April 14, 2005
Hey everyone! Oh school is almost over for the semester and I am so excited!
I am just ready to get outta here and just be at home with my family and
make some much needed money to get a car amongst other things!
This semester has been one full of trials and tribulations for me...I
have learned more and more that college is more than what you learn
in the classroom, but is also what you learn about being on your own.
I have learned how to teach some of my fellow peers chemistry to an
extent in the chemsitry lab and I have enjoyed every moment of it. Mixing chemicals
in the lab has also made me feel like a very important contribution
to the labs and to better understand what the students are going to be doing
each week...
As this year has been going on, I have figured out that maybe being in
Engineering Physics is not the major for me...I am currently
debating this
for my own growth as a person...There have been so many days
that I just
don't want to be in this major, not at all because of the difficulty,
but
because it is not enjoyable to me...
Last semester, chemistry was probably my hardest class, but I had enjoyed
this class so much in high school that I had still worked through
it...This
semester I had done a little more soul searching to see if indeed
I want to
be doing physics and do some research all day for the next 30+
years or
so...I came to a conclusion that I had just been in this major
because they
said that this would help me to become an astronaut! But if this
stuff
doesn't seem to interest me anymore then I don't know what to
do.
Ok everyone I will keep you posted on what my situation is...I mean this
is really tough because I had been wanting to come here since the
7th grade and
now I feel like I just don't think this is the right school for
me
anymore...Ok you all take care and I will talk to you all very
soon!
*~Terryel~*
March 31, 2005
Hey everyone! Wow...I was so glad that spring break finally came when
it did! I so needed to get away from the stress that school was causing
and to just clear my head from this place!
I went to Simsbury, Connecticut to meet Mike's family! I had
been excited since Mike and his family wanted to come up there
and meet them! But I was nervous too; this was the first time
that I had ever done this sort of thing before. Mike naturally
calmed me down and I was ok after that.
The airplane ride was pretty good. The first thing I noticed was the
snow! I was just not used to seeing snow at this time of year since I
have been in Florida. There were rivers and lakes that were still frozen
over and such, so I was still excited.
When we go off the plane I finally got to meet Mike's mom and
I gave her a hug! She was so nice. Mr. Krug was cool as well...We
all went out for my ultimate favorite: hot fudge brownie sundae!!!!!
And I tell you it was the best that I ever had! Mike and his
parents took me on a tour of Simsbury and that was cool. It
is like a quiet town and I loved that feeling of seclusion
that you normally don't feel in the city.
The next day I got to meet many people from Mike's family...they
were all so very nice and I felt at ease with all of them,
as if I had known them for more than a day! I saw how happy
Mike was to be at home and I hadn't really seen him that happy
in a while. It was a wonderful sight to see him with his brother
and mom and dad. I knew that he missed them all and I was happy
that he at least got to be there for a week...
My favorite part had to be when Mike took me on my hike to see this beautiful
waterfall! I mean there was still some snow on this mountain that we were
hiking down to get to, but after sliding and me freaking out for a bit,
all was well! All the sliding was worth it in the end, because the waterfall
was so very relaxing!!!!!
Well after being in Connecticut for a week, it was time to
come back to Daytona. I was sad that I had to leave. I felt
like if I could have had just one more week to just relax that
would have been fine with me. But I was fortunate to have this
week off to relax, seeing that in the Embry-Riddle past, there
has only been like Good Friday and the Monday after Easter
off, that's it! So on Saturday we came back to me needing to
complete all the assignments that I didn't do! Got them mostly
done by today, but still have some lab and humanities homework
to still do!
I would like to thank again Mr. and Mrs. Krug and Zach for
letting me come into their home and having the opportunity
to get to know them and feed me wonderful food and giving me
much love and comfort for the entire week! I cannot thank you
enough for your hospitality! You guys all take care and I'll
be sure to take good care of your son for the remainder of
the school year until he comes home again!
Ok everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful spring break and keep those
grades up because crunch time is coming! Take care and I will talk to
you all very soon!
*~Terryel~*
March 17, 2005
Hey everyone! My goodness I just feel so unorganized...school, I swear
hates me...I just cannot wait for Spring Break next week! I get to meet
Mike's parents in Connecticut. I am so excited to meet them and to have
time away from school.
C-programming is just out to get me it seems...I look so lost in that
class. Math on the other hand, I thought I got the material, yet I still
did terrible on my last test, worse than the first one! Physics, one of
these days I believe that I'll have it...Sometimes I feel more discouraged
than other days...I NEED THE BREAK!!!!!!!
