When I was younger, the start of summer break signified the beginning of the best three months of the year. I couldn’t wait to finally hang out with my friends at the pool without homework to interrupt us.
When I thought about the last day of each school year, summer break always meant goodbye, and most of the time, it was a happy one. During my childhood, saying goodbye to friends on the last day of school wasn’t hard. The summer swim team meant that I still got to see many of my closest friends almost every day. For my friends who lived a little bit farther from me, all it took was a five-minute drive to make the summer break “goodbye” seem less miserable.
However, after my freshman year of college, the goodbye was dejected. Going on summer break meant saying goodbye to Southern California weather, goodbye to the mountains, goodbye to my favorite coffee shops — but most of all, goodbye to my friends.
Unlike elementary and high school, college provides close relationships with students from all over the world. What makes college so special is that you can never predict the types of people you will meet or who will be standing by your side on graduation day. This makes saying goodbye on the last day of school even harder.
“During my childhood, saying goodbye to friends on the last day of school wasn’t hard.“
This May, I’ll be saying an even longer goodbye than last year. Similar to many other sophomores, I’ll be studying abroad in the fall semester. My best friends will be attending new schools in places all over the world: Vienna, Sydney, London, Rome. As for my remaining friends who are going abroad in the spring, I’m no longer just saying goodbye for three months but for over a year.
There are so many things you may be saying goodbye to in the coming weeks. Not just your friends but also your sense of stability. For me, last summer didn’t mean only going back to D.C. and meeting up with my hometown friends but instead, heading to Santa Clara, where I would once again be in a new place across the country, meet new people and simply bank on the possibility of making friends. Last year, summer break meant embracing the unfamiliar. Although I initially thought the goodbye would only be sad, it ended up becoming so much more layered than I would’ve thought.
I can recall how nervous I was for my first internship last summer. I had never been in Santa Clara before or worked a “professional” job. Now, I was suddenly going to be doing it on my own without the safety net of orientation groups and school activities. Despite my nerves, last summer ended up being one of the most fun summers I’ve ever had. I explored San Francisco, met some new people and realized that I’d be okay after graduation without the security blanket of my friends surrounding me. This made my goodbye last year worth it: It was the necessary first step towards discovering my independence.
I’ve never left the continent before and I’m hesitant to study abroad in Prague next semester, as I’ll be the furthest I’ve ever been out of my comfort zone. Not only this, but I’m dreading hugging my friends goodbye in the coming weeks. I keep thinking about Santa Clara, though, and how I was able to make the most of my summer despite my initial reservations.
Anxiety, sadness and excitement are all feelings that may come to the surface when thinking about summer break. All of these feelings can coexist when thinking about the unpredictability of our futures and if anything, they’re what push us into adulthood. They’re our mind’s natural responses when we go after new opportunities.
I’ll be honest, I’m nervous when I think about this year’s summer break. The ability to persevere is one I have to constantly remind myself that I have. Fortunately, it’s one that I believe every person has, whether they’re aware of it or not. I hope that when the time comes to leave for summer break next month, we can reframe our goodbyes and think about the adventure that lies ahead.
Norah Mannle CM ’27 hails from the suburbs of Washington, D.C. In her free time, she enjoys long walks, critiquing new coffee shops and skiing.
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