Riddle Rewind, Take 2: Highlights of Sophomore Year

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Carly

Embry-Riddle Year 2 (Carly’s Version)

Last year I decided to start my yearly Riddle Rewind tradition of the year’s highlights, starting in August and moving forward. So here it is for this year- and it’s been another amazing year.

Seeing my friends again!

It had been a long summer without seeing any of my friends, and on my first night back, I saw two of my friends from freshman year. Karen was a Resident Advisor and had therefore arrived early, while Krysti stayed for flight training.

Being part of the Orientation Team!

I had so much fun during Orientation Week! It was super cool to see orientation from the perspective of someone on the team. There was actually a picture of me from O-Week posted on the Embry-Riddle Instagram (here) during one of our events, too.

Hosting Trivia!

I got to host (and write!) Star Trek trivia with one of my favorite professors! Last year (and every year), Dr. Lear hosts Star Wars trivia during Blue and Gold Week, which is like our spirit week, so we hosted Star Trek trivia in September instead. Hopefully, it will become a tradition!

Carpool Karaoke Nights!

Carpool karaoke continued this year, and it was super fun. We expanded our tastes from purely Broadway into various music styles- including Taylor Swift music.

Being on the Homecoming Court!

*2021 Homecoming Court! Photo by Christian Muller, @christian.m.polariod*

I was lucky to be voted onto the Homecoming Court by my peers for Fall 2021 Homecoming. It was super exciting, and even though I didn’t win, it was super awesome to be nominated!

Halloween Party on Halloween Night!

I didn’t see any big Halloween costume contests like last year, but Halloween also fell on a Sunday instead of a Saturday, which probably had an impact. Either way, I still got to hang out with my friends- we dressed up and hung out outside of New Res 3, where another student had set up his telescope.

Soaring Into Finals Week!

I actually ended up going twice- once with both of my best friends, and once shadowing a friend on his own mock commercial checkride. But both times I went, the flights were super fun, and it’s one activity that I suggest you participate in at Riddle! (There are pilots all over campus. You might have to pay your share of the flight cost, but it’s an unforgettable experience.)

The Thunderbirds’ Annual Daytona 500 Flyover

In February, the annual Daytona 500 happens and everyone at ERAU steers clear of the crowded International Speedway Boulevard. Everyone at ERAU also heads up to the roof of the AMS balcony to watch aircraft come in, including that C-17 in the picture and the Thunderbirds!

Day Trip to KSC!

In March, the Honors Program sponsored a day trip to Kennedy Space Center! It was super fun, and tickets were offered at a discounted rate for 100 students. I’d never been, but since it’s only an hour away, I can say that it is a must-see for any space enthusiast!

Preview Day as an ERAU Rep!

*Some of the Women’s Ambassadors on Preview Day! We’re holding one of our coordinators*.

Preview Day was amazing, even though it rained in the afternoon. I had a lot of fun meeting some of the incoming class and working with the other Women’s Ambassadors and students from the aerospace engineering department. It was sooooo fun!

Sun n’ Fun (n’ Friends)!

I ended up going to the Lakeland Sun n’ Fun Aerospace Expo, which was awesome to look at. I got to tour (and walk around) large aircraft, which I’d never done before. It’s definitely a “go with friends” activity- although I’ll never make it into the cockpit of an aircraft like the ones in the back, they were still fun to look at!

And finally… the Women’s Ambassadors Travel!

*Me… and an ERAU Women’s Ambassador Alumna!*

I had a lot of fun during the two Women’s Ambassadors-sponsored travel activities. It was awesome to meet accepted students across the country and talk about Embry-Riddle from a student’s perspective. I also got to meet an alumna of the program named Claudia, who now works for United Airlines!

Overall, sophomore year has been another amazing year in the books. I’m super excited to begin junior year next year- my classes have been great so far, and I’m expecting another great semester. In the meantime, I’m headed to Colorado for the summer for my internship with Sierra Nevada Corporation!

Back to Kentucky

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Carly

In which I can sleep until 12:30 PM every day.

So, now that the fall semester is over at Embry-Riddle, I returned to Kentucky to see my family for the holidays. I ended up leaving on December 16, the day after my last final. Thankfully, if you’re returning for the spring semester, you’re able to keep all of your stuff in your dorm and don’t have to move it into storage.

