As the end of the year was upon us and students were going between applying for jobs, moving out, and preparing for the summer, I swooped in to cause a distraction and find out what the average CMU student is using their summer for.
The average answer is one you would expect: working to pay for school. But I found a few students that, in my opinion, were doing something more interesting with their months off.
One residence student is taking a trip to South Korea and possibly Japan with their family. As the writer (fuelled by jealousy and surprise), I absolutely had to ask some questions. “My aunt’s family is from Korea, so they’re meeting up with us and showing us around,” the student explained. “Plus, my mom’s a huge fan of the culture and wants to see it all. I’m really excited!”
While travelling was a pattern among the answers, not everyone is travelling to sightsee. A student athlete I know headed over to British Columbia for work planting trees. He’s been doing this for a couple years now, and seems to really like what he’s doing. Hundreds of thousands of trees will be planted by him and many other groups over the summer, in areas that loggers have cleared.
Another group of students are preparing to go on a two-week trip to India through CMU’s Estamos program, getting academic credit and experiencing another culture away from home. Estamos is a chance for any student to experience the world while still fulfilling degree requirements. From what I heard, this trip to India is going to be a really exciting one!
More mundanely, this writer has no plans for the summer that are as exciting. I travelled back home to Ontario and I’m splitting my time between working for school and seeing family and friends. I work at an adventure farm, which is basically a huge playground for families! It includes a petting zoo, wagon rides, and a low-level treehouse ropes course—all a big hit with kids. It’s all bee and farm themed, and my favourite job I’ve ever had. Aside from working, I don’t have any big trips planned, but I do see many sunny beach days in my future.
Whether you’re returning home for the summer, travelling, working most of the time, or taking a much-deserved rest after the school year, I send good vibes and hope that the summer is everything you need. Maybe these CMU students can inspire you to try something new while getting rejuvenated for the 2024/25 school year. Have a great summer everyone, and see you in September!
Cloe Penner is entering her third year of a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in history.