Open House 2023

This is last Open House I’ll ever work!

Open House was this past weekend and as I’m graduating in the spring, it’ll be my last one! It’s one of my favorite events of the semester since I get to meet lots of new people (and collect some free stuff).

My day started off nice and early since the first organization I was representing, the aerospace engineering department, started working at 7:45 AM. Students (both undergraduate and graduate) were around with professors as department representatives, answering any questions that the families had for us. Here are a few of the most-asked questions (and their answers):

Are there a lot of hands-on experiences for students? Yes! As part of the AE curriculum we have to take experimental aerodynamics, controls, structures and materials laboratory classes. My favorite so far has been the experimental aerodynamics lab since a good part of your grade (and the class) relies on your DIY lab experiment where you create your own experiment. It has to pass safety testing and be approved just like a real experiment, too. For my group’s experiment we put a model 737 fuselage in the wind tunnel!

737 Fuselage loads testing!

What are the different tracks for? They are different specializations for your degree! I’m the astronautics (astro) track which means I’ll take different classes than someone in the aeronautics (aero) track. For example, I take Spacecraft Controls instead of Flight Dynamics and Control. The classes are a little more tailored towards your track for a more specialized degree.

What about internships and co-ops? How do you get one? Yes! I’ve had three internships (Summer 2020, Summer 2022, and Summer 2023) with three different companies (M3 Defense Consulting, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and The Boeing Company). I got each in a different way, but networking helps a lot- both with your professors, classmates, and company mentoring programs available to students. I would also suggest joining a professional organization and if possible, attending their conference!

After representing the aerospace engineering department, it was time for me to change shirts and represent my other organization: the Women’s Ambassadors! I walked over to the admissions building to get our stuff for tabling. We had pink ERAU tags, pink pens, and purple lanyards. We were tabling on the side of the student union next to the student government and ROTC tables, so we got a good amount of traffic.

Me, Lauren, and admissions staff member Ken!

At the Women’s Ambassadors table, I also got a lot of questions. This time, the questions focused more on the student experience as a whole rather than the aerospace engineering program as a whole. These were the top questions:

Do you like it here, and are you glad you came? Yes! I really do like ERAU and am glad I came to Riddle. It’s the perfect size for me- small enough so that professors will know you by name, but big enough so that you can still meet new people every week. I also like that you can hold leadership positions in multiple organizations!

What are the Women’s Ambassadors and what do you do? The Women’s Ambassadors were founded to increase the enrollment and retention rate of female students. We do this by working at admissions events (like Open House, accepted student dinners and regional admissions presentations) and mentoring freshman students. We also host events for female students on campus so that they have a sense of community. Our sister program, the Women’s Ambassador Mentoring Program, is run by a female professor on campus and has expanded to provide mentoring events too!

What is the campus social scene like? It really depends on what you make of it. If you don’t want a social life, sit in your dorm all day and you won’t really be bothered. If you do want a social life, you have to get out there and make it- join clubs and make friends in your classes. Campus life is definitely what you make of it.

My last Open House was a lot of fun. I love working at these events and meeting new people, but I’m also excited to graduate and move into the next chapter of my life. Attending ERAU definitely helped me get to where I’m going. If you’re thinking about coming to ERAU, definitely apply and attend Open House and Preview Day if you can! Hopefully I’ll see you there… if not I’ll see you in the next post!

The College “Extras” I Find Absolutely Essential

You do not need a rug but you 100% need a water bottle!!

If you didn’t know, now you do, but ERAU has a suggested packing list! However, I didn’t end up bringing everything on this list. Honestly, most of the things I brought were the bare essentials- sheets, towels, and storage containers for other things I wanted like shoes or extra blankets. I didn’t bring any sort of decoration whatsoever because I was a little too lazy to put it up and take it down every year. And I didn’t mind. However, some of the things on the list I absolutely used every day– they were definitely on my “must bring to college” list. Here are my thoughts:

1. A Very Long Phone Charger
This was probably my most-used item. I lived in New Residence Hall 2 during my freshman year and kept my bed fully lofted. Thus, it was important for me to have a very, very, very long phone charger to reach up to my bed. I also added a Command hook on the side of my bed so that I wouldn’t have to climb out of my bed if I lost it. Instead, I threaded it through the Command hook when I wasn’t using it so that it would always be reachable from my bed. I also had my desk under my bed, and the charger was long enough to loop through the Command hook on the side of my bed and then back to my desk if I needed it there, too.