My last final was on December 15 at 7:15 PM. In my opinion, a night final is better than a daytime final; I’m a night owl and hate getting up early. Luckily, the earliest final I had started at 10:15 AM; in the normal academic year, my first class started at 10:10.

I caught a ride to the airport with a few friends about an hour before the flight. We were super early- the one thing that I love about the Daytona Beach airport is that the TSA wait time is super short. It usually takes me between 5 and 10 minutes from the time I walk through the airport doors to the time I arrive at the gate.

I’ve never flown out of MCO (the Orlando airport) during the holidays, but I know that the lines can get super long and time-consuming. If you ever go to MCO, you’re also likely to get stuck in traffic trying to get to the airport, too- everyone wants to fly out from MCO since it’s a larger airport. MCO is also a destination for more airlines like Southwest and Spirit; DAB only consistently has flights operated by American and Delta.

There were plenty of Embry-Riddle students on the flight I was on, and I ran into several friends there. Apparently, the plane we were flying on had been delivered to Delta in September of this year and only had about 900 flight hours on it.

*Leaving Riddle, taking off over the beach on 7L!*

I had about a one-hour layover in Atlanta and ended up running from the T gates over to the D gates since that was where my plane to Lexington was. The Atlanta airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and during the holiday season, it too was packed. I passed a few TSA checkpoints and I was so glad I wasn’t stuck in the line there.

The flight from Atlanta to Lexington was shorter than the one from Daytona Beach to Atlanta. It was also a smaller plane (CRJ-900 compared to A321), but still a beautiful piece of engineering nonetheless. I was lucky enough to watch a parallel takeoff. It’s definitely a must-watch event for aviation enthusiasts.

When I landed in Lexington, the weather was completely different than that in Daytona Beach. It was sunny in Daytona when I left, and a day where I could’ve worn shorts. However, in Kentucky, it was cold and rainy- definitely a “pants and long sleeves” sort of day. In addition to my T-shirt, I’d brought along a sweatshirt knowing that Kentucky was cold.

I’ve been in Kentucky for a while now, and I definitely miss the Daytona Beach weather. It’s actually cold in Kentucky- 20 and 30-degree weather compared to the mid-60s or low 70s in Daytona. It’s definitely different- my college friends aren’t a few dorms away, we’re hundreds of miles apart, but we’re still finding ways to stay connected to each other over the break.

I end up flying back to Daytona Beach on Saturday, January 11 since I’ll also be working spring orientation! I’ve been selected to be a part of the 2022 Orientation Team and I’m very excited for spring orientation. Although I miss Embry-Riddle, it’s nice to have winter break since I’ll be catching up on sleep and time with my cats. Happy holidays, and I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

*My cat Chocolate sleeping under our Christmas tree!*

I Tried My Friends’ Starbucks Drinks

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Carly

I’m convinced that my body composition is like 90% Starbucks at this point.

Finals week just ended at Embry-Riddle, and like many others here on campus, I had a need for Starbucks. I usually rotate through the same few orders (Pink Drinks and iced caramel macchiatos!) but I decided to try new drinks that my friends suggested.

I’ve only ever done one ranking post, and that was when I ranked study spots. The Starbucks menu, however, is so vast with infinite combinations of syrups, milk choices, and toppings. So I decided to ask a few of my friends about their favorite Starbucks drinks and give my opinion on them!

Drink 1: My Personal Favorite, the Iced Caramel Macchiato!

The iced caramel macchiato has made several appearances on the blog already, from being my post-booster drink of choice to my “going home for break” drink of choice. In my opinion, the iced caramel macchiato (once stirred) is the perfect combination of bitter coffee and sweet caramel. It also comes in a hot variety (which I’ve never tried) so it’s the perfect year-round drink for the caramel lover. (Also, side note: stir the drink. Do not drink straight espresso.)

Overall Score: 10/10!
Would I order it again? 100%.

