, I wanted to write a little advice for the new freshmen coming in.  I know that starting college can be a little scary at first, it is in fact a lot different than high school. Professors are casual and laid back, you live in an unfamiliar place, there are new faces, and your success is entirely up to you. Your hands are no longer being held by faculty like in high school. This can be a lot for new students and from what I have learned, this can cause anxiety and depression issues among new students due to the massive amount of stress and change.

Rest assured that everyone at Embry-riddle wants you to succeed. We have countless options available to benefit all students. I wanted to start off on the topic of mental health. Obviously, everyone is excited to start their new college life, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any anxious feelings going around. Also, depending on the person, you may be feeling a little bit more nervous then others. It is completely okay to feel like this, my first semester was a whirlwind of nervous scared feelings. Eventually everyone settles in and gets used to the newness of being a college student. But not everyone stops feeling that way. Now, let me just say it is still completely normal to feel that way, but its important to know that there are options for help if needed. Embry-Riddle’s Health and Wellness Center has more to it then just a place to go if you’re feeling a little sick. It’s also a place you can rely on to talk to someone about any negative feelings you may be having.

My biggest advice to all new students is ask for help when you need it. Talk to your professors when you’re having trouble in class, talk to your academic advisors when you feel concerned about your schedule, classes, and major. Asking for help is one of the biggest factors of success at Embry-Riddle, especially when you’re a new student. Another big help that you can go to if you’re having trouble in classes is the tutoring options here at Riddle. For example, if you’re having trouble in math, writing, physics, engineering, or chemistry/bio, “A Squared” is the perfect place to be. It’s the Academic Advancement Center, home to tutoring labs in the College of Arts & Sciences. Riddle even has digital labs where you can get help making Powerpoint presentations, using Photoshop, making videos, and even learn how to better your speech capabilities. Use these options if you need them because they will help you.

Another Big Word of Advice I have for everyone, and you will hear this a thousand times over, GET INVOLVED. In high school you are pushed to get involved as much as possible, but I think we all kind of brushed it off and continued to do what we were doing. Now, it’s one of those super-important key factors that can only lead to success. What you get involved in now will only look good on your resume for future jobs. It’s highly recommended that you consider joining a student organization, sorority/fraternity, a school project, a club, or even study abroad. I have spoken to so many people that have gotten amazing jobs not because of their impressive GPA, but because of their involvement in extra curricular activities. Employers want to see what you did to expand yourself. I went to a meeting for communication majors, where graduates from the Communication major at Riddle talked about how they got their jobs and what they did in college. The first speaker said she got her job because of her involvement in clubs, the next speaker said her interviewer just asked her questions about her study abroad time, and the last speaker got her internship from projects, which led to a big career for her. I know we all roll our eyes a little when teachers talk about getting involved, but it all is important.

I hope I was able to provide a little bit of insight, or even inspiration. I know it’s all new and different, but don’t worry! Everyone here was once in your shoes and everyone helps and supports each other!