As is my annual tradition, this last blog before the end of the semester is going to be all about what I have learned this past year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University! I am nearly finished with my junior year, and even though I thought I learned everything there is to know about ERAU last year, I somehow managed to learn even more about college life this year! So here it goes, my little gems of knowledge that I have collected this past year:

1.  Always be prepared (time-wise and otherwise) for emergencies (such as a broken down car) and realize that it does eventually happen to everyone. No one is immune to bad luck, unfortunately.

2.  The SGA Office in the Student Union has a free candy drawer, and when you’re lucky, there are sometimes Goldfish. Take advantage of this as often as you can!

3.  There are always going to be blocks on your schedule that you have to remove before you can actually register for classes. Don’t wait for the day of registration to go see your advisor! Chances are, everyone else and their dogs are going to be waiting in line too and you probably won’t get all of the classes you wanted.

4.  Join as many clubs as you can. There are awesome clubs like Zumba Club, Poker Club, Harry Potter Club, Sky-Diving Club, Ballroom Dancing Club, and so many more! You get to make new friends and the activities are always fun!

5.  As weird as this sounds, you should actually look at the fliers posted around campus in passing. Sometimes there are awesome under-the-radar activities going on that are not widely broadcasted.

6.  Don’t hesitate to go to Health Services when you’re sick. Even though school and homework are so important, staying healthy is important too! Don’t put off your health because you’re busy! (Such as so many other lessons in life, I had to learn this lesson the hard way!)

7.  There is not one single way to get ANYWHERE on campus. All the sidewalks are like zigzags, so don’t waste your time standing at the crossroads wondering which route is faster. Just pick one and chances are you’ll get to class on time.

8.  The quiet room in the library is a great place to study, especially when you don’t want to be bothered by tons of people making noise! However, if you’re a library-style-social-butterfly, the top floor is where you can study while you hang out with friends (hello, study groups!).

9.  Take advantage of being able to sleep in (yes, sleeping until eight is considered sleeping in!) In the real, working world, you don’t get that luxury!

10.  Take chances! Don’t be so risk averse that you miss out on all the fun and miss out on awesome memories. College life is the best kind, so make sure to enjoy it while you can, because it sure flies by!

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

-Ferris Bueller

As is my annual tradition, this last blog before the end of the semester is going to be all about what I have learned this past year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University! I am nearly finished with my junior year, and even though I thought I learned everything there is to know about ERAU last year, I somehow managed to learn even more about college life this year! So here it goes, my little gems of knowledge that I have collected this past year:

1.  Always be prepared (time-wise and otherwise) for emergencies (such as a broken down car) and realize that it does eventually happen to everyone. No one is immune to bad luck, unfortunately.

2.  The SGA Office in the Student Union has a free candy drawer, and when you’re lucky, there are sometimes Goldfish. Take advantage of this as often as you can!

3.  There are always going to be blocks on your schedule that you have to remove before you can actually register for classes. Don’t wait for the day of registration to go see your advisor! Chances are, everyone else and their dogs are going to be waiting in line too and you probably won’t get all of the classes you wanted.

4.  Join as many clubs as you can. There are awesome clubs like Zumba Club, Poker Club, Harry Potter Club, Sky-Diving Club, Ballroom Dancing Club, and so many more! You get to make new friends and the activities are always fun!

5.  As weird as this sounds, you should actually look at the fliers posted around campus in passing. Sometimes there are awesome under-the-radar activities going on that are not widely broadcasted.

6.  Don’t hesitate to go to Health Services when you’re sick. Even though school and homework are so important, staying healthy is important too! Don’t put off your health because you’re busy! (Such as so many other lessons in life, I had to learn this lesson the hard way!)

7.  There is not one single way to get ANYWHERE on campus. All the sidewalks are like zigzags, so don’t waste your time standing at the crossroads wondering which route is faster. Just pick one and chances are you’ll get to class on time.

8.  The quiet room in the library is a great place to study, especially when you don’t want to be bothered by tons of people making noise! However, if you’re a library-style-social-butterfly, the top floor is where you can study while you hang out with friends (hello, study groups!).

9.  Take advantage of being able to sleep in (yes, sleeping until eight is considered sleeping in!) In the real, working world, you don’t get that luxury!

10.  Take chances! Don’t be so risk averse that you miss out on all the fun and miss out on awesome memories. College life is the best kind, so make sure to enjoy it while you can, because it sure flies by!