Ok, so the chem lab has been going great...I finally understand what's
going on and I like being in there mixing the chemicals. I feel important,
plus I learn more about chemistry with a little more hands on experience...
Ok everyone...I hope to have a more exciting update for next time! Take
care and I will talk to you all very very soon! Bye-bye!
*~Terryel~*
March 3, 2005
Hey everyone! Ok, well I mean life just cannot seem to get any crazier
for me! I mean when you are trying to balance life that is going on back
at home and then life here at school, you know it really starts to get
hard. I had 2 exams this week in both Physics 1 and EGR 115 and I swear
that I didn't do too well on either of them. I am stressed out because
I have seemed to forgotten what my goals are lately, or if they are even
worth me going through the maybe next 4 years of schooling to get there.
I know in my heart that I want to become an astronaut still, there just
seems to be the fact that life is going on, besides the fact that I am
striving for my dream. So in order to attack all of the self-doubt and
whatnot, I joined the newly-developed Kendo club at the school.
Kendo is a form of Japanese sword fighting that uses a shinai(bamboo
sword) to fight with. I am currently sore from the amount of
swinging that we did in practice the other day, but I am so pumped to
do well! Ever since I was younger I have wanted to take a form of martial
arts (I mean, hey I was a BIG fan of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
so yeah, I had to learn something)! And now that this is a new club and
I finally got enough courage to go, I did! Mike is in the club too, but
he has more experience in sword fighting than I do, but maybe one day
we'll both be able to challenge one another to a fight!
I really hope that all goes well with Kendo. I knew that I would
go absolutely crazy if I didn't join a club that was very athletic-based
because I needed to let my frustrations out. I am going to try
to rank and get better so that I can compete in competitions next year!
But now I am left with the dilemma of trying out for cheerleading or no....so
we'll have to wait and see....
Ok everyone, I honestly hope to
have some better news for you all next time...you all take
care and I will talk to you very soon!
*~Terryel~*
February 17, 2005
Hey everyone! Oh love is in the air...well it was at least for Valentine's
Day. All I had on my mind was spending time with Mike on this "Day
of Love!" You see it was my first time ever celebrating Valentine's
Day and having a boyfriend to celebrate with, so maybe I was a little
more excited than most people on campus, but you know! Well needless to
say it was a nice evening, short due to the fact that I still had some
humanities homework to finish and such.
Well, I still hate programming...My goodness I cannot comprehend that
class to save my life. I have gotten some help from Professor Kindy, but
I still feel lost. No one seems to know what is going on in that class...Well
we have a test coming up and a program due on Friday so I'll have to probably
meet with him again before it's due. I really want to do well in this
class; it honestly does look like fun,yet there is so much new lingo and
such that I really do not understand...Anyways...I finally feel like I'm
actually helping people in the PS 101 chemsitry lab that I help assist
with Professor Coslow! I am so glad now that I am in there, because at
first it was still new and I didn't know what was going on. Now that I
am in the swing of things it is all good!
Oh and to help keep me on track, my friend Rowena (an Engineering Physics
Freshman) and I are going to meet 3 times a week to get our homework done
(to stay away from the boyfriends that tend to distract us so much!)!!!!
So far that has been going well and we hope that it continues to work!
All other classes seem to be going well. I am catching up on Physics,
while the lab for that class is not too bad right now. Humanities is my
favorite class, which is funny since it has nothing to do with math or
science! Professor Barbie really makes you think and I mean I cannot wait
to go to her class! Especially now that we have been talking about slavery
and the Civil Rights Movement and such, I feel more connected with the
class! Yeah that class is totally awesome!
Well that is basically it for now...You all take care and I'll update
you all very soon! Bye Bye!
*~Terryel~*
February 3, 2005
Hey everyone...I must tell you that I am not in the best of moods...It
seems like there is never enough time to get anything done. We have been
back to school now for almost 3 weeks I think and, I mean, I feel like
I am so behind. School has never been so hard before in my life! Yeah,
I know college is supposed to be hard, but it seems like it is draining
the life outta me!
Now that I am a Chem lab assistant, I have more responsibility. I love
the hands-on experience that I get since I am behind the scenes. I finally
get to help people and put my knowledge to practical use! I like mixing
the chemicals the best since I feel like a real scientist or something.
I mean not all of my days are bad...I still love coming here, I just feel
like not doing anything anymore...
