The summertime is the one season in a year full of busy school semesters that students have the chance to take some time off and kick back.
The break was more relaxing for some than others, but a vacation from the norm is still a vacation. Some students took classes and others had internships.
And even though they may have been hard to find, full-time and part-time jobs gave some students the opportunity to save up some extra cash.
Those who were lucky enough to get away through study abroad trips and local retreats came back with exciting stories to tell and updated Facebook albums to share. Before the 2009 summer break came to a close, the Future was able to catch up with five busy students who shared their stories.
Kevin Pheil, senior
Information technology major
What he did: Pheil landed a paid internship with the Orange County Information System and Service Team. Although it made his schedule “pretty jam-packed,” he also took three summer classes to earn his degree faster.
Get to know ’em: Pheil needs only 34 more credits to graduate and hopes to complete them in the upcoming fall and spring semesters. He said his summer classes were not much harder than the classes he has taken during longer semesters and was pleased with how quickly he was able to get them out of the way.
What is he doing now: Now that classes are completed, he hopes to pick up more hours at his internship and save up for the fall semester.
Ashley LaSure, sophomore
Business major
What she did: LaSure left Orlando to work as a waitress in her hometown. She put in at least 15 to 20 hours a week at The Grill in Fort Lauderdale, and she is using the money she saved to pay for her fall tuition.
Get to know ’em: Considering the recent tuition increases, she figured it was better to load up on classes in the fall when her Bright Futures scholarship will be able to cover some of the costs. She is currently scheduled to complete 16 credit hours of course work in the fall.
What she’s doing now: LaSure is spending her last couple weeks of summer break hanging out with friends and reading non-course related books.
“I’m trying to enjoy the last free time before the madness begins,” she said.
Garrett Jurss, senior
Theater major
What he did: Jurss worked and took classes in preparation for post-graduation plans.
Get to know ’em: Within a year of graduating, he wants to move to New York City and pursue his passion for theater. Jurss hopes the money he saved up while working at the Apple store in the Florida Mall will help him get there. He has been a concierge at Apple for about a year and worked anywhere from 20 to 30 hours a week this summer.
What he’s doing now: Jurss also took two classes during Summer A in order to graduate on time in the upcoming spring semester. He will be taking 15 credit hours in the fall and spring to earn his degree.
Barbara Butler, senior
Early childhood education major
What she did: Working 40 to 60 hours a week giving campus tours, answering questions, facilitating introductions, throwing pizza parties and hosting movie and game nights for incoming freshmen and transfers — this is how a UCF Orientation Team member spends her carefree summer days.
Get to know ’em: Butler was selected to become a 2009 O-Team member in January and hasn’t looked back. She and the rest of the O-Teamers moved into the Libra Residence Hall on campus this summer and have been on-call 24-7.
“Any time [students] come knock on our door, we’re required to help them,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world, though.”
What she’s doing now: Butler is currently wrapping up orientations and moving into her new room at Pegasus Pointe where she will be a resident assistant this fall.
Tiffany Bell, senior
Accounting major
What she did: Knowing this would be her last summer as a college student, Bell decided to study abroad in Metz-Nancy, France, and earned more than $6,000 worth of scholarships through the Colleges of Business and Accounting and the Burnett Honors College to do it.
Get to know ’em: She and 15 other UCF students arrived at the ICN Business School for a four-week program sponsored by the UCF College of Business Administration June 1 and earned nine credit hours through courses on everything from management to business attire in Europe, or, as Bell likes to call it, “how to look fabulous class.”
Even though the course load was heavy, she still had plenty of free time and was able to visit a different country every weekend. Egypt, Germany, Switzerland, Amsterdam and England just to name a few.
What she’s doing now: When Bell returned from her trip she went back to her job at the UCF Federal Credit Union in an effort to catch up on the bills that piled up while she was away. She has been working about 30 hours a week while also studying for the GMAT.
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