No Longer an Undergrad!

That's right followers of this little martian, your Martian is not so little anymore. Are you ready for this? On May, 6, 2019, it became official. I officially have my bachelor's degree!  Can you tell by the smile on my face how excited I am to finally be done with school? 5 and a half years of grueling coursework, office hours, homework, applying for jobs and financial aid and scholarships...it all lead up to this.

And it wasn't just me who graduated. I got to graduate with my very best friend in the world. Look at all the honor cords she got to wear! She was in every honor society for Mechanical Engineering or being smart, and was in the Catholic Student Union-if you think I'm smart, I'll say you should meet my best friend! I had no honor cords, myself.

And of course, since we graduated,
we just had to jump for joy!

Besides saying goodbye to my best friend, the hardest part was leaving the apartment I've called home for the last three years. I've made it my own, and that apartment has seen my worst days, and my biggest successes. I left a note hidden for the next person who might live there. I left them directions for how to feed the turtles, and the names of all the turtles, of course, and who the best RAs are (hint: it's all of them.) I will miss the place where I hung out with my best friend, where I met Lynze, Tim, Yana, Piers, TJ, Katie, Mike, and so many other people who made my college experience memorable. I will miss running out front to watch the trail of a rocket-even though I was late for class to stop and watch it. I'll miss my turtles, and the lake where I sat and felt the wind in my hair. I hope whoever lives in the complex after me climbs the trees as high as I did and maybe finds where I carved my name into the branches. I like to believe I left my mark on ERAU, and that I made a memorable difference.
So I turned in my key at the student village, knowing it would be the last time I stressed in May about sufficiently moving everything out, with the ever-lasting fear I'd forgotten something, and Mom and I headed north to my next adventure....more on that coming soon! :)

I hope the drama club keeps doing Rocky Horror, and the dance team keeps dancing, that Dr. Szathmary keeps recruiting new students, and that the CSO program (SFO, whatever) Reaches its highest peaks. Most importantly, I hope my best friend never forgets me, and that this apartment might take care of whoever comes behind me, as well as it took care of me. So long, Riddle. Thanks for the ride.

Signing off, as no longer an undergrad.

xo Martian

Dancing Eagles Formal

Left is Yana, Right is Jess.

So I wasn’t sure if I was ready to write this post yet, to be honest. Honestly, a better way to say that is, I wasn't sure I'd EVER be ready--to face the end of my time here at Embry-Riddle. The end of the year is upon us and that means so many lasts. But, apparently, there’s still some “firsts” left too. On April 13, 2019, I attended my first Dancing Eagles Formal, or ERD-ormal. I’m not big on dressing up, and Alexis usually does my makeup for performances, since anyone who knows me knows quite well that I am completely hopeless at the task. This time around, my Best Friend Jess, who was over celebrating our last Best-Friendiversary that we will celebrate together in college, and one of the RAs in my complex, Yana, helped me get ready and made me look like a princess.

   

We even went outside

and Yana took pictures

So when I got there, I felt SUPER awkward, what with the whole "hating to dress up thing." I never think of myself much as "one of the girls" preferring the role of team manager at basketball, or stage manager of a show. But Alexis saw me arrive and quickly brought me into all the festivities, where the fun photo booth was taking place. The group shot was not my idea, but I was  smiling to know I'd been included and wanted.

These two had me in hysterics, like it was The Price is Right and I was one of the prizes. I was laughing at their weirdness, but also at being center stage, instead of backstage. It was a good feeling to have people who wanted me there in their pictures.

It came in a very nice frame.

So, as I may have mentioned, It was also my senior night. I was not ready to be a senior, and wasn't much on the path of acknowledging it, with the exception of Astronomy Club, where about half the club is graduating. But somehow the dance team got their hands on that information...

