How My First Week of Classes Went

At least when I fell off my longboard I was 30 feet away from Health Services…

Well, the first week of classes has officially ended, and we’re getting through the second. I’ve already gotten plenty of assignments to keep me busy.

Yes, the sign is really that big! Mask removed for photo only. Both photographer and I are fully vaccinated.

On the first (and second!) day, I was lucky enough to find all of my classes and not walk in the wrong direction. Since I was part of the 2021 O-Team, I wore one of our shirts to class on the first day in case anyone had questions. I ran into a few people who did, and I was happy to help.

Activities seemed to resume, for the most part, as normal. Currently, Embry-Riddle expects you to wear a mask indoors, and most activities picked up within the first two weeks. For example, the Society of Women Engineers’ first general meeting is Wednesday, September 8, while the first chapter event of the semester for my sorority was on Monday, August 30- the day school started.

Unfortunately, I had a minor longboard incident on the second day of school. While I’m okay, I accidentally ran over a crack and skinned my knee. Normally, I would’ve called the school’s Emergency Response Team, which provides free medical care on campus from trained students, but I was really close to Health Services and just went there. They took a look and gave me a bunch of bandages and instructed me on how to take care of it.

Thursday was the most eventful day of the week for me. While I only have one class (YES!), the school hosted a free petting zoo.

Birdie!

In the zoo, there were a few other animals including a fennec fox, giant yellow snake, and an elderly spotted cat. I also saw a chinchilla, fancy chickens, a calf, and several goats. It was pretty fun.

That night- September 3- a few of my friends and I decided to watch Firefly Aerospace’s launch of the Firefly Alpha. We reserved one of the student union study room, and one of my friends brought his laptop. We arrived early and hung out for about two hours- an hour before the launch and an hour waiting for the next attempt.

Although the Firefly Alpha didn’t make it to its planned trajectory, it was really fun to hang out with my friends. It was a fun first week, and I did some more hanging-out on Labor Day weekend.

Of course, I’ve also been doing a lot more work than I did last year. As classes get harder, you might have less homework, but it’ll be more time-consuming. I’m glad tutoring is starting up again- the tutors are super helpful, and they’re the reason I got an A in Calculus II last year.

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

January 2012

Winter break has come and gone. It felt like yesterday I finished my last final for the Fall 2011 Semester and I was heading home for Christmas Break. Now I am back at school starting my last semester of college! If all goes well I will be graduating this May!

Over the Winter break I mostly visited with the family and relaxed at home. It was my first time being home for that long since last winter break. Near the end of the break one of my high school teachers invited me in to speak to his class about college life and making the right decisions in choosing a career path that you will love and enjoy. I also spent time talking about Embry-Riddle and how great their programs are.

Out of the five classes I talk to, I hope to inspire at least one student to go out and do something they love to do and succeed at it! I plan on visiting other schools back at home and around the Daytona Beach area talking about the same topics I discussed at my old high school. Several teachers have asked me to give speeches when I return back home for Spring Break.

The first week of classes went very well. I have two classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which don’t start till 1 PM. This means I can catch up on some sleep! Tuesday and Thursdays I start early at 8:15 and have three classes. So far I am enjoying my schedule and hopefully it does not get too busy during the semester!

On January 14-15 I went down to Port St. Lucie, FL for the Season Opener Aerobatic Contest. The Aerobatic Season has officially started with this contest. There were a total of 28 pilots at this competition. This year I have moved up to the Unlimited class, which is the highest class in Aerobatic Competition besides the Invitational Class. Considering I had NO practice going into this contest I did very well! I ended up placing 4th place for my first Unlimited Contest. I am using the same airplane as I used last season except with a different setup and transmitter. Weather was a little cold, but for the most part it was a great relaxing weekend.

The last weekend of January we will be going to Jacksonville, Florida for the annual Aerobatic Judging School. We will learn the new rules for the 2012 season along with discussing how to become a better judge and pilot at these competitions. After this event we will be heading to Miami, Florida during February 18th for the 2012 AMPs Aerobatic Challenge.

Thanks for taking the time to read this month’s journal! If you have any questions feel free to email me!