I hate EGR 115! I don't hate my professor, I just hate the class! I hate
computers and I am only using them because I have to. I mean I think I
just hate the class because I don't understand how to do anything. This
is, in turn, putting my spirits down...I just get confused and everything
and I plan on going to my professor's office hours tomorrow when I have
a lighter day...
Personal time is small nowadays...I decided that I will probably try
out for cheerleading so that I may keep in shape! I need to do something
that can take my mind off of school and homework for a while! Besides,
I miss doing gymnastics and I think I could add some spirit and tumbling
to the team! GO EAGLES!
Well that is all that I have for now...I need to go take a nap since
I am about to fall over now! Talk to you all very soon! Take care! Adios!
*~Terryel~*
January 20, 2005
Hey everyone, again! Well my first week back went pretty well! I mean
it was so wonderful to see all of my friends and finally see Mike again!
I mean I was so nervous to see him again that I didn't even notice him
at the airport (ok I had butterflies in my stomach and I wasn't used to
see him without his usual ROTC haircut!)! Well needless to say that he
and I had a great day with one another without having to worry about school
and homework and what not. My classes this semester aren't too bad: physics
with lab, intro to computer programming, calculus 2, and studies in humanities.
I had dropped my graphical communications class because I didn't want
a heavy course load. So this semester I am only taking 14 credit hours.
Well I eased onto the swing of things this week and I plan on starting
off on the right foot and not slack off. I believe that my calculus 2
class might give me some trouble but I plan on staying on top of things
early! Ok I'll let you all know how all of my classes are going after
I have actually been in there for more than a couple of days! Talk to
you all very very soon! Adios!
*~Terryel~*
December 9, 2004
Hey everyone! Whoa I am so excited that everyone is back from Thanksgiving
Break! I was left here at school in like a totally deserted hall and it
was so lonely. My boyfriend Mike went home to Connecticut and I missed
him very very much! He called me every day and checked up on me. I remember
just beginning to cry on the phone, not just because I missed him, but
how much I truly valued every second that I would spend with him. I mean
I would get excited everytime he would call me on the phone!
My friend Melinda who lives down the hall from me was one of the people
that stayed here. She and I had hung out a lot during that time and just
got to know one another even more. We worked on homework together and
watched T.V. Basically we just enjoyed the quietness of the hall. Melinda
went home for Thanksgiving day and I ate dinner by myself (which the Turkey
Dinner in the cafeteria was so awesome that I haven't gotten that full
on such a great home-cooked meal like that in a while), but she came back
the next day so it was all good!
Well even though I didn't get all my homework done, I did get slightly
caught up on my work. I don't have too much to do, but I think I am just
ready for finals to get here and be over with!
When everyone got back, my friend Tamara who also lives down the hall
from me had a big Turkey Dinner for all of us in the hall. Her mother
had supplied us with some turkey, sweet potatoes, and rum cake that all
tasted really good and I especially appreciated it because in the end
I got to spend Thanksgiving with my friends after all!
Mike said next year that I am going to Connecticut with him and yeah
I surely am! There is no way I am staying here in the dorms all by myself
ever again!
Ok, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Holiday and I will talk to
you all very very soon! Adios!
November 25, 2004
Hey everyone! Well this has yet again been a crazy time for me! School
is just crazy. Sometimes I feel like I just want to just say I quit. I
mean I love it here at Embry-Riddle. I love the fact that I get to wake
up every morning and realize that I am here at the school instead of being
back in Ohio. I mean around now I am starting to somewhat miss home. There
are just so many things that are going on right now back at home that
it seems like I should be there helping.
I have talked to my friends less now since I have been so busy with school
work. I miss them so much because they understand me and just know how
I am. But I really love my new friends here at Embry-Riddle. They are
now like my first family here and I love being around them. I mean some
of my friends here seem like I have known them since like elementary school
because I know them so well!
Like I said the work is becoming a bit much. I came to college with the
mindset of doing well, yet still having a social life. It seems really
hard now to balance the two with the homework and tests piling up. All
I need to do is make it through this week and I can finally relax. I will
more than likely be here for Thanksgiving Break doing make up homework
and studying for exams. I have learned now to not wait until the last
minute to finish things that need to be completed...I also know that I
want to make Exam Week as simple as possible! Wish me luck everyone and
have a great Thanksgiving Holiday! Talk to you all soon! 'Adios!'