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

-Ferris Bueller

It’s crunch time once more. Finals are coming up next week, and just thinking about it ties my stomach up in nervous knots. On the bright side, IT’S ALMOST SUMMER! All college kids love when summer comes around! Here in beautiful Prescott, AZ, the weather could not be any more perfect. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, a cool summer breeze blows through the trees… and all the Riddle kids are cramming in the library for hours. Figures. I feel nocturnal during finals week, because I literally come out of the library only when it’s dark and time to go home to sleep. So, to take a break from studying, I am going to blog about my final impressions on the classes I took this past semester.

Social Psychology was great. My professor was so fun, and she teaches the subject really well! I love psychology classes, and this one did not leave me disappointed. We learned so much about people’s behaviors and thought processes. It will really come in handy in my job someday! Chinese class was also a lot of fun. I feel like I have learned so much about the language and the culture! I’m excited to continue to take it next fall. Quantitative Methods II was interesting; business Calculus for a GSIS major? Sure, why not? Intelligence and Technology was also a fun class to take. We learned all about spy gadgets and satellites and cool shenanigans having to do with technology. Yes, we did learn about the cool stuff like:

…concealed transmitters…

…lipstick pistols…

…and hidden cigarette cameras! Awesome, right?

International Relations was also really interesting. We learned a lot of theories concerning international relations, including Realism, Neo-Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, and more! And what’s better is that we are reading a book in class called “Theories of International Politics and Zombies“. It is a really awesome book describing how the different international theories would come into play if there was a zombie outbreak! It is definitely epic.

I’ll never pass up an opportunity to put a picture of Michael Jackson and his horde of the undead into a post. So here it is. And the best part is, it has to do with International Relations! Excellent.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed all of these classes, I would have to say that my favorite class this semester was Microeconomics with Dr. Carreras. He is an AMAZING professor. I have learned so much from him, and it turns out that I’m pretty good at microeconomics, too! I am one of the few students that has taken the class to get 100 percent on one of Dr. Carreras’s exams. I’m pretty happy about that!

So, all in all, this semester has been one wild ride. I can’t believe how going to school can feel so slow at times, and other times it just whizzes by! Only two more semesters left until I’m an Embry-Riddle graduate! WOOHOO! Everyone out there reading this, study hard! You can do it! There IS a light at the end of the tunnel, you just gotta get there!

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”

-Buddha

One of the great things about Embry-Riddle is how much all of the faculty truly cares about the students. Just this past weekend, the Women’s and Diversity Center hosted an “Outstanding Women Dinner,” held at the Prescott Centennial Center, for women attending the school with excellent academic achievements. There were many members of the ERAU faculty in attendance. It was so inspiring to see so many female students that have done so well at ERAU.

After the rather scrumptious meal, a presentation was given that showed us just how important women are to Embry-Riddle, and some of the ERAU alumni that have gone far in their professions. This included Susan Kilraine, ERAU’s first astronaut. It is amazing how much women have truly changed the world, and a lot of them come from ERAU. The presentation was very inspirational, telling us how important we are to this field, and how we can change the world as well.

Here is Susan Kilrain, an ERAU Alumni and our first astronaut!

Some of professors from each college (College of Aviation, College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Engineering) each gave an award to the female student that they believed had worked the hardest and had achieved excellence in their academics. It was amazing to be around other females who study and work as hard in their academics as I do. I know now that women make a huge impact on society and our ERAU females, like the ERAU males, are going to be the future leaders of this industry. Embry-Riddle has put so much emphasis on excellence, and unsurprisingly, excellence is what it produces.

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”

-Amelia Earhart

The clubs here at Embry-Riddle put so much effort into making sure the students have fun activities to attend. One of these clubs is the Zumba Club. Last night, the Zumba Club put on a “Blacklight Zumba” night, open to anyone and everyone who enjoys a good dance workout! The Lower Hangar was temporarily transformed into a dance party, with blacklights, upbeat music, and neon EVERYWHERE! It was so much fun! Students came with neon clothes and tennis shoes ready to get down!

It was such a good workout! I didn’t realize just HOW good until I tried to get out of bed this morning… and couldn’t move!

Aaaand this pretty much explains everyone. The whole night. It was pretty awesome!

I love the cool clubs at ERAU!

“Fun. It’s this crazy thing where people smile and laugh and are generally pleased.”

-Aggy Bird

This past Spring Break was without a doubt my favorite one so far! Our GSIS program puts on a trip to Washington, DC every Spring Break so that students can have the opportunity to go talk to people who actually work in the intelligence agencies. This past week, my fellow students and I went to briefings all over the IC (intel community) and we learned so much about our career field that we have chosen. On Sunday, Lauren and I explored the city.

It was the 100th Anniversary of the gift of the Cherry Blossom trees from Japan!

At the Smithsonian Castle!