My final dorm arrangement.

2. A Water Bottle
ERAU is in Florida and it is HOT, which means it’s also important to stay hydrated. Definitely bring some sort of water bottle! There are plenty of water bottle filling stations on campus, so the amount it holds doesn’t really matter as much. I would also suggest a vacuum insulated water bottle to keep your drink cold, especially in the warmer months.

3. Sweatshirt, Pants, and/or Long Sleeve Shirts
Florida gets hot, but it also gets cool. It never snows here or anything, but it can be a humid cold, which makes it feel colder. I’m from Kentucky, so I’ve been through snow, but never a whole lot of it. Even so, I still need a sweatshirt and pants during some times of the year. If you’re from a colder climate, it may be still be a good idea to bring some colder-weather clothes, but maybe not a heavy winter coat.

4. An Extra Phone/Laptop Charger for Your Backpack
This one may be a preference if your phone and laptop have an amazing battery life, but my phone dies during the day, so I always carry a charger with me. ERAU has plenty of spaces to charge your phone or laptop- the library, the student union, even in some classrooms.

5. An Umbrella or Raincoat for Your Backpack
Ah, the joys of living in Florida- popup rain showers. Every so often I will go to class, and within the hour, it’s pouring outside. Sometimes I have the luxury to wait out the rain, and other times I don’t. Therefore, I highly suggest having an umbrella or raincoat (or both!) for your backpack when it does rain.

6. A Decent Camera for Surprise Visitors
As this is ERAU, sometimes we get a few surprise visitors on campus. Of course we have regularly scheduled Delta Air Lines and American Airlines flights, but we’ve had C-17s, the Thunderbirds, an Atlas Air 747, an F-15, and plenty of other aircraft that I may not have even seen! So it’s great to have a decent camera- even if it’s just on your phone- to take pictures of anything that drops in for a day or so. I’m excited to see what sort of aircraft will come in this semester. I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Washington D.C. & New York!

I don’t know how it gets better than this!

A couple weeks ago I went to Pittsburgh for a Regional Admissions Presentation (RAP). Last weekend I got back on the road again and ended up in Washington D.C. and New York City!

For this trip, I flew out of the Orlando airport on a morning flight. That required me to get up a bit early, but I didn’t mind. D.C. and New York City were destinations that I really wanted to visit. I got into D.C. in the late morning, so that meant I had the day to explore. Of course, my first spot was the Udvar-Hazy Center, which is home to a Concorde, a SR-71, and Space Shuttle Discovery.

SR-71 Blackbird!

The Udvar-Hazy Center was amazing. It also had a tall air traffic control-like structure that looked over the runways at Dulles Airport. That spot also had a live stream of the air traffic control communications, so I could hear the pilots and tower talking as planes started to land. A lot of traffic came in during the short time I was there, including a couple of international flights. That was super cool to watch!

After I was done at the museum, I ended up going over to a friend’s house and got to meet his cats. He has two black cats and one orange cat, and all three of them were very sweet. I missed my cat at home, even though I had only left him that day, so it was nice to be able to see some other kitties.

Cosmo (left) and Venus.

After playing with the cats a bit, I headed over to my hotel. My friend dropped me off at the metro, which I was excited to take. I had all of my things with me, and I took the metro into the city to the hotel. I ended up walking a couple blocks to the hotel and checking in. I didn’t get much time to relax- having known I would be going to D.C., I planned out a few things that I’d want to do.

I walked back to the metro and met a friend at another metro stop, where we got dinner and then went to a movie theater. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie was out this weekend, and we’d managed to get tickets! We spent the evening watching the three hour movie before I went back to my hotel.