November 11, 2004
Hey everyone! Well unlike so many people who went to the homecoming festivities
over the weekend, I was sleeping! Lately I have been feeling so tired
that all I can do is sleep. I did get to see the new Disney/Pixar movie
The Incredibles and that was the highlight of my weekend (that and the
hot fudge brownie sundae that I had afterwards).
On Thursday night I went to Cape Canaveral to see the next rocket launch
go off at around 12:45. Mike, Brian from my floor and a few other guys
all rushed to get to the rocket launch on time. We got there with like
2 minutes to spare and then the rocket like never went off! We waited
there for like another half hour or so and found out that the launch had
been cancelled! I was crushed out of everyone because I haven't been to
the Kennedy Space Center Area since I was 9 so I was really looking forward
to it! Well I know that there will be others...
Oh there was the annual career fair at the school this past week! I went
with some people from my EP 101 class, and the only booth that interested
me was of the United Space Alliance. They are the major contractors for
NASA. We passed by their building on the way to see the rocket launch.
I told Mike and Brian that this is where I am going to be working soon!
I have to be at least a sophomore to a junior I think in order to get
a CO-OP. But after talking to the people at the booth, it had hit me that
I am just another step closer to becoming an astronaut!
As for school, it's going well. Just recently took a chemistry exam and
I am feeling more confident about how I did this time! All my other classes
are just running smoothly right now and nothing is becoming too overwhelming
at the present moment! Ok well I'll keep you all updated on how I am doing
and I will talk to you all soon! Bye!
October 28, 2004
Hey everyone! I tell you as the semester goes further along, the more
sleep deprived I become! I enjoy my time here at Embry-Riddle even more,
even with the lack of sleep! I love spending time with all of my friends
that are on my hall. They all help to calm me down while I am stressing
out for the next exam. I thank Mike especially, because I know I have
to be getting on his nerves sometimes as I complain that EP can be so
overwhelming sometimes. He told me that the hard part is over: figuring
out what I want to do in life. Now I have the easy part of just getting
everything done. I start to think of his saying whenever I am in chemistry
class and feeling lost at how to find the theoretical yield of a reaction.
Things are getting better in chemistry. Now we're doing thermodynamics
and the problems don't seem too hard at the moment. I have been making
myself a second home here at the chemistry tutor labs, and they are very
willing to help me whenever I need help! If things start to get worse
again, I will be sure to talk to Dr. Cameron (trust me there is no way
I can fail this class), who is willing to help any one of his students
out! I got a 61% on the first test and I was excited. I was a point or
two away from failing so I know I need to buckle down and study hard for
the next test in a few weeks.
As for the other classes: Calculus 1 is going great! I am so happy that
I actually know what the hell I am doing in that class. Dr. Young is such
a laid-back guy that I enjoy coming to calculus class. I got an 85% on
the first test, and the problems that I missed were just some simple algebra
errors. We're starting to get into more difficult calculus now, but I
know as long as I put my mind to it I can handle anything. World History
is also going well. I got an 89% on the first test, plus a perfect on
our "improvement points" quiz so I know I have over 100%. And
we just took a test the other day so I know I definitely aced that test
as well! Chem lab is going great. At first I was scared of Mrs. Coslow
because she expects you to know so much, when in fact she wants you to
use the knowledge that you already have and apply it to the class. She
really has helped me to believe in my own problem-solving and thinking
ability. I believe that I have a B in the class, but it's nothing less
than that, and I have plenty of time to bring the grade up to an A! Oh,
English is also going great. I believe that I have a rough draft for a
paper due on Friday, but it won't take me that long to write the paper.
And last but not least, EP 101 is going great. I finally am working on
figuring out my topics for my two technical papers due before the end
of the semester. More than likely it will have to do with space exploration
to the moon and Mars. I'll tell you exactly what they're about when I
have the topics listed in more detail. Basically school is great--challenging,
but I wouldn't have it any other way!
Now lately I have been feeling sick. I found out that since I am from
up north (OHIO) that allergies can kick someone's butt down here in Florida!
So yeah, I have the whole NyQuil commercial in my head since I seem to
have all the symptoms! But I will work through it and I have the water
bottle handy to try to cure my dry, scratchy throat! Ok everyone I am
off to chem lab, but I'll keep you all updated on my progress very very
soon! Take care and talk to you later! Adios mis amigos!