Drink 2: Megan’s Peppermint Mocha Creme Frappuccino

On a Thursday before class, Megan suggested that we grab Starbucks, and of course, I said yes. So I decided to try her favorite drink- the peppermint mocha frappuccino. It usually has a special topping, but it just so happened that the campus Starbucks was out of it. I got the creme version (it also comes in a coffee-based version) and I have to say, it was pretty good. It wasn’t super sweet, but it wasn’t bitter, and there was only a hint of peppermint in it. In the end, it was kind of tasteless since the ice had melted down to create a milk-frappuccino-water slush. It’s also very rich- I was barely able to finish the grande.

Overall Score: 8/10
Would I order it again? Yes, if I wanted a sweet drink to drink in 15 minutes or less.

Drink 3: Merrick’s Iced Oat Milk Cappuccino

Next up on the list is fellow blogger Merrick’s iced oat milk cappuccino. I first had this drink during Orientation Week and enjoyed it for the same reason that I enjoyed it this time- it was a nice caffeine boost. The iced oat milk cappuccino isn’t super sweet, and you can taste the bitterness of the coffee. It was a great power-up for a Friday since I finished a lot of my homework. However, it would not be my top choice since I prefer sweet drinks. I can’t drink straight black coffee- it’s far too bitter to me.

Overall Score: 7/10
Would I order it again? Yes, if I wanted a wake-me-up boost of caffeine.

Drink 4: Barista Bianca’s Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte

In the beginning of the month I’d ended up in the Starbucks line and I had no idea what I wanted. I ended up talking to one of my barista friends, Bianca, who said that the sugar cookie almondmilk latte wasn’t bad. So I decided to try that, and she was right- it wasn’t bad, it was actually pretty good. It wasn’t super sweet, but it wasn’t super bitter either- kind of in between the caramel macchiato and the oatmilk cappuccino. The one thing that I don’t like about it was the sugar cookie sprinkles that you can see on the top of the lid. In my opinion, they tasted kind of weird.

Overall Score: 7/10
Would I order it again? Yes, if I wanted a wake-me-up boost of caffeine.

Drink 5: The Skinny Vanilla Latte

I’ll be honest- all of the drinks on here have some sort of sweetness because I simply cannot tolerate the bitterness of a straight-up iced coffee. I’ve got a sweet tooth. This drink hadn’t been specifically requested, but I’d heard that the hot version was good from a friend. However, it’s been hot here, and I was not in the mood for a hot drink. So I decided to try the cold version and I was not disappointed. You can taste the coffee, but it’s diluted with milk and sweet vanilla syrup, so it’s not bitter at all, but not overly sweet. It’s definitely a drink I’m going to get again!

Overall Score: 8.5/10
Would I order it again? Yes, any time I wanted an iced coffee.

So there we have it! Five drinks tried over the last bit of finals week, and I don’t regret trying any of them. If you’re about to enter your final exams, you might need a coffee to power your way through. I haven’t gotten my final grades in yet since Wednesday the 15th marked the end of finals, but I’m excited to see what I get, knowing that I did the best I could. I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

I Went Flying With My Two Best Friends

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Carly

And they never forget to remind me, “You could’ve been an AS major!”

On Sunday, December 12, I went flying in a Cessna for the first time since I switched out of aeronautical science.

It’s a common occurrence here at Embry-Riddle. We have a lot of Aeronautical Science, or AS, majors, and a lot of non-AS students also have at least a private pilot’s license. ERAU’s aircraft are reserved for AS students, so students resort to external aircraft. There are several flight schools that operate out of Daytona’s airport, so it’s common for people to rent aircraft or get their private pilot’s license at one of those schools.

And two of my best friends just happen to be pilots! Chris is a junior in AS, and he’s currently finishing up his commercial certificate. Jack is a freshman in Aviation Business Administration, and he has a private pilot’s license. I, on the other hand, haven’t done any flight training except the eight modules I completed through Embry-Riddle as an AS major.

Jack had reserved a plane through Air America from 12 to 3 PM since it is finals week and we didn’t want to be away from our studies for too long. The three of us decided that we wanted to go to DeLand and get lunch at the little restaurant for our little outing.

It was a really short ride, but fun nonetheless. Since there wasn’t too much for me to do besides take pictures in the backseat, I ended up reading and reviewing for the final exam I had tomorrow. DeLand’s restaurant was nice, and it was quite busy on a Sunday afternoon. I also noticed that there was a surprising amount of aircraft there, including complex aircraft.