Of course, going up, I tried
not to smile the whole time

I was also given the ERDE Proud Award-for someone who represents school spirit. I didn't nominate myself, considering my color of choice is black. But I guess enough people appreciated my homemade Dancing Eagles jacket that I made out of puffy paint and a $6 sweatshirt from Goodwill that I got nominated. It was actually kind of a cool moment for me. I displayed it in a place of honor when I got home.

The food was delicious, featuring fun colored Cannolis like this and an Italian-style buffet. (I ate mostly noodles and a lot of the bread.)

 The setting was absolutely gorgeous, lots of gold and silver-it made me think of the song "Make New Friends/But Keep the Old/One is Silver and the Other's Gold." These people will certainly always be gold, but it also provided me some clarity in facing the future-that these people will always be there, enshrined in golden memories, but that it’s ok to go out and make new “silver” friends. As Lauren reminded me when I was a tear-stained, mascara-run mess (yes, I was actually wearing Mascara) at thinking about how much I would miss everyone, "You can always come back to visit."

Of course, there was plenty of dancing; the Wobble, the Dance Circle...

      

                                             

...And then a conga line broke out.

Eventually, Hafiy called all of us over for one last huddle with him as President. There was a definite feeling of melancholy, at least for me, because it would be my first time seeing off a sitting president the "Dancing Eagles" way, but also my last.

 And then we welcomed in the new President the same way. It was a mixture of melancholy and hope for the future, sadness tinged with brightness. It occured to me, watching this, filming it from up high on a table and trying not to slip (And ripping the third of the ERDE tablecloths I have managed to rip in one semester) that this is the kind of thing the Greeks talked about...Pandora left us hope, so that when sadness-like leaving-happens, there's still something good to come-like a new President coming into the organization, or new friends in the future...Ok, I'm not trying to cry while writing this, so I'll stop the analogy there.

The competition team danced when the music they did their routine to came on, and figured out that their dance (which works in 8 counts...2 sets of four...) worked even when the version of the song that was playing (Which was 4/4 time...so two bars would work the same as an 8 count...) changed from their version. It entertained me to watch these guys, they'll dance at every opportunity, and it's so fun to watch how much they love to do it

Afterwards, I compiled a short video, combining my own photos with some of the team photographer's, Ryan. (Pictured Right.) I wanted to remember everything that happened this year with ERDE, because I can hardly believe it  myself. The team went to NDA Nationals. I got an award. I went up on stage and performed--TWICE (and somehow didn't fall off; that mystery remains.) I performed onstage, and I helped the team out. I did something totally outside my comfort zone. The team talked a lot about family, and, in a way, I guess they kind of became a little family-away-from-home. We supported each other, we talked to each other, we looked out for each other. Isn't that what family does? I know there were probably arguments, times we felt out of place or out of sorts, but family is like that too. I hope, I sincerely hope, that this year I've made life long friends who I'll hear from years and years from now and laugh about some of the funny memories and stories we'll tell about this year. This year, I was given a little corner of the world where it was safe to be me. There's surely more to come, and be sure to check out more photos by myself and the team photographer on the Google Drive. But for now, I think I might go cry a little bit.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

This is the video I made out of all of the photos, even the ones from the formal that night. Song isn't mine, "Long Live" by Taylor Swift

That's my Martian's Eye View as the year starts to wrap up! More to come, including Graduation!!!

xo Martian

Embry Riddle Dancing Eagles

Competition Team after an amazing performance at Xi Man!

So I suppose I can skip all the "new year, new me" stuff, I know I've been completely AWOL lately.

Anyway, this year has been FULL of adventures! I joined so many new clubs, including PAWS, which helps take care of the working cats on campus, The Riddle Off-Roaders, and I got back into RC flying. I also joined a new organization called SWISE, which stands for Society of Women in Space Exploration. But by and far the most adventurous thing I've done is...I joined the Dance Team. Embry-Riddle Dancing Eagles. I've never done anything like this, as anyone who knows me knows, I've always gotten my kicks backstage. But I've performed on the quad, at basketball games, and even onstage. I'm getting out of my comfort zone, and now I have so much to share with all of you!