On Monday we went to briefings at INSCOM (the Army Intelligence and Security Command) and NGA (the National Geo-spatial Intelligence Agency). The new NGA building is AMAZING. It is all glass and brand new. There’s even a gym and restaurants on the bottom floor! We weren’t allowed to bring any electronics or else I would post a picture. After dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, my group walked around downtown DC and got to see a ton of cool old buildings. They were so amazing.

The Hard Rock Cafe where we ate was right next to Ford’s Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was shot! SO COOL!

Tuesday, we went to the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency. We visited the Cryptological Museum and even got to play with an Enigma machine from WWII! That night, we got to visit the Navy Memorial.

Wednesday was a day of sightseeing and having meals with Professor Austin’s contacts from the DOE and the MDA. First we went to the International Spy Museum, which was so fun! We got to see cool spy gadgets and pretend that we were spies undercover. There were so many cool things to look at. Even better was the fact that a lot of what we saw, we have already learned about in our classes! I also learned so much from the lunch and dinner appointments. It was great to actually be able to talk to analysts and people who know the intelligence business. We had some great discussions.

St. Patrick’s Church! How fitting for St. Patty’s Day!

We walked all the way to the Jefferson Memorial! It was definitely farther than it looked. Good thing I brought my tennis shoes!

Thursday we got to listen to a Foreign Policy class held at the Department of State. It was all about US/Chinese relations. We were there with students from other universities, and there was a question and answer session which was really interesting. In the afternoon we got to go to the J. Edgar Hoover building, or FBI Headquarters. It is so huge! And… it kind of looks like a big mushroom. But it was still super cool.

And of course, that night we celebrated St. Patty’s day listening to an Irish band in an Irish restaurant. The Rogues helped us celebrate Professor Austin’s birthday, and she was so embarrassed! But we all had a great time.

Friday we got briefed by AFOSI (Air Force Office of Special Investigations) and NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigation Services), after which we got to visit the FBI Academy! I don’t have any pictures of that day because I didn’t bring my camera, but it was absolutely amazing! Here are just a few tidbits of information that I collected over the week:

1. A good, strong resume is a MUST in order to even get considered for a job in the IC.

2. Relevant experience is so important.

3. Taking Chinese is a very good idea! They loved that I was taking Chinese classes!

4. Networking is crucial! It’s all about who you know and the contacts that you have.

5. Washington, DC is the place to go!

Overall I had such a fantastic time and I can’t WAIT to put my degree to use and go back to DC someday!

“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.”

-William Allen White

Whelp, this semester truly is a roller coaster! It’s been so much fun but so stressful at the same time. Midterms are coming up this next week, and I am so nervous! I have so much schoolwork and volleyball stuff to do, and on top of it all, my good old car that I’ve had since I got my license decided to go crazy on me! I have called the whole overall experience “The Adventure in the Saturn Wagon,” (partly because it reminds me of Indiana Jones and partly because it has a nice ring to it). :] I was driving down I-17 on my way to Pinetop, and right otuside of Flagstaff, my car emits a loud BANG and smoke comes out the back end. I, of course, pull over to the side of the road. Prescott was an hour behind me, so I couldn’t call my roommate to come pick me up. I was thirty miles outside of Flagstaff, and I didn’t know what to do. Luckily my grandparents were going to Pinetop that weekend from the valley anyway, so they were able to make a detour (that took about 7 hours!) through Flagstaff to rescue me. I LOVE my grandparents! They are sooooo nice to me! I LOVE YOU, GRANDMA MARILYN AND GRANDPA JOE!! Almost equally as lucky was the fact that I was on the phone with my grandpa about fifteen minutes after I stopped, and a tow truck pulled behind me and asked if I needed a tow! What should have been a three hour wait turned into a trip right into Flagstaff, where I hung out with my grandpa’s brother Tony, his wife Wista, and their huge boxer, Samson. I say that the experience definitely qualifies for an adventure! Although my poor car is still dead, at least my grandma let me borrow hers! Thanks Grandma!

Flashback moment: here’s a picture from my first trip to Prescott for college in my trusty station wagon, almost three years ago! I sure hope my car can be fixed… a lot of great memories go along with that car! We bonded over the years! (Okay, kinda corny, but I grew attached okay?)

And if I can’t get it fixed, then I guess I’ll move on and start a whole new (car) chapter of my life! I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but for now, I’m glad that I was lucky and safe and things turned out the way they did! Like my former coach and great friend Tom Cannon said (after I recounted to him the tale of my poor car), “Bad luck isn’t so bad when it’s followed by lots of good luck!” True statement! And now I’m back at Embry-Riddle safe, with a temporary car, and I’m able to focus on school and volleyball and have a grand old time doing what I love! Let the adventures continue…

“An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.”

