BY Erica Condon
Staff Reporter
After a week of final exams, are students ready to say goodbye to their college lifestyle and hello to winter break?
Sacred Heart University’s winter break begins on Dec. 16 and ends on Jan. 13. This gives students a month off between the first and second semester.
Sophomore Nicholas Cardello said, “I am very excited to be on Christmas break, mostly because I haven’t been able to spend quality time with my family since August. It’ll be nice to relax with them and have a home cooked meal.”
Many students are looking forward to the upcoming break from school.
“I am very excited for winter break to come because that means I finally get to enjoy a break with my family,” said senior Alyssa Torres. “Usually there is work that has to be done over Columbus Day weekend and Thanksgiving break, so not having to worry about assignments is such a relief.”
For some students, Christmas break is an important time to spend with family and friends from home.
“My plans for break are simple. I am looking forward to seeing and spending time with my family. I am also looking forward to skiing and meeting up with friends from my hometown, as well as eating myself into hibernation,” said junior Dan Panichella.
However, not all students spend their entire winter break at home, due to athletics and other commitments.
“My team and I have to come back for practice and to cheer at men’s and women’s basketball games. This makes the break seem a little shorter than it already is,” said Torres. “Other than practice and spending time with my family, I cannot wait to reunite with old friends.”
For junior Jarel Spellman, a member of the Sacred Heart basketball team, winter break is a time to focus solely on his role as an athlete without the distractions of school work.
“Winter break is different for an athlete because everyone is away, so the campus is a ghost town. While others are in the mindset of break and relaxing, I am in the mindset of having multiple games and practices every week,” said Spellman. “I am excited for winter break because I get to have a break from school and focus strictly on basketball.”
Senior Edith Dellatto has spent previous winter breaks on mission trips in different countries. However, this year Dellatto is looking forward to enjoying her last winter break at home before graduating in the spring.
“Every year in college I have gone on a mission trip during winter break so I never really had a break, so to speak. But it was always so exciting to travel to a new place, meet people from different places, and learn about the culture where I was staying,” said Dellatto. “Although I am sad I won’t be going on a trip this break, I am excited to celebrate the holidays and catch up with friends and family.”
For freshman Kristine Udahl, winter break is a much needed time to relax before the second semester begins.
“I am very excited to be able to go home and mentally refresh for the spring semester. Winter break gives you enough of a push to finish the end of the year with the motivation and freshness that you came in with after summer break,” said Udahl.
Nonetheless, do some students believe that a month off from school too much?
“If break was any longer I definitely would miss being with my roommates and at school being productive academically,” said Cardello.
“Towards the end of break I start to get bored and miss the hectic lifestyle that comes along with being a student athlete and living with my best friends,” said Torres. “I start to miss the constant company I get at school, after enjoying the quiet of being home.”
