Georganne Jadhon, Staff Writer

Summer vacation is something that students want to either last forever or end quickly. Some students may have traveled the world, sat by a beach, worked hard at an internship or didn’t do anything remotely exciting at all.

Like most students, juniors Jake Gaboriault, Brandon Virtue and senior Justin Shabman wished their summer vacation didn’t have to end, but are happy to be back at school this semester.

“I had an awesome summer,” Gaboriault said. “My friends and I went to the city for a Yankees game, and it was truly the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced. There were six of us, and it was so much fun. We had awesome seats that weren’t too close, but not that far away either. The weather was great too. It turned out to be a great day.”

The game was exciting for Gaboriault since that was the first time he had ever been to the city, and also caught a great game to watch. Not only did Jake get to watch a great game, but he also experienced an 8-foot snake around his neck.

“I have a huge fear of snakes,” Gaboriault said. “My friends and I saw this guy on the street with these huge snakes, so of course they dared me to put one around my neck. I obviously couldn’t say no, so I sucked it up and did it. It honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I’m really glad I ended up doing it.”

For Virtue and Shabman, both spent their summers working hard at their internships or camps. Virtue spent his summer at Martz Field Summer Camp where he was a counselor for children with disabilities.

“It was such an amazing experience to be able to be a counselor,” Virtue said. “All of the kids there were absolutely great to work with. Even though I didn’t get to go away on vacation, I’m happy I was able to work at the camp instead. All of the kids there were such great kids, and the whole experience really changed my life for the better. I can’t wait to go back next summer.”

The connection Virtue made with the kids at the camp was one that he will never forget. Virtue was also awarded as being all of the kids’ favorite camp counselor, which made his time there well worth it.

Shabman had started his summer vacation off at an internship at Envestment, a wealth management firm located in the city.

“My internship was great,” Shabman said. “I learned so many new skills that apply to my major, and I also helped a lot with setting up power points for meetings. The whole experience of learning new things was really cool. This internship really helped me figure out what I want to do once I graduate, and I can’t wait to start looking for jobs.”

Even though they didn’t get to go away on a tropical vacation, each student made the most out of their summer, and still had a great time.