As soon as the prospect of summer break comes into view, the wheels in my head start turning. Entire months where I am unbound by the structure of school and have the opportunity to fill my time according to my choices (provided, of course, that I can also make a decent amount of money for school)! Even with parameters, summer always looks to me like a wonderful opportunity to for fun and for growth.
Thanks to the help of some friends, TONS of applications and emails, lots of planning, and a bit of luck, I am so incredibly excited for what I have planned this summer.
First off, I will be going home for two weeks to unpack from school, see family and friends, and prepare for what is next. I’m looking forward to some time at home with people I haven’t seen in a while, and to some closer-to-home adventures.
After that, I’ll be going to live and work at Harriman Outdoor Center in Haverstraw, NY. There I’ll do a variety of odd jobs like work in a restaurant and maintain trails, and in my time off I’ll have access to lots of hiking, paddle boarding, and general adventuring.
I looked into doing this type of job at a variety of places, from Alaska to Colorado, but this one was truly the perfect fit. It’s only a few hours from home, and a train ride away from New York City. This means I can go home occasionally and also meet up with friends in the city. Plus, friends and family can easily visit me and have their own little vacation. I also love AMC’s mission, which is all about getting people, and especially those living in cities, into the outdoors. I found this position through coolworks.com, which has listings for lots of similar jobs in state and national parks across the country. Most provide room and board for the season at a very low cost, making it a great way to enjoy your summer while also saving up money.
While I’m working (and playing) at Harriman, I’ll be completing a remote internship with Gen Z Publishing, a company that specializes in publishing the work of new writers, which I love. I can do the work for this internship in my own time and from my laptop. I’ll be reading manuscripts and writing reports about them and any editing they may need. The publishing industry is completely new to me, and I’m excited to dive in.
And lastly, I’ll be traveling to Crater Lake, Oregon, this August for about a week. I am making this trip through a program called Partners in the Parks. This program is coordinated by the National Collegiate Honor’s Council and offers about ten experiential learning trips in national parks each year. The trips consist of seminars, service, and recreational activities all centered around a particular theme. I would definitely recommend that all honors college students look into this, as there are often scholarships available and a wide variety of experiences to choose from. This is the first year the Crater Lake trip is being offered, and it filled up almost immediately after registration began. I was the first person on the waitlist, and was notified in March that a spot had opened up for me. Of course, I signed up immediately, and I can’t wait to experience the Northwest for the first time.
All in all, I’m looking forward to a busy but exciting summer.
I started my search for summer plans in January, when I applied to a dozen theatre internships for literary, artistic, and acting positions. These internships, especially those that pay or provide housing, have intense competition, so to be safe, I expanded my search to writing internships and work in parks. In doing so, I found that I was much more excited about those positions. While I was interested in the theatre ones, I felt obligated to apply for them more than drawn to actually do them. I considered what my ideal summer would look like and realized that my first thoughts were writing and being outdoors, and because I saw a way to tick these boxes while saving for school, I turned my attention towards park jobs and writing internships. I am so glad that I did, and I’m feeling incredibly lucky now to have all of these opportunities for the next few months. I plan to make the most of it, broadening my career prospects, saving up money, and enjoying my time in a beautiful place.
If it wasn’t already obvious, I like making summer plans. So many of my friends are planning to spend their summers in incredible ways, and we’ve spent hours talking about different ideas and watching things take shape. While it’ll be sad to be apart for four months, I can’t wait to hear all about their adventures studying performance in Italy, working in a theatre in California, being an au pair in Germany, and playing a role in a brand new play in NYC. If you have exciting summer plans, I’d love to hear about them as well!
The Take on Adventure 