Saturday was the first RAP in downtown D.C., and it was super fun! Since D.C. is a huge city, we had a great turnout. At the RAP, full-time personnel from admissions talk about the university and then at certain points, students (like myself!) are given the chance to speak. At these RAPs, I talked about my previous internships, experiences with professors, and student organizations at the Daytona Beach campus. The D.C. and NYC events were joint events, meaning that representatives from the Prescott campus were there too.

After the presentation, people are allowed to ask questions until the time scheduled is up. Once the scheduled time is up, the families are allowed to leave while we stay behind and answer individual questions. That’s where I get the more personalized questions about my experiences in the degree program, how I manage my time, and other student life-specific questions. I love it- it’s so much fun to meet new people!

Once everyone has left, then it’s time to pack up. I usually change into something that isn’t a business casual outfit, and since we had another RAP in NYC the next day, we went to the train station. Union Station in D.C. is huge- it also reminded me a lot of Grand Central Station in NYC. We took the Amtrak train to NYC’s Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station. It was a three hour ride, and the train was much more spacious than a plane.

Following the train, we headed to our hotel and checked in. After that, I was able to do what I wanted! I met up with the other student and one of the full-time admissions people from Prescott, and we ended up exploring New York City together at night. It was very exciting. I got to try NYC pizza (it was amazing) and we stopped by Grand Central Station.

Grand Central Station at night!

We got back pretty late, and I fell asleep super fast. The morning came, and I ended up venturing back out into downtown NYC to get another slice of pizza. Our hotel was right next to Times Square and as I found, shops that sell pizza by the slice are everywhere! So I had pizza for breakfast before I met the admissions personnel in the lobby and we walked to the RAP venue.

The NYC RAP went the same way the D.C. one did. All RAPs present the same information. It was hosted in a venue right next to Times Square and the Hamilton theater, which I thought was super cool. After the RAP, the entire admissions group walked across the street to an Italian restaurant for dinner before we parted ways. I, along with the other members of the Daytona team, were flying out of the LaGuardia airport that night.

My flight got back into Orlando at 12:18 AM, and once I got to my car, it was about a one-hour drive back to Daytona. I didn’t even bother to unpack that night (well, morning) and instead fell asleep ASAP since I had class the next day. The trip was definitely worth it, though. I had so much fun walking around in D.C. and NYC. Even though I’m from a small town, I’m definitely a big city person at heart. I really enjoyed my time here, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Maybe I’ll see you at an event next semester, during Open House, on Preview Day… if not, I’ll see you in the next post!

36 Hours in Pittsburgh

Welcome to the Steel City!

Last weekend I got back on the road again with ERAU’s admissions team. As a Women’s Ambassador, I get to travel around the country and support recruitment events with the admissions counselors, which is one of my favorite parts of the job! Last year I traveled to Dallas and Houston for their regional admissions presentations. This is my senior year, and my first trip of senior year was to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!

This trip took place over the weekend of September 23-24, which meant I left Saturday and came back Sunday, spending around 36 hours in Pittsburgh. I left Daytona bright and early on the 6 AM Delta flight, and I’d made the mistake of getting only three hours of sleep the night before. I slept through the whole flight to Atlanta, only waking up and noticing the sunrise when the aircraft landed.

Sunrise in Atlanta.

Sunrise in Atlanta was beautiful. Since I had a two and a half hour layover, I got to watch the airport wake up with more flights coming and going each hour. I also stopped at a local coffee shop and got an iced caramel latte, which was pretty tasty.

After the time in Atlanta, I jumped on the flight to Pittsburgh. It’s much hillier than I expected up there, and definitely a much different climate than Florida. Thankfully, I had brought a sweatshirt and was adequately prepared. The admissions counselor who I was traveling with got the car, and since it was early afternoon, we stopped for food before checking into the hotel.

Since the presentation wasn’t until the next day, it meant that I had a lot of time to explore! It was raining, but the counselor and I had already planned out a few things we wanted to do. On the way to Pittsburgh, we had made reservations for the local cat cafe.

This kitten was very friendly! Too bad I couldn’t take him home…

I really enjoyed the cat cafe- it made me miss my two cats back at home. I try and visit cat cafes in as many cities as I can to see all the cats around the US. Pittsburgh was a great addition, and lucky for us, the restaurant we chose was nearby. It was a Japanese restaurant, and I got the tofu udon which tasted amazing.

