Preparing for a Summer Internship During the Height of COVID-19

Posted on December 8, 2020 by #ERAUPrescott

by Grace Day

Hi! My name is Grace Day, and I am a senior Aerospace Engineering student here at Embry-Riddle, Prescott. On campus, I am involved in the Alpha Xi Delta sorority as the former Member Development VP, the Membership VP, and most recently the Chapter Life VP. I also am a part of the Women’s Ambassador Program as the Treasurer and former Public Relations VP. I work part time (up to 25 hours a week) as a Campus Ambassador, a tour guide, for the admissions department and I am a TA/grader for a few engineering classes. On top of my work, full engineering course load, and some sleeping, I am also still a part time intern for Lockheed Martin Space in Waterton Canyon, Colorado.

Me, taken at Lockheed Martin (mask removed only for photo)
Me and my sorority sisters, taken fall 2019 (pre-COVID)

I have spent my past summers as an engineering intern at companies like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin gaining valuable experience and making lifelong friends. I spent the summers after my freshman and sophomore years in Redondo Beach, California working as a Systems Engineering Intern for Northrop Grumman and this past summer as a System Engineering Intern for Lockheed Martin up in the Denver area. I was fortunate to be able to work in person during the pandemic, however it was a much different experience than my previous internships.

For starters, I was the only intern in my area while most of my coworkers were at least a few years out of college. Many people worked part time from home, but my work required I be in the office on special computers, meaning somedays I was the only one in until lunch. I also supported a very fast paced, always changing team that focused on system architecture. Architecting a space system is not an easy thing, it requires so much background knowledge and experience, something I did not have. Before the summer started, I reached out to my manager asking what I could do to best prepare for my summer in Denver. My manager suggested I learn a program called Systems Tool Kit, or STK. The program is a modeling software for any and all types of systems from airplanes, to submarines, to spacecraft. The company offers free online training and licenses for students and professionals, so I jumped on it right away. This was all right after COVID-19 shut down our university and allowed me a bit more free time to focus on learning STK.

STK offers three levels of training from a basic understanding of the software to very specific situation-based modeling protocols. I chose to do it all. The first certification took me about one week to learn and consisted of an 8-hour exam at the end. I passed this course and moved on the intermediate level, which took me a bit longer. Right before I started the second level STK posted a blog announcing the first 100 people to pass the exam would win a free t-shirt with the logo. I jumped right into the training and after two weeks of learning I took the next 8-hour exam and passed (and got my free t-shirt).

The last certification is student’s choice where you pick four of seven categories to master. The seven track options are Track 1: STK Essentials, Track 2: Analysis Workbench, Track 3: STK Coverage, Track 4: Aircraft, Track 5: Communications, Track 6: Spacecraft Trajectory, and Track 7: Space Environment. I chose to pursue tracks 3, 5, 6 and 7 because they were most applicable to my job and my interests. It took me about 4 days to student for each one and a 4-8 hour exam at the end. As I passed each one, I got a small cube, shown in the image. One I passed all four required for the last certification, I was awarded with the large glass cube, a certificate, a pin, and a lanyard.

*Glass cube options from* Analytical Graphics, Inc.

From doing this course, I was extremely prepared to go into my internship as a useful employee, and help my team win many proposals. Even now as a part time intern through this school year I have been able to help out whenever I can.

I just signed my full time offer to be a System Engineer at Lockheed Martin with my same team and am very excited to be moving up there in May of 2021! It has been an amazing almost four years here at Embry-Riddle and am so happy for the education I have.

Thank you so much for reading about preparing for internship during COVID-19!

A Week In My Life

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Megan

Welcome to midterms! It is that time of the semester again, exams are here, and the thought of spring break is the motivation to keep working. Even though I am in the midst of midterms, I thought I would share with you what a week normally looks like for me.
Monday: Most people hate Mondays but for me they are not too bad. My classes start at 9 am and end at 3 pm with a two hour lunch break in the middle. After class, I normally study for an hour and finish homework then have dinner. The evening consists of my sorority Alpha Xi Delta’s chapter meeting, which can be a sisterhood event (fun/bonding time), programs (useful information/most often very funny), or our business meeting (serious). Chapter tends to be fun because I get to start the week with my hilarious sisters by my side.

Tuesday: On this day, I have one class and a three-hour lab. My day starts at 6:45 am because I am in class from 7:45 am -12 pm, after that it is off to lunch then I have weekly meetings with my mentor. This year I have become very close with a few leaders in Chi Alpha and they have become my mentors. After my meeting, it is off to the library to study. In the evening, I have Chi Alpha. Every other Tuesday evening we have Tuesday Night Dinner where we carpool over to one of the leaders’ houses, have a home cooked meal, and build some great friendships. On the off Tuesday, I have a leadership meeting, which serves as a time of fellowship with a smaller group of people.

Wednesday: I have four classes again. After my last class at 3 pm, I am off to do work and study. After dinner I have a Panhellenic meeting. This year I had the honor to be elected Membership Vice President for the Panhellenic community. So every Wednesday we have our meetings for all Panhellenic chapters as well as a smaller council meeting, which discusses the fun things that we are planning on campus!

Thursday: This is my easiest day! I have one class which ends at 9 am. After class you can find me doing homework, studying, or going on adventures. This is the day of the week I look forward to the most because it does not have meetings or responsibilities attached, besides one class in the morning. Last week my friends and I ventured out into the dells across the street from campus and found the Red Bridge, which is a little bridge in the center of the dells that is hard to find and a great spot to take picture, we had talked about doing this for weeks.

