A Busy End to Sophomore Year

Hey everyone! As the spring semester comes to a close I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Dominic Popolo and I am a Communications Major with a track in Broadcast Meteorology and a minor in Emergency Management. I recently completed my second year at Embry-Riddle, which is crazy because it feels like I just started! I guess time just flies like that.

A picture of me in New York City last August!

This past week was probably the busiest I’ve had all semester. Between banquets, finishing up projects, presentations, and more, it has been a marathon. As stressful as it was, it was also super fun and rewarding.

My week kicked off on Easter Sunday, when my friends and I drove up to Matanzas Inlet to have one last beach day of the semester. I definitely enjoyed soaking up some sun before I return home to New Jersey, where it won’t quite be beach weather yet. The sun was definitely a little harsh and I got a little sunburnt, but I still had a blast!

Tuesday started off with my final presentation in my Thunderstorms class about the March 25, 2023 tornado outbreak. My partner Reagan and I had been practicing all weekend for this presentation, and we were able to successfully give all the information about the severe weather event in the allotted time. It was definitely a stress reliever to complete the presentation.

That night, I had the annual end of the year meteorology banquet, where we celebrated the accomplishments of both the Meteorology Department and the American Meteorological Society / National Weather Association (AMS/NWA) Chapter on campus. This banquet was a great time to get together as meteorologists on campus, eat some barbeque, and watch the annual “Professors Read Mean Evaluations” video. The executive board for AMS/NWA next year was also revealed at the banquet, and I will be serving as Secretary. I am so excited to help further the mission of the organization on campus!

The AMS/NWA Executive Board for the 2025-26 school year!

After the banquet, I went to my final Avion meeting of the semester as News Editor, where we celebrated the semester with a party and staff awards and superlatives. It was such a fun year in Avion this year, and I am so excited to continue my journey in the organization as Managing Editor next year!

My final meeting with my News Team in the Avion. News Team Best Team!!!

Thursday was another busy day. I started my day off by presenting my research project at the Humanities/Communication Research Symposium. My group researched how upperclassmen digitally market themselves to potential employers for our Communication Research Theory and Methods class. It was such an enlightening experience to be able to present our research that we have been working on all semester.

Presenting my research at the Humanities/Communication Research Symposium!

Later on Thursday, I attended the Student Government Association (SGA) End of the Year Banquet. Here, we highlighted the accomplishments of the SGA throughout the last year, and looked forward to what next year will bring. It was a great chance to spend time with my friends and celebrate our hard work throughout the year. We also got some great pictures at The Avion’s brand new photo booth!

With Friday came study day, and I worked an entire day in the Weather Lab tutoring students for their Introductory and Aviation weather courses. I really enjoy my job here, being able to share my weather knowledge with students from all majors to help them succeed in their classes. Starting Friday night, I also assisted with the Late Night Study Sessions in the Student Leadership Suite, handing out donuts with the Avion as a part of the SGA’s broader initiative to feed as many students up late studying during finals. We gave out 10 dozen donuts in 17 minutes, which was crazy!

Finally, my week came to a close on Saturday. After working on our final reports and projects all day, my friends and I decided to take a drive to the park at Ponce Inlet with some Taco Bell for a break from the stress of finals week. This was a nice way to end our super busy week and spend some time with each other before we all disperse for the summer. A couple of my friends are graduating this semester, and I am so sad to see them leave. But I know there will be even more friends to be made and adventures to have when I return to campus in August.

A nice night at Ponce Inlet to cap off my crazy week.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my final week of Sophomore year on campus. Just know that there is much more to come over the summer and next fall! See you all soon!

Up Up and Away!

Hello All!

It’s crazy how fast time goes by now a days! It feels like just yesterday that I first came to Embry-Riddle and visited the campus for the first time. It has been almost four years, two different changes of major, and countless life lessons since that day. But lets not get ahead of ourselves… Here’s a quick run down:

My names Kealey Cela and I grew up a Navy Brat; living all over the world and moving more than 13 times! I lived in places like Hawaii, Japan, Virginia, and California. Finally my family settled down in a small town in New Hampshire where I went to high school. I’m not the biggest fan of snow which is why going to school in Florida was such a nice change of pace!

I started my college career at a school in Northern Virginia, and then transferred to Embry Riddle for my sophomore year. Over the last three years of college I have learned just as much about my degree as I have about life.

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. -Lao Tzu

One of the most challenging life lessons that I learned during my time in college has been change. Change can present itself in many different ways. For example: The transition from home life to dorm life is a huge change, changing your mind about your major, changing clubs, or even changing your order at Starbucks. The hardest lesson that I have had to learn is overcoming change. Almost every college student at some point will question their major or their career path.

I came to Embry-Riddle with the mindset that I was going to be an Aerospace Engineer, and that I was going to work for a big company like Raytheon or Boeing one day. But it turns out that it just wasn’t for me. I thought about what I wanted to do with my life and after taking some different courses I ended up on Operational Meteorology, which I have more passion for now than I ever did with Engineering. The best advice I can give based on my experience  is to ultimately do what makes you happy in life even if its something you never saw yourself doing originally. If something truly is not making you happy anymore, don’t do it! Once I realized this I felt like I was able to navigate the seas of college life much easier!

Something else that has made me very happy in life has been everything that I have gotten involved in here on campus!

This summer I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Siena, Italy. I received 3 upper level and 3 lower level humanities credits while I was abroad! I would highly suggest getting involved in the study abroad program, it gave me memories and friendships to last a life time, and its the same price as staying on campus and taking classes over the summer!

Representing the U.S. on a bridge in Venice

Representing the U.S. on a bridge in Venice

 

The Pisa tower really does lean!

The Pisa tower really does lean!

 

Enjoying our last weekend in Italy in Rome at the Colosseum

Enjoying our last weekend in Italy in Rome at the Colosseum

Sigma Sigma Sigma 

During the Spring semester I joined Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority here on campus, and it was certainly one of the best decisions I have made while being at school. Sigma has helped keep me more involved in my studies as well as around campus and in the community!

Initiation!

Initiation!

Hope For Hayley 5K with my sisters!

Hope For Hayley 5K with my sisters!

Sigma Sigma Sigma

Sigma Sigma Sigma

I am also an Ambassador for the Women’s Ambassador Program here on campus, which is something that I am very proud of. We work with the admissions department to raise the female population here on campus! We also do lots of events to support women around our campus and in our community!

Ambassadors for the Women's Ambassador Program

Ambassadors for the Women’s Ambassador Program at our Waiz Welcome Dinner

College is all about embracing changes and going with the flow. Try not to get too stressed about anything, its honestly not worth it! Worry about things that you can change, and then change them. And lastly always do what makes you happy in life even if its a little unexpected! If you can do your best to live by these principles you’ll be Up Up and Away before you know it!