CPR & Subtle Changes

Happy November everyone! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, but next week will be the Thanksgiving holiday, and henceforth I will temporarily venture up north into the cold for a few days (yikes)! Of course before the break there is still a lot to get done, inclusive of tons of homework, finals in AFROTC, and a rogue Statics test, but nonetheless fear not, the end is near.

I’m so excited to see my sister again at Thanksgiving!

Something I want to focus on as the weather gets colder and the semester starts wrapping up, is that although routines are pretty much set at this point, as winter and the holiday season nears, typically people associate New Years as being a time for change, which is natural. This is just a friendly reminder that you don’t have to wait until a certain day to initiate change, life is short, and the choices you make today will inevitably effect your tomorrow, so make them positive!

As I typically spend my Friday nights going to boxing classes and working on physics lab reports, recently I spent an atypical Friday night getting CPR certified with some other AFROTC cadets, which led me to reflect on how the small changes I’ve been making in my life lately are having an impact.

Some recent subtle, yet influential, changes I’ve made in my life lately:

-Trying my best to get as much sleep as possible (yes, even if that means my Friday nights consist of working out and homework)

Waking up to this wonderful view every morning is such an underrated but amazing aspect about being here.

-Working out more with friends, although I enjoy working out alone, my schedule is usually very busy and I don’t have much time to “hang out” with people. The solution to this problem, is you guessed it-coffee. Just kidding! Killing two birds with one stone, working out with friends gives you the physical benefits of working out, PLUS all the psychological and mental benefits that hanging out with friends provides such as stress relief, good conversation, extra motivation, and happiness. 

(Side note: study groups and homework sessions with friends inclusive of coffee can also be very beneficial when they are focused and productive.)

Morale PT with my flight!

-Making a solid effort to practice yoga more (preferably in the mornings before a long day, or in the evenings after a stressful day or a lot of homework and studying)

-I went to the chiropractor for the first time in my life! If you’re a student at ERAU going to see the chiropractor at Palmer Chiropractic Clinic in Daytona Beach is completely free, and something I highly recommend if you’re stressed or want to make some time to reset with an adjustment. I had originally gone because a friend recommended it to help alleviate being sore from working out, but they help with tense muscles from stress too!

-Switching to Dark Mode on my laptop (just wow friends). For Apple product users if you use Mac or MacBook this setting is life changing, especially when studying late at night. I strongly suggest using the Night Shift option which changes the screen brightness to less intense colors so if you’re working on a computer for long hours it isn’t so strenuous on the eyes. I use the Do Not Disturb option too, which silences notifications, that you can preset for certain times daily where your phone will be completely silent. I have mine set to automatically activate from 2200 to 0300 so I know at least every night I will have a minimum of  5 hours quiet time, whether I be up studying or (preferably, but not always realistically) asleep.

Will report back soon y’all. Have a safe Thanksgiving break!

Adapt and Overcome

I’m nearly 7 weeks into my internship and the most valuable skill I’ve learned thus far is the ability to adapt. Not only is Space Tango a start-up, but the companies we work with expect reasonable turnover times. I myself am the current point of contact for all press and media information in-going and outgoing. I have to have all the information ready for public release and company distribution.

falcon9crs-10

Although delayed a day at the last minute, Space Tango successfully launched experiments on SpaceX CRS-10, pictured above.

However, working with launches can be unpredictable. Just as quickly as a launch date changes from week to week, I have to be able to update the press kits and all news information. Most recently, CRS-10 launch date and time was changed a week before launch. Space Tango was informed as soon as possible, and most conveniently, the day we were all to begin our travels to Cape Canaveral. The team got a chance to sleep in a little, but as soon as they arrived to the office to reevaluate their mission timeline it was calm chaos.

It sounds like a contradiction, but it was one of those “you have to be there to understand it” situations. Flights couldn’t be changed and all the equipment was packed. Some experiments that we carried had to be kept cold. Despite the finite details that all had to be kept in mind while planning around the launch change, everyone was so calm. They adapted to the situation.

In the end, things don’t always work as we may hope. We do, however, have to be ready to accommodate to changes. More so, you can’t fight the facts. Accept change as it comes and work accordingly.

Change is Good!

As the fall semester comes to a close, it is time to start preparing for the spring! You may think it’s crazy that we’re already getting ready for something that is still months down the road, but that’s college for you. The end of the semester is when students start deciding what classes they want to enroll in and what leadership positions they want to take on. After finding out about my classes and my positions, all I can say is that I’m excited for the spring!

One of the things that excites me for the spring is that I will finally be starting my Engineering Science classes for the Aerospace Engineering program! These classes will include Dynamics, Fluids, and Solids, which are the three classes that are the building blocks for all of the engineering fields. These classes are also three of the most difficult classes on campus and when they are taken together they are known on campus as “The Gauntlet”. It is called this because it is the last true test and once you get through “The Gauntlet”, you can get through anything. I’m looking forward to taking this challenge head-on!

Next spring I will also be taking on a leadership position in my sorority, Tri Sigma. I will serve as Eta Tau’s 2016 Vice President of New Member Education, which is one of the most important positions on the Executive Board. This is because I will be responsible for educating all of our new members for the spring and fall semesters about everything Sigma Sigma Sigma! This excites me because I will be able to share my passion and knowledge for Sigma with our new members and hopefully they will love it just as much as I do. The position will also bring me closer to my sisters, which will be great. Kealey and Lindsey, who are other My Life @ Riddle bloggers, will also be serving on the exec board! Kealey will be Vice President of Operations and Lindsey will be Treasurer. I’m looking forward to spending more time with these two, as exec members and sisters!

Another organization I had the honor of being selected for is the Women’s Ambassador Program. This program’s goal is to strengthen the bond between prospective female students, current students, and alumni while also creating a healthier and more diverse University atmosphere. Since Embry-Riddle’s female population makes up about 18 percent of the student population, the program aims to increase female student enrollment and retention. I’m so excited to be a new ambassador because it was something I have wanted to do since coming to the campus, and now I will be able to positively impact the college experiences of young women!

The spring semester will be bringing on many changes, and I couldn’t be more excited! It will be the semester where I will grow as not only an engineering student, but as a leader as well. I guess change really is good!

Change Quote