Coming back to school after a long and eventful summer is always thrilling. We get to decorate our dorm rooms, make new friends and catch up with the ones you haven’t seen since last semester! And now that I’ve gotten to see a handful of stags, it seems all of us had some exciting summer breaks!
June Dodson ‘25 – My summer was, ironically, focused on school. As a New Student Leader, I was at Fairfield for two weeks of training and preparing for First-Year Orientation. From playing man-hunt on an empty campus to meeting all the new faces, it was a busy but enjoyable two weeks! After orientation, I jumped right into tutoring K-12 students in Maryland. I love working with my summer students, helping with anything from learning multiplication to researching wolf spiders. On top of tutoring, I was also taking a Calculus III course at a local community college. While it was intense, it was fascinating to graph 3D shapes and calculate vectors. I may not have had the most relaxing summer, but I certainly had a fulfilling one!
Kathleen Morris ‘26 – I spent my summer behind the counter of the farm stand at Bramhall’s Country Store in Plymouth, Mass. Located in America’s Hometown and founded in 1828, Bramhall’s is steeped in history and attracts an eclectic clientele, from tourists hoping to check off a stop on their New England Bucket list to regulars looking to stock their kitchen with the finest local produce. My summer job has truly sparked joy, as I had the opportunity to uphold the legacy of a historical business and emphasize the importance of supporting community farms.
Caroline Morris ‘24 – I spent my summer working in Cape Cod, Mass. in a high-end clothing boutique! It was a transformative experience because I was able to acquire skills that will benefit me as I pursue a job in the fashion industry post-graduation.
Shahnt Madalian a.k.a Paul French ‘23 – This summer was like how the last three have been: all work and no play. But work has no set location nowadays so maybe I was getting my morning emails out and watching the oceanic sunrise at the same time? Being my last intra-academic summer, I reminisced about all the preceding ones … in that otherworldly way you’d remember an obscured dream. This past summer I was wondering, “When does summer start?”
Ava Hanley ‘26 – I spent a lot of my summer working at my town’s local country club. I worked as a hostess and it was really great because I got to meet so many awesome people. One of them actually helped me secure an internship. I spent the rest of my time hanging out with my home friends before leaving for college and saying goodbye – it was bittersweet.
Fiona Kileen ‘26 – This summer I spent extensive time working with my mom. My mom has previously worked as an occupational therapist and is currently working on developing educational worksheets. I helped her with transferring the information into a digital format. I also had the amazing opportunity to go on a cruise to the Bahamas and Bermuda during the month of August. We visited historical villages such as St. Georges and scenic beaches including Horseshoe Bay. Overall, I had a very enjoyable and exciting summer!
Oliva Conkling ‘25 – This past summer felt like it flew by! I worked a lot – I was a sales associate at a surf shop, lifeguarded at a day camp and gave swim lessons. Also, for two weeks in June and one week in August, I returned to school for New Student Leader training and orientation. During my free time, I got to spend time with family and friends, go to the beach and go on vacation. I cannot believe how fast four months went.
Bella Worrell ‘25 – Summer 2022 was an eventful, speedy and full of change summer. Once school was finished and I moved back home, I had to immediately start packing again because it was just sold. Luckily, I was able to come back to my other home, Fairfield, for two weeks and participate in New Student Leader Training as well as lead orientation for the class of 2026! With those two weeks I gained so much insight as well as friendships that I am so grateful to have had/made. I then flew to Houston, Texas and worked as a camp teacher for five weeks, teaching students ages 4-7 in STEAM. Some of my activities and lessons had to do with chemical reactions, like Coca-Cola and mentos, all the way to coding Lego robots to pick up an item and put it down. Afterward, I traveled to London, England and Cornwall, England to see my family and my dogs – I hadn’t been back to England since February of 2020, so it was very exciting to see my family, school friends and childhood friends there. Although the summer was speedy and did involve a lot of changes, I really enjoyed my break – I was able to accomplish a lot, make memories and build connections that I am grateful for.
Ella Bennett ‘26 – I spent most of the summer working at this really cool shoreline diner with my friends as a waitress/hostess. The vibe of the diner was really old-fashioned and it was nice to spend my last summer before college working with my friends. I also went to Maine to camp with some friends for a few weeks and when I was bored I would take my dogs on walks across the beach.
Patty Dineen ‘24 – My summer started off with going to Boulder, Colo. with my family for my cousin’s wedding which was absolutely beautiful in the Flat Irons. When I got home, I started my work as a lifeguard at a local pond, and I completed the summer course Early Christianity with Professor Thomas Schmidt, Ph.D. My summer ended with going to Ireland with my family and traveling the south coast of the Republic!
Leave a Reply