-Gilbert K. Chesterton

Thank goodness for President’s Day! Every college student LOVES three-day weekends! Especially college students at Embry-Riddle!

This three-day weekend is much needed and very much appreciated. Today was especially great. I got to sleep in, then Lauren and I went to the theaters and saw Red Tails. I thought that it was an excellent movie and it gave me a whole new perspective on pilots during World War II! It almost made me want to become a pilot!

Tonight, I was able to go to a bonfire with some of my friends from my church. It was so fun to go and just have fun and relax. We made smores, ate Oreo’s and Goldfish, played Kick the Can (with a Dr. Pepper bottle, because none of us had a can!), and told scary stories. It was a typical weekend bonfire with a bunch of awesome people and I was so glad that I went! That’s one of the good things about Prescott. There are so many places where you can be outdoors… you can go out to have a bonfire, go shooting, go hiking, go kayaking, or whatever else you want to do to be outside! And President’s Day weekend is the perfect weekend to do it. Gotta love being in Prescott! I hope everyone has a great President’s Day!

“Sometimes the cure for restlessness is rest.”
-Colleen Wainwight

In any given semester, the first couple of weeks are not too bad. The workload is relatively light because the teachers know that you are just getting used to your schedule. However, this period ends after a few weeks and EVERYTHING gets piled up on you all at once. This is how this last week has been for me. Volleyball spring season started up last Monday, and ever since then my whole life just went into fast forward. Assignments, tests, practices, and study time have all meshed together into one huge blur of being busy. Luckily this past weekend was a relaxing one! Lauren and I and a few more friends went and saw The Vow in theaters on Saturday night, and for the rest of the weekend we were in a chick-flick kind of mood, so we decided to keep the waterworks flowing with The Notebook and P.S. I Love You. (Corny, especially around Valentine’s Day, but what can we say… we’re girls! It happens!) Valentine’s Day was fun too. My roommate gave me an awesome handmade card and chocolate.

I just love having a great roommate!

The rest of the week was super stressful, so I was glad it was off to a good start! I had my first assignment due for Microeconomics, which took about eight hours to complete, so I was so psyched to turn it in today and get that burden off my chest! I was also glad that I had volleyball practice at 6 am this morning, so I could have this Friday afternoon to relax and unwind! Hopefully the rest of this weekend, I’ll be able to clean and catch up and just take a breath. One of the most rewarding feelings is knowing that you worked your hardest when you needed to, and you were rewarded because of it. Being here at Embry-Riddle has certainly taught me this lesson very well indeed!

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.”

-Colin Powell

It’s a new year and a new semester! Time to make New Year’s resolutions (let’s be honest, they’ll last about two months), go to brand new classes, and start the year off on a good note! Last year ended on a great note. My semester ended great, and I did really well in all of my classes. It was nice to finally be able to breathe after I had taken all of my tests! After finals were over, my family and I were able to go to Disneyland for a couple of days! It was sooo much fun. AND there were a lot of Chinese people there the same time that we were, so I was able to practice listening to the Chinese language while in line for rides (which were super long, since there were so many people there!). I am stunned both by how much I do know how to translate, AND by how much I don’t know how to translate! The Chinese language is so complex, but at the same time it was a blast being able to practice!

The icicle lights were so beautiful on the castle!

The Haunted Mansion! Actually, while waiting in line to go on this ride, we stood next to a tourist group full of people from China and their interpreter. I paid close attention to the conversations going on and was surprised by how much I understood! COOL!

It’s my second to last spring semester, so my goals this year are to keep going strong in school and in volleyball. It’s been a busy year so far (okay, the year’s only consisted of a couple of weeks, but still). I’m still in the GSIS program, so I’m taking eighteen credit hours this semester, including Intelligence and Technology, Chinese IV, Social Psychology, Microeconomics, a math class, and International Relations. So far they’ve all been really great and I’m excited to see how they turn out! My professors are all awesome and it’s fun to see how much enthusiasm each professor has for their subject.

Volleyball is still going strong. Spring Season starts in a couple of weeks so I’m still trying to live up to my New Year’s resolution to stay in shape. We lost two of our seniors, Laura DeGeorge and Sarah Galeai, but hopefully we’ll still have a good team this next season. It’s so strange… this fall season, I’ll be a senior! These past few years have just FLOWN by. Seriously, I have no idea where they went. Everything is just going by so fast, and I’m just trying to keep up while wondering where the heck all this time has gone. I guess life is kind of like that no matter where you are. But here at ERAU, it seems like everything just goes at the speed of light! And… I’m loving every minute of it!

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year, and may all your New Year’s resolutions come true!

“Begin today. Declare out loud to the universe that you are willing to let go of struggle and eager to learn through joy.”

-Sarah Ban Breathnach