Talk to an advisor (9 AM-9 PM EST): 866-442-6062

Talk to an advisor (9 AM-9 PM EST): 866-925-2803

This fall, you may wonder exactly how you'll write that "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" essay for your creative writing class, considering your summer was a languid season of sleep and sun. Some go-getter students, however, aim to prove that summer is ripe with possibility, thanks to internships, study abroad programs, and volunteer opportunities galore. Be sure to take notes for next year.

Globetrotting Ed
How does a globetrotting photographer satisfy her wanderlust and love of art? For Karen Kumpis, a student at San Diego State University (San Diego, CA), a five-week program at Studio Arts Centers International in Florence, Italy (www.saci-florence.org) did the trick.

With classes held in the likes of the Uffizi Gallery, Karen studied Botticelli's hallmark Neoplatonic style while standing mere feet away from his "Birth of Venus." Outside class, she roamed the city, photographing everything from the Duomo to Etruscan ruins. Weekends were spent taking trains to Rome and the Italian Riviera. While her days as a Florentine sharpened her artistic eye and turned her into a bit of a worldly wanderer, this California girl says she discovered another side of herself.

"[It] made me realize how independent I can be. I flew halfway across the world, not knowing anyone," she says. Since then, Karen has done work-study in Australia and plans to make more trips that require a passport in one hand and a camera in the other.

Joining the Fight
As a slogan, Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org) asks the unflinching question, "What are you doing to house the world?" For Lisa Montrose, the answer is "plenty." While at The Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.), Lisa worked with Habitat's Collegiate Challenge program over spring break. Though some students might be loath to spend a vacation volunteering, Lisa felt the opposite.

"When most people think about spring break, they think about trips to Cancun, getting drunk, being reckless. That never really appealed to me," she says. "When I heard about the Collegiate Challenge program, it sounded like the best of both worlds -- I could have a great time while also making a positive difference in the lives of others."

Before long, Lisa was a Habitat summer regular, traveling across the United States with other volunteers to clear lots, build houses, and wire rooms for electricity. In addition to learning how to wield power tools and assume leadership positions, Lisa also saw places she never would have visited otherwise. (How many other D.C. girls have hit up an Austin rodeo?)

Now a communications specialist for Habitat's Campus Chapters and Youth Programs, Lisa knows that the most important quality Habitat helped her develop was being less self-centered. "It helped me remember there's a huge world out there that I'm only one part of, but my decisions can affect the rest of the world," she says.

Heading Under the Sea
When a program makes you feel like "sleep is a waste of time," as ActionQuest's (www.actionquest.org) "Sea-mester" made Hilary King feel, it's clear that it eclipses the average summer adventure.

While at Hamilton College (Clinton, NY), Hilary took a cue from Jacques Cousteau and signed up for a July-to-August "Sea-mester" term. Hearing amazing things from program alumni, she was sold the moment she saw the Ocean Star, an 88-foot traditionally rigged schooner.

A typical day at sea? "Each of us climbed out of bed, got into our swimsuits, put on sunscreen, and walked up the companionway to the deck where we had breakfast," explains Hilary. "We were often diving, studying, attending a lecture on the Coriolis effect, or sailing to the next port."

Living the life of a sailor allotted no shortage of memories. Hilary recalls how even daily tasks had a magical feel. "[I remember] jumping off the rigging of the Ocean Star to take showers, getting stronger by climbing up and down a ladder once to shampoo my hair, next to condition it, and again to soap up," she recalls. "It was bizarre and fun, and one of the things I miss most."

Island Idol
The Council of International Education Exchange (CIEE, www.ciee.org) promotes volunteerism in some 25 countries, immersing young adults in other cultures as they work in every field from environmental protection to archaeology.

Drawn to CIEE by its vast opportunities, Netanya Stutz spent three weeks on the French Island of Ile D'Hoedic as part of a landscape restoration project. Living with other volunteers, Netanya pulled weeds, sawed off dead branches, and restacked fallen walls to restore land ravaged by a storm. Despite the fact that the island only had about 80 inhabitants, boredom was never a problem, especially since tourists often bunked in the volunteers' dorm, an old army barrack called Le Fort.

A highlight of the experience happened when a group of 40 people visited to celebrate a triple 30th birthday with a two-day party. "[They] invited everyone on the island to take part in dancing, eating, and drinking. The dance floor turned strangers into friends, and we all unleashed our childlike spirit," says Netanya.

Although she was worried about missing "civilization," Netanya had the opposite experience as the island worked its magic and released a sense of wide-eyed wonder. With memories that include falling asleep to the sound of waves, Netanya gives a fairy-tale spin on her time, recalling that, in the end, she and her fellow volunteers "actually felt lucky to have given up our beds for a night drenched in natural perfection."

DIY Internship
The lack of entry opportunities in the elite fashion world did not hinder Tara Steele. Enrolling at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (Los Angeles, CA) to become an event coordinator, she began to frequent fashion shows and fundraisers. By introducing herself around, Tara's moxie helped her create a volunteering niche in lieu of a formal internship program.

Before long, her summers were spent behind the scenes at shows for BETSEY JOHNSON and CHLOE, where she worked the door and dressed models. When it comes to Tara's behind-the-scenes tasks, she rattles off a litany of responsibilities.

"You always had to be ready for surprises," she says with a smile. "In between working the door, assisting the coordinators, and dressing models, you never know what might happen -- anything from stuck zippers to models having meltdowns to paparazzi prowling outside."

A highlight to Tara's do-it-yourself internship was working at the show "Four Inches," a charity event where proceeds went to the ELTON JOHN AIDS Foundation. Tara assisted models who strutted in little more than Jimmy Choo shoes and Cartier jewelry before the likes of MINNIE DRIVER. Interning was never so glamorous.

Start researching now for next summer. Like these students, you're sure to have lots to write home about.

Sound Off! Post Your Comments