DeLand’s airport is also home to Skydive DeLand, and as we were heading back to Daytona Beach, we saw one of their aircraft take off. It wasn’t the only large aircraft I’d seen that day, though. When we left, we saw the 12:45 PM Delta Air Lines waiting on the taxiway. I ended up looking behind us a few minutes later and watched it take off over the beach, soaring into the clouds.

I was also able to get the classic bird’s-eye-view picture over Embry-Riddle, which reminded me just how beautiful our campus is. Going flying is definitely something unique to ERAU- not every school has plenty of pilots. Not every university has flight schools and an airport nearby. It’s definitely something that sets ERAU apart from every other university, and it’s something I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Launch Week and Alligator Sighting

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Carly

I have determined that I never want to see an alligator ever again unless it’s in a zoo.

This past week had two launches! On Thursday, December 2, there was a Starlink launch at 6:12 PM, while there was a STP (Space Test Program) launch at 5:19 AM on Tuesday, December 7.

The Thursday launch was beautiful. It happened around sunset, so the reddish-orange tail of the exhaust plume had a dark blue/purple background. One of my friends was going down to Port Orange, so I hitched a ride with him after my physics class. We ended up finding a beach access spot about twenty minutes earlier than launch time:

The two of us ended up talking and hanging out until the actual launch happened. It was on a SpaceX Falcon 9, and it went off right at the scheduled launch time. I’d never watched a launch from anywhere that wasn’t close before, so it was definitely a new experience.

I couldn’t hear the noise over the sound of waves crashing on the beach, but it was still a pretty view. Even up close, the rocket isn’t huge, but from here it looked more like a timelapse of a sunrise. It’s definitely a good way to watch if you don’t want to drive all the way down to Titusville.

The Tuesday launch had several delays. It was scheduled for Sunday at 4:04 AM, then moved to Monday, and finally moved to Tuesday. On Tuesday, at T-4 (four minutes before it was scheduled to launch), it was delayed again to 5:03 AM and eventually launched at 5:19 AM. I’m just glad it wasn’t a total scrub- it’s about an hour’s drive to the launch site each way. Luckily, my earliest class was 3:45 in the afternoon, so I was fine to drive down.

Well, our group had arrived at around 3:45. One of my friends had brought his camera, which he set up, and the other two and I ended up looking over at the water. Someone spotted a gator under the dark water, which scared me a bit- I’m not from Florida and have no experience with wild alligators. It ended up making a splash, but then it became silent again.

Once the launch was delayed, all four of us ended up getting back in the car. We sat around and talked about our classes and experiences at Riddle. That’s one thing that I love about the people in this school- everyone has a shared interest in aviation, aerospace, or both. And everyone who goes to a rocket launch at crazy hours of the morning loves aerospace.

Fog had started to roll in around 5:19, but we were still able to get a good view:

The fog wasn’t too thick, so it didn’t really obstruct our view. This launch was pretty loud, and the alligators around us apparently did not appreciate the disturbance. So a few moments after the rumble had started, we heard a different sort of noise- an alligator growl.

What happened next was a blur. I was closest to the car, about ten feet away, and I jumped in it with everyone else following quickly behind. Unfortunately for us, the camera that we’d set up was still outside, so we ended up backing the car to the camera and pulling it in through the back window. We all watched the rocket curve across the sky from the car, and once it disappeared, we left before running into any more agitated alligators.

Overall, it’s been a pretty good week in terms of launches. There’s one scheduled for Thursday at 1 AM, but I’ll likely not be going since it’s the end of the semester and I need to study for finals. I actually only have three this year- physics, thermodynamics, and statics. It was nice to have a break in between this crazy pre-finals week and watch some launches, knowing that it’s what I’ll work on once I graduate. I’ll see you in the next post, and hopefully at Riddle!

Final Week & Finals Tips

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Merrick

Happy December everyone! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, FL and we are one week away from finals! With only one week left in the semester the current atmosphere on campus is busy and stressed. My schedule for this week includes deadlines for reports, presentations, final projects, and tests from Monday-Thursday. Friday is Study Day meaning no classes before exams begin Saturday December 11. Finals end this semester on Wednesday December 15. For more information the Academic Calendar can be found here, and the Fall 2021 Final Exam schedule can be found here on page 5 of the Registration Guidelines and Important Information document.