At night we intended to go to the incline and get a good look around the city, but it was raining, so we decided not to. Instead we headed back to the hotel room and rested before the presentation the next day. Honestly, after only three hours of sleep, I needed it- I went to bed around 10 PM and woke up eleven hours later.

The reception, like all of them, was held in a nice hotel. The way they work is the same- an admissions representative will talk about the school’s academics, organizations, professional opportunities and then the campuses. Sometimes there are two- one from Daytona and one from Prescott- but in Pittsburgh it was only us from Daytona. I also got the opportunity to speak a bit about my experiences in organizations and how I got internships.

Accepted student receptions!

After the presentation is over, people are free to stick around and ask us questions or leave. Each region of the US has a regional admissions counselor that comes to the presentation, and that person will be handling applications from that region. I also usually get a few questions after the presentation about student life or the aerospace engineering curriculum.

Once everyone left, we headed to the airport. The presentation was scheduled from 1 PM to 3 PM, and I had a 6:30 PM flight. Thankfully, the TSA lines were pretty short, and I got through in about ten minutes. The Pittsburgh airport is really nice, it’s got a bunch of food options centrally located, and I chose pizza. There is also a seating area watching the gates, where I stopped to do some homework. When I travel for admissions, I don’t get a free pass on my homework, I still have to do it on time.

On the way back to Daytona, I had a one-hour layover in Atlanta. Since that airport is huge, I pretty much went straight to the gate and waited for my zone to board. I like window seats for short flights, and I had window seats on the way back. I’d also heard that you can collect trading cards of Delta’s fleet, and I was able to get some on the flight into Daytona. In my opinion, the Pittsburgh trip was awesome- I got to see a new city, meet new people, and collect airline trading cards. Maybe I’ll see you at a regional admissions presentation, too. If not, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Getting Involved at ERAU

Please get involved. I promise you it’s worth it.

So, getting involved in ERAU’s clubs and activities. That’s something that the admissions counselors will tell you- ERAU has over 250 student groups for you to join, and if you can’t find one you like, you can create one yourself! But that raises the question- how do you get involved and what should you get involved in?

When I was a freshman, I had the entirety of Summer 2020 to sit at home, quarantined, and scroll on CampusGroups looking at clubs. CampusGroups, which is accessed through ERNIE, shows a list of all of the student groups one can join. Of course, not all groups are open to public membership (we’ll talk about that later) but most of them are. To receive emails, simply join the group on CampusGroups, and there’s likely to be a bit of extra information. You can also find the group’s social media (if applicable) in CampusGroups.

In both the fall and spring semesters, the campus hosts an activities fair which allows student organizations to showcase their features to students. The groups set up in front of the student union and people in the group sit at the table, telling people about the group and what they do.

I’m part of three campus organizations and each is unique: Women’s Ambassadors (which is technically a job), the Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board (which is an interview-in position), and the Society of Women Engineers (which is a simple click join and you’re in).

Society of Women Engineers: This registered student organization (RSO) is one of many on ERAU’s campus that is open to all without employment or interview. I joined SWE as a freshman, signing up for their emails and joining their Discord server. Like most others, the group sends out emails telling those on the email list when and where events, including general meetings, are. To be a member of the ERAU group clicking join is all I needed to do. SWE at ERAU is part of the international Society of Women Engineers, but being a registered international SWE member is different than being an ERAU SWE member. I just happen to be a member of both!

Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board: AESAB, as it’s called, is NOT a RSO. It is also not open to everyone- being on the Board includes an application and interview process. This is not unheard of- many honor societies are also invite-only. AESAB applications typically open in the late fall to early spring, candidates are interviewed, and then offered a position on the Board or not. AESAB communicates with the aerospace engineering department to ensure that the students are in a productive learning environment.

Women’s Ambassadors: Also known as WA, this is a paid campus position that also requires an application and interview process. If selected as an Ambassador, you receive a grant towards your tuition as payment. There are only a handful of Women’s Ambassadors on campus, and we all get to travel- that’s how I got to go to San Francisco and Seattle. Being a Women’s Ambassador also includes planning and attending events for prospective, admitted, and current students as well as working Open House and Preview Day.

