There are no pictures that can perfectly encapsulate these last 3 ½ years, so this is all text, I apologize. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the read, and maybe find some inspiration from it.
12 class days. 28 total days. I will graduate with my bachelor’s degree on December 12, 2024. And I am terrified. Excited, of course, but terrified. But I want to use this post as a reflection on the past 3 ½ years at Embry-Riddle.
When I first started at ERAU in the fall of 2021, I had the same feeling as I do now. Terrified. Excited, of course, but terrified. I had no idea what the future had in store for me as a bright-eyed, happy-go-lucky freshman. I remember my first year in the dorms fondly; Hanging out with people I just met as though I’ve known them for years characterized most of that time. I remember playing mini golf in the quad outside of the student union at 10pm, and being fascinated by the Starship robots that roam the campus. I learned to ride a skateboard, although I did fall and skin my knee a few too many times (I still have the scars). I joined a sorority, and I got my first campus job. I had the privilege of photographing my brother’s engagement, an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. In my first semester, I achieved a 4.0 GPA, a goal I’m looking to reach once again in my last semester (kind of a full-circle moment idea). I was elected into a chair position for my sorority, and I helped plan our continued involvement in Intramural sports, specifically volleyball, something the chapter is still participating in now. I went to my first career fair, and oh, how I’ve grown since then. I got yet another campus job, one that I still look back on fondly, wishing I could have done more in my time in that role. All in all, I completed not just my first year at Embry-Riddle, but my first year on my own. And, if I do say so myself, I think I did a pretty good job in that.
My first summer after starting college consisted of moving back home to work at a waterpark just about everyday. Nothing too eventful, just making sure everyone there was having fun and staying safe. I found it to be a great way to productively enjoy my summer. Although, that summer did go by pretty fast, especially considering I had to be back at the Daytona Beach campus a couple weeks early for RA Training.
RA Training marked the beginning of my second year at Embry-Riddle. Again, terrified. Excited, of course, but terrified. I remember having an absolute blast at training. Sure, we had some early mornings and some long training sessions. But, all of it was worth it for the experiences I had and the people I met. I remember visiting my older sister in the housing office often, maybe even 3 or 4 times a week (She was a graduate assistant for Housing and Residence Life my first year as an RA). I remember attending some of my first Embry-Riddle hockey games, and also working some of my first RA duty shifts, and writing my first incident reports too. I remember my first time recruiting for Sigma Kappa (my sorority), and my first time observing a friend’s flight. I remember getting to take engagement photos for a coworker, and having to keep that secret for a whole month. During my second year, I was in my first episode of the Avion Broadcast, and would continue doing that for the upcoming year (more on that later). I got to see one of my best friends, my sister Megan, graduate with her Master’s degree in Human Factors Psychology. I also attended my first (and only, so far) Taylor Swift concert with my sisters (3 of them, and biological, not sorority sisters) and a friend. My sisters and Taylor pretty much rounded out my year, and brought me to my second summer after starting college and my first summer staying around in Daytona Beach.
During my second summer, I continued to work as an RA, and I also started work as a lifeguard at the new Embry-Riddle fitness center pool. Once again, my main focus was on making sure everyone was having fun and staying safe. I got the chance to ride in a seaplane, which I highly recommend, and I got to celebrate the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) with one of my sorority sisters. So, Taylor rounded out my summer too and brought me back to reality aka year two of RA Training.
My second go-around as an RA kickstarted by third year at ERAU, and my last full school year prior to graduation. (Terrifying. Exciting, but terrifying.) I remember getting to be a part of training scenarios for the new RAs, and once again, Taylor Swift was involved. This is one of those “you had to be there” moments, and I’ll just leave you with the fact that I had a blast and loved getting to make a lot of people laugh during some pretty intensive training scenarios. I remember starting in my role as SGA Senator for the College of Business, and starring as a co-anchor for the Avion Broadcast. I also remember breaking my foot, and spending essentially a whole semester on crutches. I remember getting to visit Salem, MA with my younger sister and my mom near Halloween, which was especially spooky. I remember spending my first Thanksgiving with the housing staff, rather than with my family at home. I got yet another job, this time off campus, as a server. I started looking for a place to live for my last summer and my last semester. One of my favorite memories from this year, though, has to be my trip to San Diego, CA with The Avion for the Spring 2024 Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) Spring College Media Conference. Another favorite has to be getting to see another one of my best friends graduate with his Bachelor’s degree in Aviation Business Administration. I also remember getting to compete in Delta Chi’s first ever Martlet Madness Philanthropy Competition, and getting to meet so many new people. New opportunities and good friends characterize most of this year, and brings me to my last summer before graduating from Embry-Riddle.
Summer 2024 was my last summer before graduation. I remember reprising my role as a lifeguard at the Embry-Riddle pool, after taking the last year off due to injury and then further scheduling conflicts. I remember moving into my first ever apartment, but certainly not my last. I spent a lot of the summer evenings at work, serving, usually after spending a day reading a book at the pool at the apartments or after work at ERAU. I also remember purchasing a bottle of wine with my name on it (seriously, the brand was Chloe) to celebrate my 21st birthday. While the summer may not have been the most exciting, it brought me to where I am now. A new apartment, and my last semester of my undergraduate career.
My last semester. I feel as though it’s hard to reflect fully on the semester, mostly because I don’t want to accept the fact that it is almost over. (I’m terrified. Excited, but terrified.) The semester started off smoothly, but pretty quickly, Florida weather began to wreak havoc. 2 individual instances of classes getting canceled due to a hurricane was not on my bingo card for the semester, but that did in fact occur. This might have made the semester slightly easier to handle, but I’m still not sure. As I’m sitting here writing this, I am procrastinating some final projects, again, refusing to believe this chapter of my life is almost over. I will work on those projects when I’m done writing this, but first, I want to end this reflection on a note of thanks.
Thank you, first, to my parents, who have always pushed me to work as hard as I can, and have helped me get to the point I am now. Thank you to my sister, Megan, who was always by my side, even when I was wrong. Even though Megan is older than me and was at ERAU longer than me, she didn’t mind being known as “Chloe’s sister.” Thank you for staying back and watching me shine. Thank you to my sorority sisters, specifically Steph, my biggest hype-woman, and Sam, my forever favorite lunch date, and Kel, my favorite person to laugh with about feeling like ducks when it rains a lot. Thank you to my sorority sisters turned roommates, Nicole, Jemma, Livy, and Erin. Whether it was a week of being roommates, a couple months, or almost a whole year, thanks for taking me in. Thank you to every employer I ever had on this campus, all of you were incredibly understanding, and always pushed me to do my best work. I wouldn’t be where I am without those experiences. Thank you to my many friends who have helped me realize my worth, and have loved me even when I didn’t love myself. Thank you to my professors, who have taught me so much, and again, I promise I’ll do those projects when this is done. Thank you to Matthew, who inspires me everyday to work harder than anyone ever expects me to, to never stop working to be my best self, and for allowing me to be fully myself, whether that involves taking myself a little too seriously or not seriously at all. There are far too many more people to thank, but if you took the time to read this far, thank you. I love you all, and I hope we’ll cross paths again after graduation. There are also so many more memories I didn’t mention, but if we share those memories, just know I am forever grateful for every single one of them.
This might be my last post here, but in all honesty, I’m not quite sure. Maybe I’ll write another just to continue procrastinating (kidding). Again, thank you. Here’s to the exciting future. Terrifying future, of course, but exciting.
Sincerely,
Chloe Christovich
11/14/2024
