By Thomas Mangieri
TAMPA, Fla. — With finals taking up so much attention and taking over students’ lives, some can forget how close we are to summer. And with students making that last push through finals, some University of Tampa students are ready to head back to see what summer holds for them. The end of the year is fast approaching, and it is interesting to see what some students have planned for the summer.
Most students are returning back to their home state to spend the summer — students like Nicholas Canny, a UTampa sophomore.
“I am from Lumbrick, New York on Long Island, closest to New York City, the best place in the world,” said Canny, his face lighting up.
It was clear that Canny loved his home, and it became even clearer when he explained that he was most looking forward to seeing his family once again, specifically his dog.
“Looking forward to seeing my dog for the first time in a while,” said Canny. “I know she’s probably not missing me right now, but when I get back, she’s gonna go crazy for me.”
Canny has his work cut out for him when he gets home, saying that he needs to get recertified as a lifeguard in the state of New York as well as retake a test for the state of Florida for his education degree. After he gets all of that done, Canny doesn’t quite know what the summer will bring for him.
“Me and my Dad are thinking of going away for the summer, but we don’t know exactly where,” said Canny. “I’ve been proposing to him that we should go to Texas, Oklahoma, middle of nowhere in the midwest just to get out of the hustle and bustle of the East and we’ll pretty much go from there.”
While Canny sees his summer as being pretty active, Liam Barkins sees his summer as laidback and chill. Barkins is from Connecticut, living right outside of Hartford, and said he doesn’t have much planned for this summer.
“Just workin’, and working out pretty much, nothing too much,” said Barkins. “I work at a senior center, so I just work with the elderly … it’s pretty easy honestly because you get to socialize.”
While most people are returning to their home states, some students are preparing for international travel and returning to their home countries. Claudio Campero is a student preparing to return to his home country of Peru for the summer. Campero is a business major and lives in the capital city of Lima.
What Campero is looking forward to doing is not too different; seeing his family and girlfriend, along with starting work, are all things that he is looking forward to doing this summer. However, he does have a more serious job as a sales closer selling a trading crypto program. With him being able to do it online, Campero doesn’t need to go into an office when he returns. He can spend more time with people he doesn’t get to see that much before he returns home.
Campero enjoys his home country of Peru, but he enjoys the states more.
“The states is like more of a more organized country but Peru is where my family is, so I guess I have a special feeling about my country,” said Campero.
Many people headed home did not really speak about the place that they were going to; they spoke about the people that they were going to see, like their families and friends, along with the things that they were going to do. That is what makes home “home” for everyone.
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Photo courtesy of The University of Tampa website.