Joya Pavia, Features Editor

The month of March means spring break for most college students. Utica College students just got back from a full week of no classes and some students used spring break as the perfect opportunity to travel.

Senior Becky Vennero took a trip to Anna Maria Island, Florida this spring break. Anna Maria island is located on the west coast of Florida and is known for its  turquoise waters and white sandy beaches.

Vennero vacationed with her three friends and met up with parents, sister and dog while she was there.

“I went for a few reasons, one being to escape the cold,” Vennero said. “Also, my family has been vacationing there since I was a kid and we go every year to visit and relax.”

Vennero said the trip was planned for a good amount of time, due to having to book a house in advance. However, bringing friends was more of a last minute decision, but worked out well.

“I’ve enjoyed Anna Maria Island so much over the years that I’ve planned a trip to go again with 12 friends after graduation,” Vennero said.

Vennero participated in activities such as jet skiing, but the majority of her trip was relaxing with leisure activities.

“We mainly tanned and hung out at the beach and I brought my longboard down, so I was able to finally use that,” Vennero said. “We also rented golf carts and drove around the island in that, which was really fun.”

Vennero thinks anytime back from vacation can be a tough adjustment.

“It was especially hard to adjust back to reality because you go from 80 degree weather and sun to snow and temperatures below 30 everyday,” Vennero said. “As far as school routine goes, it’s difficult to have the motivation to get up and be productive when all you want to do is lay on the beach still.”

However, Vennero completed a few school assignments during her break, which did not fully take her out of the school mode. She believes this made coming back easier because she didn’t procrastinate and have to cram before returning to class.

Junior Brenna Lyons didn’t escape the cold for her spring break.

Lyons and her boyfriend went to Boston, Massachusetts for spring break to visit her boyfriend’s family.

The two UC students spent the week in Boston and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day.

“There was a huge celebration in the city and everyone got together and had a good time,” Lyons said. “It was cool being able to experience St. Patrick’s Day in a bigger city.”

Besides the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Lyons and her boyfriend spent the majority of their spring break relaxing.

“We went out to eat, went shopping and just took advantage of having a week off from classes,” Lyons said.

Senior Dalton Villeneuve spent most of her spring break in Utica, but took a weekend trip to Lake George.

Like Lyons, her favorite part of the trip was going out on St. Patrick’s Day and seeing a band that was playing.

“It was more laid back than what I typically do for St. Patrick’s Day, but it was fun to have a nice dinner, see friends and listen to the band,” Villeneuve said.

Villeneuve has found it difficult to adjust back to being in school and doing homework again.

“My classes seem like they last longer and it’s difficult to get back into my normal routine after a week off,” Villeneuve said. “I feel as though most people go into “summer mode” after spring break and are more resistant to going back to class.”

Senior Amanda Lupo went to Maryland with the women’s lacrosse team for spring break.

“We played in two games while we were there and brought back two wins,” Lupo said.

The team was there for three days and had the opportunity to play on the USA lacrosse field against Albright College and southern Vermont College.

Lupo’s favorite activity was touring the lacrosse hall of fame.

“There, we got to see all the pioneers of the sport,” Lupo said. “We got the chance to see how the sport has developed over the years. We even got to see one of our very own Utica pioneers in the hall of fame, Tim Nelson.”

Lupo says the adjustment back to school is just as hard as every year, however this year was a bit more easy due to graduation coming up.

“Graduation is making me give one more final push to end,” Lupo said.