At first, the dance team scared the living daylights out of me. I walked in to their first "intro" class, and I just looked around at all these people who were introducing themselves with how much training they had in dance...and then there was me. "Hey, I'm me, and my dance training is watching other people dance from backstage." Wow, I felt like a fish out of water. But the second thing to surprise me about them was how nice they were; how welcoming. It's quickly become a highlight, something I look forward to every week. No matter how bad my week is, knowing I have dance pushes me through to Friday. Dance team is divided into two sub-teams, there's the performers who go do like basketball games and talent shows and stuff, and the competition team, who just won their first title and are going to NATIONALS. HOW COOL IS THAT? I'm not the competition team, but sometimes I go as a supporter, although I can never completely leave my Stage Manager tendencies behind! Here are some of the amazing people I get to dance with every week.

 

 Hafiy is the captain of the team, and a really talented dancer. He always has so much energy and is very kind and has awesome facial expressions when he dances! He's always encouraging everyone-even me, and I have turned tripping over my own two feet into an art form.

Hafiy pictured before the Team Xi Man performance, with Zack and Kelsey












Kelsey is another amazing dancer. She choreographed the first dance I ever did with Dance Team. She is super-smart and friendly. As you can see from the pictures, she's always smiling!

And, lest you think we work TOO hard, we always find time to relax and hang out and talk. Even if it's just while we're stretching. Everyone is so willing to help each other, it would seem fake if you didn't know these people, and know how nice they actually are. It's not fake, they genuinely ARE a team in every sense of the word

Another thing I've learned and appreciate about the dance team is how supportive they are of each other. While the competition team was performing, people who weren't performing but are in dance came to support their teammates! Here's Alyssa and Lauren waiting for the doors to open at Xi Man!

Alyssa's best friend on the team is Alexis. They always high-five before the dance in rehearsals, and I consider it good luck, even though I don't know the backstory of it. Alexis lives in the same complex as me and she's super talented. (Ok, yes, I say that about everyone, but you have to see these people dance!) Her smile is infectious, if she's laughing, she'll make sure you're in on the joke and will make you laugh too.

This is one of the "social events" Dance Team does. At this one, we went to Oceans Dance Studio, where we learned new dancing styles. Here we learned the cha-cha and the Tango and the teacher danced with me, so that was cool.

Skye, Annalise, and Amy are currently choreographing the next dance we'll be performing at an event called Squawk. It's like a talent show for Orientation Team. I have no idea what Squawk is, but I plan to have fun in the doing of it. I practice the dance a lot-no, video of me tripping over my own two feet will not follow.

We practice in the gym every week on Friday Nights. That means I don't go to TNG events and get bonus bucks on Fridays anymore, but I don't even mind, surprisingly. I'm actually having so much fun at Dance, and I enjoy the company of these people so much. I'm surprised by how much I admire these people, but also very much consider them friends and teammates. I mean, look at these smiling faces, how can you even DOUBT we're having fun in there? (Ok, to be fair, we were also trying to get this done quickly cuz we wanted cake, which was just outside this picture, haha.)

 Photo creds to Dance Team Photographer

I've danced in TWO of the dance performances. The first one was where I danced on the quad. We wore camo, and Alexis did my makeup. We also did it at the soccer game the next day. We did that one for homecoming, and it's up on Facebook on the dance team Facebook page

I'm in the hat, stage left in the photo. Photo creds to Dance Team Photographer

The second one was choreographed by Zack and Skye, and I managed not to fall off the stage, which is what I was really afraid would happen. Anyway, that dance was at Riddle's Got Talent, put on by my own Riddle Players. You can watch that on the Dance Team Facebook Page too. 

Next week is spring break, and I'll be home for a week, see my mom and my puppy. I can't believe it's finally my SENIOR SEMESTER! I graduate in May, and I will officially be the first in my immediate family to have my Bachelor's! More photos and videos will follow shortly, so keep it here!

xoxo Martian