As a freshman I initially started out in many other organizations. However, as time went on, I figured out what sort of things I wanted to spend my time with and narrowed my focus to those groups. I started by going to one meeting of each public organization that I thought was cool and then decided if I liked it, didn’t like it, or wasn’t sure. For all of the organizations I liked, I continued going to meetings, and for organizations I didn’t like, I never came back. For the organizations that were a maybe for me, I went to another meeting and then thought about it.

For other organizations- like WA or AESAB- I learned about the organization before I joined. When I was a new student a Women’s Ambassador reached out to me, and the more I learned about it, the more I wanted to be a part of it. For AESAB, I saw the work that the Board had done and how they helped the students, which made me want to join. During the interview process for WA and AESAB, I was also given the chance to ask questions myself to make sure that the position would also be a good fit for me. That’s definitely a good resource to remember when you’re applying for real-world jobs and internships. Always read the job description too- most of the responsibilities and details of the job are there. However, If the position isn’t what you thought it would be based on the interview, or you didn’t click with the people, you can always rescind your application or turn down the offer.

The activities fair has been happening this week at ERAU and I’ve been busy tabling for the Women’s Ambassadors! We only tabled on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I’ll be tabling for SWE on Thursday. I love seeing the activities fair- it’s a great way to see campus come to life. AESAB typically doesn’t table as our functions are unique to aerospace engineering students rather than serving the larger student body population, but AESAB does host Cookies and Comments events to collect feedback from the students. I’m excited for that one- free cookies are always a must! Either way, I’ll see you in the next post- and hopefully at Riddle!

The Weirdest First Week Ever

Here we are! First day of senior year!

After (almost) three years of blogging and three internships… I AM A SENIOR!

It’s honestly a very weird thing to think about- I am a senior which means I graduate in May. After graduation, I won’t be a college student anymore- I’ll have to find a job, which is terrifying to think about. I’ve loved being in college- it’s the perfect bubble of freedom without too much responsibility.

Before the school year even started, the Women’s Ambassadors held their first mentoring event! The Women’s Ambassadors Mentoring Program- or WAMP- held a meet and greet luncheon for the new female students. There, students got a chance to meet us- their mentors! I had a lot of fun at event- over 400 female students showed, and it was great meeting some of my mentees this year!

The first week has definitely been interesting. Monday went pretty normally, and so did Tuesday until the university announced that Wednesday classes were cancelled due to Hurricane Idalia. That afternoon, I headed out to buy a case of water bottles in case we couldn’t get water.

Idalia mostly hit Florida’s panhandle and moved its way through Georgia, so we only experienced tropical storm-force winds and rain. There is a pond in my off-campus apartment complex, and I noticed that the water level had risen a little bit. The storm wasn’t very noisy, so on the off day, I slept in pretty late. I mostly stayed inside and hung out with a few friends. I never ended up needing the water bottles.

Classes resumed on Thursday, and the Daytona Beach area felt minimal damage from the hurricane because the eye of the storm didn’t come very close to us. I have one laboratory class that wasn’t starting, so Thursday was short for me.

On Thursday night, I had my first meeting of the school year! It was also for Women’s Ambassadors, and we had pizza for dinner while we talked about the upcoming plans for the academic year. We have a lot of new ambassadors this year, and it was great seeing them step up and volunteer for leadership positions.

Friday came and went, and I had my second meeting of the year- this time for the Society of Women Engineers. I’m the Professional Engagement Chair this year, which means it’s my job to help SWE members with their professional development as well as interface with companies. SWE, like always, also has a lot of cool things planned!

After that, of course, was Labor Day weekend. I didn’t do much. I spent the time relaxing, sleeping in, and not thinking about school, work, or anything related. I did, however, end up buying LED lights for my room, which I’ve wanted for awhile but just never got around to buying.

Over the summer I interned with Boeing in Oklahoma City and while it was fun, this Labor Day weekend was a definitely needed break. Over the summer I got to do some really cool things there and even got to attend the yearly Tinker Air Show, hosted by Tinker Air Force Base. Oklahoma City reminded me a bit of Embry-Riddle; planes would come and go, and since I lived along the approach path, I heard them all the time. Sometimes I’d even see some military ones go by, which was awesome to track.