Friday: Final day of classes for the week and after 3 pm I am done! Friday evenings you will find me at Chi Alpha’s Elevate and the activity after which ranges from gym night to movie night.

The Weekend: I clump Saturday and Sunday together because while I have been at school I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Arizona, Utah, and California on the weekends. If I am in town, Saturdays are pretty boring, some homework, hanging out with friends, and most likely an adventure. Sunday includes Church in the morning and brunch with friends, then finishing all the homework I have pushed throughout the week. If I am out of town, weekends are a lot more exciting. Over the last three-day weekend I had the opportunity to travel to San Diego and stay with a friend’s family for the night, the next day we headed to the beach to meet up with Chi Alpha, and on Sunday spend the day at Six Flags with some of my closest friends. Then we crammed back into a car and drove back to campus. The destination changes weekend to weekend, but the memories and friends made will be there forever.

My weeks are crammed packed with class, studying, work, clubs, and meetings. And my weekends are filled with adventure, friends, and memories. It can be hard to find a balance between school and everything else but if you look, plan, and work hard enough you can to do everything that makes you happy. Not everyone’s schedule is as hectic as mine is, while others are even more hectic, it just depends on the person. But remember, school is important, but it’s also important to do what makes you happy to enjoy life at school. School is hard and you need something to work towards, I work towards the weekends where I get to create amazing memories with my friends. What do you work towards?

1 Semester Down – 7 Semesters to Go

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Megan

It is hard to believe that my first semester of college is over. This semester has brought tears and many joyful moments, late nights and early mornings, as well as amazing friendships and hard goodbyes. College by no means is easy, but it is a crazy adventure that is worth the work.

Looking back, I remember arriving on campus in August scared that I would not make friends and that school would be too hard. But, I came out of my first semester having to say some of the hardest goodbyes to my friends who became family and the knowledge that if I put my mind to it I can be successful in college.

The organizations I am apart of is a major reason why my first semester was spectacular. Being involved in my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, has helped connect me to other girls on campus and become more involved. I have helped collect cans for the food bank, supported other Greek organizations, and built some great friendships which I am thankful for. The other organization that I have been heavily apart of at Embry-Riddle is Chi Alpha. If you have read my other posts, Chi Alpha is the group I explore and go on my crazy adventures with. I have faced many fears and built long lasting friendships with this group. I know I have said this before, but this semester has truly shown me that getting involved on campus is important.

Friends. This is a major part of what makes college, college. Most of my close friends are a part of the clubs and organizations I am a part of. These are the people I have spent every day with for the past four months and I would have it no other way. Leaving campus to go home for winter break was almost as sad as when my parents left me in August. To send me off, my friends and I opened and seeded a pomegranate, it was an eye opening and fun experience to share with them and definitely messy. Knowing that I will not be able to tell them about my day, or share interesting meals with them, or go hiking in the dells for a whole month was a hard pill to swallow even if it’s only a couple weeks.

Since my life outside of the classroom has been so eventful and wonderful, it makes me loving my major even better. Studying Global Security and Intelligence has been my dream since I was little and having the ability to make that dream a reality has been wonderful. My professors knew who I was and noticed when I was not in class even in my larger (fifty student) class. This is something that surprised and shocked me, but helped drive me to succeed.

Although college is great and I had a wonderful first semester, it was hard. Being homesick, moving away and adjusting to the workload that Embry-Riddle requires was not necessarily easy. Classes where hard and there were many nights where I stayed up past my “bed time” to finish assignments or study, but it is worth it. Facing all the challenges head on helped me have a wonderful first semester, which is a trend I expect to carry on throughout college.

Now that the semester is over and the year is trekking on, I wanted to reach out to incoming or prospective students, if you have any questions regarding Embry-Riddle, the transition from high school to college, or anything in between do not be afraid to ask. It is a big change, but definitely worth the effort. Comment below and I’ll respond when I get back for semester #2.

Follow Me Through my Freshman Year!

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Megan

Hi everyone! My name is Megan and I am a freshman here at the lovely Prescott, AZ Campus ERAU Home of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I am originally from Renton,
Washington, which is about twenty minutes outside of Seattle, and very different from Ari My home in WA zona.
Coming from a rainy part of the US, the sun took me by surprise, but I can honestly say that I have fallen in love with Prescott, the sun included.

During my time at ERAU I will be studying Global Security and Intelligence and plan on double majoring in Global Business as well. I am studying GSIS because I want to make a difference in people’s lives, and help them feel safe and secure no matter where they come from. This is something I have known since I was little, and finding ERAU has given me a path way achieve my dream. After college my top goal is to work for the Department of State as a U.S. Diplomat.

Outside of the classroom life is pretty busy. An organization I have been Sorority fun very involved in already is Chi Alpha. This group goes on adventures during the weekend and has helped me build a community in my short time being on campus.
Recently I have also had the privilege of being offered a bid from Alpha Xi Delta, and will soon be a new member of this wonderful sorority! Because of the recent club fair I am becoming involved with the Mountain Club, and Engineers without Boarders. There are truly hundreds of clubs to join and things to get involved in. Which makes life here even more fun. Even though I am new to campus and Prescott I already feel as if I have a strong community surrounding me and I will be able to achieve my goals.
Since college New Friends! is a time for new opportunities, stress, and an enormous amount of fun I invite you to follow me through my freshman year. We can go through the challenges and triumphs together, so that if you are considering ERAU or another university you will have an idea what the life is truly like as a freshman.