By Daniel Diggins
Staff Reporter
From the Catamaran’s top deck, Freshman Devin Nealon could see nothing but blue skies and a calm ocean as he sailed through the US Virgin Islands.
Nealon visited the US Virgin Islands for the first time in the summer of 2015 and is planning on returning this summer for his second trip after his freshman year has officially ended.
“Summer is one of the best times of the year for me, especially to go on vacation with my family,” said Nealon.
Students at Sacred Heart University take time in the summer to do a variety of things. Some students either work in the summer, travel, relax, or even take classes.
“Once summer starts, you can find me working six to seven days a week. The amount of money needed to support my life in college is absurd, and summer is when I have to make that money, so there’s no other choice,” said sophomore Vinnie Tummarello.
Some students make their money in the summer from regular jobs while others make their money from internships.
“I have a paid internship this summer for the first time. The pay is significantly higher than my job I had last summer scooping ice cream,” said junior Connor Altamura.
Students can use paid internships as a way to make money and increase their experience working. However, not all internships are paid. Some are simply to gain experience.
“I have an unpaid internship this summer which I’m pretty excited about. The hours
aren’t very demanding at all and it is going to look great to put on a resume,” said freshman Danylo Yanovskiy. “Since my internship is unpaid, I need to have a paid job also. I’ll be working a couple days a week on my friend’s farm.”
While some students are busy working during the summer, others are busy taking summer courses. Some even manage to both work and take summer courses.
“I’m taking a few classes this summer, which only meet a few days a week. So luckily I’ll be able to work on the days that I don’t have classes,” said freshman Nico Di Lucia.
Others don’t have much time to work or take classes, especially if they are travelling for the summer.
“I’ll be going to Italy for the majority of the summer visiting extended family with some of my cousins. We’ll also just be travelling around Europe when we aren’t in Italy,” said sophomore Kristina Deleonardis.
Some of those who are graduating this May have different plans than those that are returning to the university.
“I’m going out this summer and looking for a real job to start my career, I’m definitely going to miss this school,” said senior Eric Bialczak.