The end of the semester can be stressful, especially with all classes seemly scheduling deadlines during the same time before finals, but truly we’re so close to break! In less than two weeks the semester and final exams will have concluded and I am so excited to relax over the holiday before the Spring 2022 semester begins. Yesterday I spent about 7 hours in the library working on a final project for my preliminary aircraft design class and this past week has had the same (and more) amount of rigorous work on projects for different classes as well.

The best advice I have for college students experiencing “the grind” portion of the end of the semester is to remember that this short couple weeks is only temporary and you will get a break soon. Theres no way getting around having classes schedule exams and other due dates so close together, and it seems that every semester the last week brings a similar atmosphere and work load. To get through it we must go through it. Personally, I don’t necessarily agree with the concept of all nighters to finish work, but I do have a lot of late nights and early mornings. As someone who extensively plans ahead, during the last week of a semester there never seems to be enough time in a day.

My best advice for getting through finals is to take care of yourself as much as possible. Drinking water and getting enough sleep are both extremely important! These tips for success sound simple, but when classes are extremely rigorous and demanding, sometimes the simplest acts of self care really make all the difference!

One of my favorite Florida sunsets on campus the other evening!

Other keys to success are snacks, coffee or your caffeine of choice, and decompressing after long days! During especially stressful times I make sure to prioritize a balance of working out and resting. Most of my recent days have been filled with hours of continuous work and studying for my classes, which unfortunately means a lot of sitting (something that I personally find very difficult and boring to do for hours). Thus, its important to take breaks to walk around, stretch, and schedule time to workout. I find that after a productive school work day, usually my mind is exhausted but my body hasn’t really moved all day. To alleviate this I will either go for a run, go to the gym, or do a yoga or workout video on YouTube. I feel better when I get to move my body, which in turn helps me focus more and think more clearly when working on assignments or studying. I also use working out as motivation to stay more focused while I work! Self care is extremely important, especially when the semester is busy. Keep on keeping on folks, will report back soon!

Thanksgiving Break in Daytona Beach

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Carly

…We stay hungry, we devour our Thanksgiving dinner!

After my pre-Thanksgiving weekend and the two days of class, Thanksgiving break has finally arrived. Last year, due to COVID-19, finals were virtual and Thanksgiving and Christmas break were merged into one long two-month break. I went home then, so I’ve never experienced Embry-Riddle during break time.

I did miss my family. To me, Thanksgiving break was a little too short and a little too late for me to want to go home- I’d be seeing my family in two weeks, and I saw them when they came to see me at the SWE conference earlier this year. The only family members I hadn’t seen were my cats, but I got plenty of pictures of them over the break, including this one, where my cat is curled up in my windowsill.

It was also really quiet here, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I did a lot of homework on Wednesday and Thursday, and also made a trip to Walmart on Wednesday. It was, as I predicted, pretty packed. I ended up getting my groceries (hopefully through winter break?), including my favorite holiday treat: eggnog. I know that “Is Eggnog Good?” is a hefty debate topic, but I’m on the side of eggnog being good.

Thursday was Thanksgiving. One of my other friends had also stayed for the break, so we decided to go to dinner at IHOP. For those on campus without access to a car, the Boundless All-You-Can-Eat dining location also does a Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day, and from what I’ve heard, this year’s was really good. At IHOP, I ended up trying the new Winter Wonderland pancakes with blue marble-looking frosting, and they were delicious.

After IHOP, we checked FlightRadar24 and found out that a Delta flight was on final approach. So the two of us jumped in the car and tried to get to the airport’s cell phone lot to watch it come in, but we got held up by several red lights. We did end up seeing it come in as we were waiting, and it wasn’t the worst spot ever, but we couldn’t hear it well, unfortunately.

*Delta flight (last flight of the day) on Thanksgiving on final approach.*

Friday was pretty uneventful too. I ended up going to Steak n Shake for a very late 9 PM dinner with the same friend, getting a chocolate milkshake. We ended up driving around Daytona for a little bit, and then around campus. It was like a ghost town- everyone was gone, and even though it was 10 PM, there were NO cars in the student union parking lot. Usually, on a weeknight, people are still doing their late-night studying, so you’d see at least a few.

