Summer brings less restrictions, more travel

As the school year comes to a screeching end, students are thrilled to finally wrap up their studies and settle into summer. Despite a surge with two new omicron variants, travelers aren’t showing signs of slowing down for the summer season with few COVID restrictions in place. 

Many students are traveling to international destinations to kickstart their vacation. Sophomore Annalisa Bjorklund will travel to Hawaii on a cruise with her family in the first week of summer. Bjorklund is especially excited about the offshore adventures that await her once the ship docks. 

“A cruise to Hawaii seems like the picture-perfect start to summertime,” Bjorklund said. 

While COVID-19 restrictions prevented music lovers from attending festivals last summer, Bjorklund will attend Lollapalooza Stockholm in Gärdet, Sweden on July 1 after returning from Hawaii.  Meanwhile others have already bought tickets to large-scale concerts for even bigger artists. Sophomore Jordan Miller plans to attend The Weeknd’s August tour, featuring Doja Cat, in Miami to close the summer. 

Summer jobs are opening up to allow students an opportunity to collect pocket money and gain valuable experiences. First-time student workers are excited to kickstart their resume with a summer job. Sophomore Daphne Bendayan has already submitted her resume of volunteer work in hopes of securing a new summer job as a tennis camp counselor. After attending the Bill Clark Tennis Academy in previous years, she is confident in her abilities to continue her summers there as a counselor. 

“I’m excited to revisit the camp in a leadership position this time,” Bendayan said.  ”The experience should be just as fun as I remember.”

Meanwhile, employed students are in search of new work. Daniel Rodriguez has begun his new job at Tin Fish to begin the summer season. After terminating his employment at his previous job, he’s especially hopeful for the new experiences he’ll face. Longer working weeks will also be a part of his new schedule to occupy his free time.

“Since I’ll have more time on my hands, I’m planning to pick up extra hours at work,” Rodriguez said. 

Volunteer opportunities are rampant and many students plan to take advantage of these summer opportunities. Junior Anothny Llanos has already submitted the required information to signup for various different opportunities, such as Feeding South Florida, in hopes of attaining them. Since graduation requirements do include a minimum of 40 service hours, Llanos is prioritizing collecting hours this summer before his senior year.  

Senior students are delighted to close off their final year of high school soon. Those who are college-bound plan to begin their transition onto campus, later in summer, to prepare for their first semester of university. But before that, students like Victoria Wright plan to spend summer freely, with friends and family,  while also gathering campus essentials. Paying university fees and planning a trip to Howard’s orientation are also a part of her pre-university plans. Wright admits she’ll miss the memories of high school, but is excited for the adventures that await her.  

“My main focus this summer is to enjoy the last bit of irresponsibility,” Wright said.