Sitting on a beach, cold beverage in hand and waves of salt water in low tide along the coast. Summer break could mean a break from tests and stress and more time for vacation for some students. Kicking off this summer break, several Kansas State University students share their summer agendas as they disperse throughout the country.
In-State Summers
Some students are staying in Manhattan for the summer.
One student working in the Little Apple this summer is Tarra Rotstein, junior in agribusiness. She is a remote intern for Spoon University, working concessions at the Manhattan City Pool and is taking multiple summer courses online.
Rotstein said she is excited for her summer internship to help improve her writing and editorial skills.
Even though she is living in Manhattan, she still plans to take several different trips to Florida, Texas and Ohio.
“I am super pumped for all of these trips,” Rotstein said.
Another student staying in Kansas this summer is Drew Hoffman, senior in agronomy. He said this is his last summer break as an undergraduate student. He is interning for Wilbur Ellis, a company for distributing agricultural products, animal feed and specialty chemicals and ingredients, in his hometown of Wathena, Kansas.
“One of my favorite parts about summer break is being able to start working again and making money,” Hoffman said. “I also really enjoy the fact that I don’t have to worry about going to class or doing homework, and I love to be able to go down to the Lake of the Ozarks and Tuttle on the weekends to go boating.”
Not In Kansas Anymore
Other students are traveling around the country for career and educational opportunities.
Mary Marsh, freshman in agricultural communications and journalism, said she will be working as a maintenance intern for Pipe Spring National Monument in Fredonia, Arizona. She said she will help with restoration work to the park, learning how a national park operates and the general upkeep of it.
Aside from her internship, Marsh said she is glad not to stress over school and homework and is excited to be in a different state all summer.
“I want to fish as much as possible and hike all the surrounding trails and hope to squeeze in a camping trip or two,” Marsh said. “I just want to really get out, explore and enjoy such amazing country.”
Hannah Fain, senior in chemical engineering, is moving to Nashville, Tennessee for the summer to work at an internship at Mars PetCare as a product development intern.
“I plan on exploring the Nashville area as much as possible,” Fain said. “I’d like to try a lot of new restaurants, listen to a lot of live music, get to know new people, explore the city and hope to take a day trip to the Smoky Mountains to go hiking.”
Mardi O’Brien, an Australian native and sophomore in animal science and livestock production, said she is enjoying her time in the United States.
O’Brien received a scholarship through the Australian Angus Breed Society and Semex while she attends The University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia to study abroad in the U.S. This scholarship has allowed her to spend a full semester at K-State and has given her numerous career and educational experiences that she can take back to Australia.
She said her plans for the summer, while she is still in the U.S., is to spend time traveling to different companies and cattle ranches across the Midwest.
O’Brien also plans to try to spend time with family in Colorado.
“It seems a real shame to finally be on the same side of the globe and not spend a great deal of time with them,” O’Brien said. “I’m going to really focus on trying to incorporate a few trips down to Colorado into my schedule before I leave.”