We parked facing the runway, and the most unusual thing about the break was the lack of flight training going on. We were there for a decent amount of time and barely saw anyone going in and out. The flight department was officially shut down on Thanksgiving, but flight training continued on Friday. It was unusual to see maybe one ERAU plane in the entire amount of time we were sitting there.

Saturday and Sunday were also quiet. On Saturday, people started coming back from break, but the bulk of people arrived on Sunday night. By then, the halls were lively again, and I’d see people as I passed by instead of standing in a seemingly-abandoned ERAU.

Did I miss my family? Yes. Was I glad that I stayed for break? Also yes. I got caught up on a lot of my homework, and I had plenty of time to do it so I wasn’t stressed about doing it all during one short time period. I had two thermodynamics homework assignments, an essay draft, physics, and math homework to do which I all successfully did over the break.

It was also very nice to sleep in until 11 or 12 each morning and not have to worry about attending or missing classes. The break was definitely needed before the push to final exams, which are in about two weeks. The last day of finals is December 15, and I, unfortunately, have one during the last time period of the day. It’s fine, though- I’ll be studying hard over the next few weeks.

I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle! (We’re having a preview day and family weekend in the spring semester, so I might see you there!)

Pie a Theta Phi and the Lucy Launch

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Carly

Lucy in the sky with diamonds, Carly on the ground with homework.

So, the back half of last week was eventful for me! On Thursday, Theta Phi Alpha had a “Pie a Theta Phi” event. We had shaving cream pies, and people could donate money to pie sisters in the face. Participation to be pied was completely voluntary, and to be honest, I didn’t expect to do it. One of my friends ended up coming by and asking if I was one of the people who could be pied. Not thinking anything of it, I told him that if he doubled the donation, then he could pie me in the face.

So, he doubled his donation.

It was quite the experience. Thankfully, he was nice and it didn’t end up too messy. The friend then offered to let me pie him back for $10, which I immediately took the opportunity to. It just so happens that he’s a new member in ERAU’S FIJI chapter (FIJI is the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity). His fraternity brothers then decided to donate to pie him in the face, which was entertaining for all parties involved.

And for two people who didn’t expect to get pied in the face, I think I ended up having the least messy experience. Thankfully the sisters of Theta Phi had come prepared, and they had plenty of towels and water for us to clean off with.

Friday was pretty normal, except for the fact that I tried to go to bed super early. NASA was launching their Lucy mission and targeting a 5:34 AM launch. I’d already decided that I wanted to go see it, and thankfully, one of my other friends had a car with seats available. So, a few of us piled into his car around 4 AM and made the drive down to Titusville.

One of my favorite things about Embry-Riddle is the number of students that love watching rocket launches. For every rocket launch that I’ve wanted to go to, I’ve been able to find a ride. And even for launches that aren’t on the East Coast, I’ve been able to join a small group. (For example, the Firefly Alpha launch- mentioned in a previous post.)

The Lucy launch went off right at 5:34 AM. It was kind of chilly outside, so I was glad I was in pants and a hoodie. (There was also an abundance of mosquitoes at our watch site, and thankfully, I only got one mosquito bite.) We watched the launch curve slightly to the left and fade into the sky as we listened to the soft rocket rumble. And once it had disappeared, we packed back up and went back to Embry-Riddle.

We ended up getting back around 7 AM, and I was dropped off at my dorm. I ended up sleeping until 12 PM and got on with the weekend homework haul. It’s great living on the Space Coast, though. I’m studying aerospace engineering, and every rocket launch is a reminder of what I’ll be doing for a career one day. One day, I’ll be able to say that I helped put something in space.

So, with that, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle! (And maybe in the industry?)

Homecoming 2021

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Carly

In which I looked like a Sims character when standing on the field.

*Me at Homecoming as part of the Court! Photo courtesy Christian Muller.*

In case you missed it, last week (October 4-10) was homecoming week! In the week preceding, homecoming court nominations opened, and to my surprise, I was nominated for homecoming court. I was shocked but honored to be nominated.

