The time we’ve all been yearning for is finally upon the horizon. We are another year older and perhaps a little wiser. We’ve developed portfolios, created works of art and expressed ourselves through our various talents. Now it’s time to say goodbye for the summer, and for some, to start their journey. We’re not at the corner of real and world, anymore, we’re right in the middle of the intersection.

Many of us are still finalizing our summer plans – figuring out where we will be interning, waiting anxiously for passports to begin traveling, getting ready to start back at our trusty summer gigs, ordering books to get ahead with a few extra class credits or looking for real jobs with salaries and 401Ks (hopefully).

While summer is a time to relax and refresh, it’s not the same as our summers of childhood in the past.

We are still students, but should be prudent in maintaining some sort of mental stimulation through the dog days of summer.

If you don’t have any plans, make some.

No internship? Freelance for yourself to build up that cherished portfolio to get you ahead of the competition. Not jet setting? Take a spontaneous road trip, buy a cheap Megabus ticket or have fun being a tourist in your own hometown. No summer credits? Sign up for that community yoga or abstract art class at your nearest community college. Not ready for a “real” job yet? Look into some potential dream jobs and come up with a concrete way to get there.

Relaxing is important, yes. But the point is, you’ll feel a lot better for being productive rather than sleeping the heat away. When you come back, you’ll be focused and hopefully have some lively stories to share with friends. 

At the very least, read that book you’ve been itching to that’s collected dust on the shelf. Or if you’re feeling extra ambitious, maybe you could write one.

We’ll see you next semester, Point Park.

Thanks for reading.