*~Terryel~*
October 14, 2004
Hi everyone! Boy have I ever felt so tired! School is just becoming so
hard that it's not even funny. Then on top of that try to get your very
first relationship started and somehow study for your Calculus 1 and Chemistry
exams at the same time (let me tell you guys are big distractions, but
ladies we can handle it, just put your foot down)! I am handling the pressure
just fine. I have learned that you do need to take a break every once
in a while before your head explodes! Plus you need to have some fun in
college because it's like a rule or something!
Let's see...chemistry is my hardest class right now, I think it's because
it's such a fast-paced class, but all of us EP students are working together
to get it done! All my other classes are going great and I wouldn't leave
Embry-Riddle for anything...I always love a challenge! It makes you a
stronger person in the end! Ok well I'll give you all an update when I
take all of these exams during the week! You all take care and I'll talk
to you soon! Adios mis amigos!
*~Terryel~*
October 5, 2004
Hi everyone! My name is Terryel Leisan Neal, 19, from Reynoldsburg/
Blacklick, Ohio (like 15 min. away from downtown Columbus, the
capitol) and I am currently a freshman majoring in Engineering
Physics (EP) here at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona
Beach campus!
I have wanted to become an astronaut for NASA since I had visited the Kennedy
Space Center when I was nine years old. There was a display case with all of
the black astronauts in it and ever since I saw that I wanted to be part of the
selected few to venture into space. I would love to at least become the second
black female to venture into space, along with becoming the first person to walk
on Mars, which is like my favorite planet anyway!
I had heard about Embry-Riddle through my older brother when I was only in
the 7th grade! My brother had gotten a pyramid in the mail from the school
with the list of majors and it had airplanes and a space shuttle launching
into space. After I had seen the space shuttle, I knew instantly that this
would be the school for me!
So by the end of my freshman year of high school I had been doing really badly
since I must have figured that I had passed the Ohio 9th grade Proficiency
Test and that I was just done for the rest of the school year. Well that was
not the case and I had to work even harder for the rest of high school to make
a decent cumulative by the end of senior year (so work hard all of high school
and don't slack off like I did)!
But the summer after 9th grade I visited Embry-Riddle and I just loved
being there and I just didn't want to leave! I mean I was in such awe on the
day that I had just taken the tour at the campus that my family literally had
to drag me away from the school! After my first visit to the campus, I had
worked my ass off to make sure I had the best grades ever, especially in my
math and science classes which were like my favorites anyway! Well the summer
before senior year I came back to Embry-Riddle for like a final visit before
I would apply here and all the same feelings of awe came back into my mind
and I just could not wait to get here the following year!
And since that day I just could not wait to get into the school, I had applied
for Early Decision and I literally cried when I got my acceptance letter in
the mail! I mean my cumulative GPA was a 3.55, but I had only gotten a 21 on
my ACT test so I was really worried about that. Plus the school gave me some
scholarships, which is always a plus!
So the time came to come to Embry-Riddle, my dream school, and I was just
such a nervous wreck! I had no clue what to expect since everyone kept telling
me that EP is going to be a lot of work and they make a sound like it's going
to be painful or something! So I get here and finally see my roommate Marquitta
and she is like really cool and we are so alike that it truly scares the both
of us at times! She is also in EP and I know we're going to be helping one
another out as time goes along! I live in Woods hall and I just absolutely
love it! The guys and girls are just so very cool that we truly bonded already
(especially during the hurricanes because they just don't want to go away!).
Ladies, I must tell you that the guys here are just so freaking nice to look
at and have great personalities, I mean you will love the whole guy/girl ratio
(I think it's like 7:1 or something like that!). I mean I figured that I wouldn't
really find anyone since you know I didn't think that I would have any free
time to actually have a relationship or something. Well to my surprise I actually
found someone and his name is Mike ; ) a really cool guy that lives down the
hall and we're like "talking" right now and seeing where things go.
So for all of you out there that think that you cannot get anyone now while
you are in high school, just wait because college is just a totally different
kind of thing!
Well, classes are going pretty good right now, I just think chemistry is worrying
me the most but once I understand it I'll be fine. I love school anyway so
all I need to do is focus just a little more than what I was used to doing
and all will be good. I haven't been in classes long enough since the school
kept closing and opening because of the hurricanes, but I will update you all
about my progress in EP. Oh and I'll tell you all about the Slip 'N Slide action
that happened on Woods 2nd floor during Hurricane Jeanne! It was a blast! Ok
take care everyone and I hope to talk to you all soon! ¡Adiós mis amigos!
|
Name: Terryel