I’m looking forward to my senior year here at Embry-Riddle. When I graduate, I’m definitely going to miss the school. It’s been my home for the past three years. The people are great, I love the aviation-centric environment, and (personally) I love sunny Florida weather. The humidity might be a drag, but I hate snow, and it never snows here. It’s an ideal environment for me, and one day, I hope to see you here too- but if not, I’ll see you in the next post!

Riddle Rewind, Year 3: Here We Go Again

One for the money, two for the show, three to make ready…

So at the end of every year I’ve started doing the Riddle Rewind and recapping my favorite memories from that year. Although a little later than last year, here’s my recap of junior year and my favorite memories from it.

Orientation Team, Year 2!

Last year I was part of the Orientation Team! I, unfortunately, can’t return for a third year due to the timing of my internship, but it was a fun second year.

Meeting my roommate’s kitten!

While not technically related to ERAU, I had random roommates last year and one of them got a cat. The cat, Chandelle, was the most adorable little thing I’ve ever seen! I have three cats back in Kentucky, so it was nice to live with a cat. I moved out of that apartment, but the cat was a huge perk.

Securing my Boeing internship!

In October, after the hurricane, Boeing came for Boeing Week and I secured one of their EAHI internships! Although at the time I hadn’t been matched, I later found out I’d be a Flight Test Engineering in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma- exactly where I’m typing this out. My first week is complete and I’m excited to see what’s to come!

Rides in the DA-42!

My friend Chris finished his multi-engine rating in the Fall 2022 semester, but he let me come along for a few rides while he flew. If you’re interested, there’s a whole post about it here, and if you’re interested in the flight program as a whole I interviewed him about his experiences, too.

Regional Admissions Presentations

Okay so I don’t have a picture, but I do have a post about my trip to Dallas and Houston as a Women’s Ambassador. We were super busy so there wasn’t a whole lot of photo-taking, but I got to cross off two more Buc-ees on the way.

The Hamster Ball Experience

I’m honestly not sure why there were hamster balls at Riddle, but they were super fun to roll around in. I made it down the inflatable and back, and I can truly say that being inside of those things was an experience like no other.

Going flying… multiple times!

I love going flying, whether that be commercially or in small general aviation planes. Chris likes to take me along, and I’m never one to complain. We went a few times last year- of course during his multi-engine training, but also over winter break and in the spring.

The Annual Thunderbirds Airshow

This is one thing I really love about Embry-Riddle. Each year, the Thunderbirds come for the Daytona 500 flyover and that means the students get a free mini-airshow. And of course, I watched.

The F-15 Visit

Now this does not happen every year. An F-15 visited Embry-Riddle in early March, to the surprise of us all. Students were allowed to go walk around it, including myself.

The 747: A Truly Magical Experience

And my favorite visitor of the year: The 747. Atlas Air brought a 747 just in time for the career fair and let students sign up for times to get up and close with it. I was in the second group of the day to see it, and it was definitely something I’d recommend if they bring it back.

The Honors Trip

The Honors Program hosted its annual Kennedy Space Center trip and of course, I went. I’m never going to pass up an opportunity to visit KSC, and the one through the Honors Program was discounted.

And last but certainly not least… Chris graduated!

Chris graduated with his degree in aeronautical science this year and is now working towards his flight instructor ratings! In the meantime, I’m in Oklahoma City working for Boeing at my internship. I’m excited to see where it’ll take me!

The $400 Meal and Finals Week

A good financial decision, really.

Well, finals week has come upon us at ERAU, and like other students, I’ve been studying my free time away. As an engineering major, a decent chunk of my grade relies on my final exam performance. Luckily enough for me, I’ve worked hard all year so I’m striving for a good grade rather than a “can I pass the class?” grade.

But before we get into that, how about the quick story of the $400 meal I ate? Hundreds-of-dollars meals are relatively common at ERAU, surprisingly. I haven’t noticed this anywhere else, but it’s really not due to the price of food here.

It’s due to the airplane rental cost.