Homecoming week was super fun. On Thursday, the Student Engagement and Student Union (or SESU) department hosted the First Thursday festival, where candidates introduced themselves to the student body. Campaigning had been going on all week, and the voting ended on Friday at 5 PM. There was also a dance on Friday.

The Homecoming game was on Saturday. Because Embry-Riddle doesn’t have a football team, the Homecoming Royals are crowned at halftime of the soccer game. I arrived at the game early with a few friends and headed over to the student tailgate area. There were several student government officials and students, so my friends and I ended up hanging out over there with them.

A few minutes later, one of the Avion photographers showed up and took professional pictures of the Homecoming court. He took individual photos and group photos before finishing with several pictures of the court as a whole.

Anticipation for the crowning was high. The two royals were Jim Myers and Kyla O’Connor, both seniors in the College of Business. I was happy for both of them- even though I didn’t win, I was extremely thankful for the opportunity. I didn’t expect to win as a sophomore, it was great just to be nominated.

After the game, I changed and attended the Touch-N-Go Homecoming Concert. The headlining artist this year was Lauv with MAX as the special guest. I went with a few friends, but we ended up leaving a little early to go and find a good spot for the firework show, which was immediately after. The three of us ended up getting pretty close to the fireworks and then ended up parting ways for the night.

I really enjoyed Embry-Riddle’s 2021 Homecoming. The student union was beautifully decorated for the entire week and the events were super fun. I’d never been to a concert before the Touch-N-Go concert, and I thought it was a great experience. I will definitely be attending next year’s concert, whoever the artist may be. The best thing is that as a Riddle student, I get to help choose the artist- Touch-N-Go picks several artists and then surveys the students to select the winner.

See you in the next post, and hopefully at Riddle!

*The 2021 Homecoming Court! Photo courtesy of Christian Muller.*

Midterm Exams and Carpool Karaoke, Riddle Style!

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Carly

In which the blog takes a musical turn, and we’re the main characters!

So, in the past two weeks, I’ve been studying a lot. I had a statics exam on Friday, October 1, an over-the-weekend calc 3 test from Friday to Sunday (October 1-3), an essay due on Monday, October 4, and a physics exam on Thursday, October 7.

I ended up doing really well on the statics and calc exams, and I’ll be getting the essay grade back soon. I spent a lot of time studying for both, but at the same time, you have to have a study-social balance in college or else you’ll get burnt out. So what did I do when I wasn’t studying?

Carpool karaoke!

Carpool karaoke started as a thing between me and one of my best friends last year. She and I would go drive around anywhere between 10 PM and 2 AM on days that we had only afternoon classes and had made sure that all of our work was done. On weekends, sometimes we’d even be out until 3. Carpool karaoke was also accompanied by a run to the nearest gas station for slushies:

Carpool karaoke eventually ended up adapting to be a group activity after gradual introductions of various people. It really depends on who’s free at what times, and we only go if a decent amount of us are available.

The group has adapted a lot. We’ve ventured out from straight musical songs (with World Burn from Mean Girls being a favorite) to pop and everything in between. It also fluctuates with whoever comes along- we might play more pop music as opposed to musicals if certain people are there, and vice versa.

Depending on who’s driving, we’ll also go to different places. Some people drive north and we hang out on the beach for a bit, other people will drive to DeLand and back, and some will just drive in circles around Daytona. And sometimes we’ll do multiple routes, depending on how long we stay out.

Our group’s been kind of slow with the whole karaoke thing since it’s midterm exam season. However, we got the opportunity to go on Tuesday night! I ended up in the back middle seat while one of my other friends took a turn driving.

Instead of going to the beach, we quickly stopped to get gas at Buc-ee’s. After walking around Buc-ees and getting a few things there, we deicded to go over to Steak ‘n Shake. It was kind of busy, but we didn’t mind waiting for a bit. And of course, we ended up taking a group picture.

*Steak n’ Shake! Featuring the O-Team baseball tee.*

After that, we ended up going over to DeLand and back while hanging out and talking. We ended up staying out from 9 to 11ish, so we could all be responsible and get sleep before classes tomorrow. I know that a few of us have also had (or have!) tests this week, so it was a good mid-week activity to do.

I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully (doing your own version of carpool karaoke?) at Riddle!

My Life @ Riddle

Daytona Beach Edition

Tag Archives: Fall 2021