So, a few little airports have restaurants right on the airport, catering to pilots as a “fly-in” restaurant. So instead, on the Sunday before the last week of classes, Chris and I ended up at the Pyper Kub restaurant in Williston, FL. It has pretty good food and a pretty good price, but the “$400” bit comes from the aircraft rental and the time flying out there and back.

We didn’t end up renting an ERAU plane but instead rented it from Air America, one of the flight schools in the area. Around this time last year, Chris was practicing for his commercial pilot checkride, but since then he’s earned his commercial pilot certificate and multi-engine add-on. Now he’s preparing for his CFI (certified flight instructor) checkride which means more practice and more flights for me!

ERAU from the air. Looks small, doesn’t it?

Williston, Florida is west of Ocala and it was an hour or so flight (compared to two hours of driving). We left around 10 AM in the morning, ate lunch, and then did a few touch-n-goes in the pattern at Williston. After Chris was done, he headed over to the Crescent practice area which is a common practice area for Riddle students. The maneuvers (in my non-expert opinion) were similar to those he did on the commercial checkride, but he did it from the right seat. (Traditionally, students sit in the left seat of an aircraft where the instructor sits in the right- until you do your CFI stuff when you become the instructor in the right seat.)

Since I’m not a pilot I don’t really know a whole lot about getting your CFI license, but I do know a lot of students go into that pathway before heading to the regional airlines. The other option that I see students do is flying small cargo gigs, but the vast majority of students become instructors at Riddle and surrounding flight schools.

We came back and then it was a start of a long, studious week for me. April 24 marked the last week of classes, with Friday being a study day before finals began on Saturday, paused for Sunday, and resumed Monday through Wednesday. I have four finals this year: Aerospace Structures I, Space Propulsion, Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics, and Aerospace Engineering Materials. I have two other classes, but one is a lab and the other is the lecture that goes along with the lab, so I don’t have any finals from those.

I’m also a TA for an EGR 101 class, so I also ended up helping students in the engineering makerspace lab while they completed their final projects. I saw a lot of super cool projects, from a Rube Goldberg machine to a balsa wood glider, and then watched the teams present on Thursday.

Classes being over, especially in the summer, is kind of bittersweet for me. It means the summer is starting (and so will my internship soon!) but also that my best friends won’t be just a short drive (or even walk!) away. I’m moving out of my current apartment and into another apartment with a couple of friends, so I know next year will be fun. It’s hard to believe that I’m going to be a senior next year. I’m both ready to graduate and not ready to graduate- I’m excited for my first permanent engineering job, but definitely not ready for all of the adult responsibility that comes with it. I like living in the college bubble- I’ve got a lot of freedom but not too many responsibilities. And with that, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Week in the Life of an ERAU Student

Homework, classes, clubs, repeat.

Well, if you’ve been following the blog it seems like I’m always doing something exciting. ERAU does have a lot of excitement going around but sometimes nothing special happens. So here’s what my life looks like on an average, uneventful week.

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY CLASSES: I have three Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes and one Wednesday-only class. These classes are 50 minutes long each day and classes start on the hour with a 10-minute break in between. I have Aerospace Structures 1 (AE 318) at 10 AM, Space Propulsion (AE 414) at 1 PM and Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics (AE 426) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then Experimental Aerodynamics (AE 314) on Wednesdays at 3 PM.

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY CLASSES: I have one Tuesday/Thursday class that I’m enrolled in, one I’m a TA for, and one Thursday laboratory class. Standard Tuesday/Thursday classes are an hour and 15 minutes long and have a 15-minute break between classes. I have Aerospace Engineering Materials (AE 316) at 5:15 PM, TA for the mechanical engineering Introduction to Engineering (EGR 101) class, and Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory (AE 315) on Thursdays from 2:15 to 5 PM. The laboratory classes are much longer than the standard classes to ensure enough time to perform assigned experiments.

When do I eat lunch? Really, it’s whenever I want to. On Monday/Wednesday/Friday, I have two 2-hour gaps and usually eat around 12 PM. On Tuesday/Thursday it’s typically the same. Sometimes I’ll bring my own lunch and sometimes I’ll buy lunch on campus or get it with a friend. It depends on my day- sometimes I’m swamped with work, and other days I have time to relax.

Aside from my classes, I have several activities that I’m involved in. On Tuesday nights from 7-8, I have an Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board (AESAB) meeting. I’m currently the public relations officer, but I was elected President for the next academic year (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024). The AESAB is the official liaison between the AE department and the student body, and we try to host semesterly events like Cookies and Comments and the AE Town Hall for students.

On Wednesday nights at 6:30, I attend meetings for the Society of Women Engineers. The meeting on 4/12 I went to was the Town Hall and election results meeting, where I found out I was elected as the next Professional Development Chair! While that means I won’t be on the IGEW committee anymore, I’m excited to begin working as the Professional Development Chair and helping other SWE members achieve their professional goals.

And finally, on Friday nights, I am in charge of the Women’s Ambassadors call session. I’m one of the two Co-Coordinators of the program, which is similar to a manager position. I chose to host call sessions on Friday nights, and that’s when the Women’s Ambassadors reach out to accepted students to be a friendly face on campus before they even start. Sometimes instead of a call session we have a general meeting (once per month) where we talk about updates and news.

So clearly, there are still gaps in my schedule- what do I do?

Well, that really depends. Sometimes I’ll do homework if the period is longer than 30 minutes to an hour, and other times I’ll take a break to relax or do quick work. And by “quick work” I mean things like sending emails (or replying to emails!!) or sending people information about a club/organization I’m in. It also depends on where I am in the academic year- if it’s a time that’s a little more stressful, I’ll probably be doing more quick work and less relaxing, but once those periods pass it’s more relaxing and less quick work.

Being involved, at least for me, depends on time management. If you’ve got good time management and good study habits I see no reason why you can’t be involved in a lot of things, even as an engineering major. Maybe I’ll see you at some future club meetings, and if not, I’ll see you in the next post!

Eaglepalooza and Carnival 2023

The carnival’s back in town!

Over the past weekend Blue and Gold Week started, and of course, there was a carnival just like last year. However, instead of a comedy show, the entertainment division of ERAU (called Touch-N-Go) decided to host a music festival called Eaglepalooza. It featured four national artists , Social House, Chase Bryant, and Desiigner) and three local bands (DJ Hot Fiya, SPF 50, and Paper Doors) and took place simultaneously with the carnival.

The carnival started at 2 PM, but I ended up getting there around 3. The disadvantage of going to the carnival during the daytime is that it was extremely hot. They had a couple of different rides than last year, so I went on the new ones before heading inside for a Starbucks.

After that, I decided to go see Social House playing on the main stage. I sat in the shade of the fitness center, which is where most people were, but a few dedicated people chose to be up front near the stage. I was relaxed enough in the shade, but eventually got hungry and went back to my apartment for dinner.

Social House performing at Eaglepalooza.

I came back to the concert around 7:15 just in time for the final local act, Paper Doors, to perform on the second stage. By then the day had cooled off and the sun was setting, so a lot more people had come out to watch. Paper Doors is also a pretty popular band- they’ve played various shows around Daytona and the surrounding area- and the turnout is usually good.

Paper Doors!

I was close to the front and noticed that a few people had decided to watch from the Starbucks balcony. It was much less crowded than the area in front of the stage, but still cool to see. Paper Doors played for almost an hour and did a song with another local artist, Ani, and everyone was having a great time.

After that, there was a 15-minute break before people piled in to go watch the final concert of the night, Desiigner. It was definitely an experience- there were rows and rows of people, and to me it looked like the most popular concert.

When Desiigner came on, his microphone was turned down a little too low, so people were yelling and trying to tell him that we couldn’t hear. There were some people around me who were holding up their phones with a sign, but it ended up being backwards and saying “hear can’t we” instead of “we can’t hear.” Eventually word reached the front of the stage (where I assume everyone could hear perfectly well) and the volume was cranked up.

The concert was super fun but really loud, so I was glad that I brought earplugs. I could feel the sound from the giant speakers and can only imagine what people directly under the speakers were feeling. I love the events that Touch-N-Go puts on and I’m excited to see what will happen next. In the meantime, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!