Off the Hill: Summer Activities

Anushree Vashist '21 News Editor

As Hopkins students were freed from the struggles of school, each found a unique way to enjoy their summer freedom.

For some students, the summer holiday allowed for extensive travel. Lola Panagos '21 visited Dubai and South Africa with siblings Lucy Panagos '20 and Lily Panagos '23. They visited the Burj Khalifa before stopping in Sabi Sands for a safari to explore native wildlife. They ended their travels with a comprehensive journey through South Africa, including visiting the Cape of Good Hope in Cape Town and the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. For Panagos, understanding the nation’s culture provided her with a new awareness: “It was very interesting to see the rich and recent history of South Africa. There truly was a long walk to freedom. To experience their culture and wildlife was an amazing opportunity.”

Other students chose to spend their summer right here at Hopkins for both summer courses and the Pathfinder program. Julia Davis '21, who participated in Atlantic Communities III, enjoyed the class "because of the recent nature of the material covered and the engaging way the course was taught.” Students like Kyle Shin '20 were Pathfinder Teaching Fellows. Shin enjoyed the connections he made with his students throughout the summer, saying "it made me feel like I had made a difference."

Sophie Sonnenfeld ’21 spent her summer at local newspaper The New Haven Independent. She reported on a series of events, ranging from a sustainability rally to the reopening for a children's trauma center to a Caribbean festival. Each event provided Sonnenfeld with an informative experience: “I got to speak with people on the scene who were personally tethered to these events and genuinely dedicated to causes in our community– some very cheerful, and some very tragic." Appreciative of the experience, Sonnenfeld said she "feels more connected with the New Haven community than ever before"

Zoe Smith ’21 worked as an apprentice at Hamden’s Eli Whitney Museum which, according to Smith, strives to, “educate kids on the principles of engineering and design.” Each week provided Smith with different opportunities, from helping campers construct electronic boats in a Make Design camp to using CAD software to build cities. Smith, interested in biomedical engineering, found her apprenticeship an “incredibly rewarding” opportunity that helped develop the “skills needed to be an engineer.”

Lily Meyers ’20 spent her summer in the Made in Queens program, an undertaking of the Queens Economic Development Corporation. The programs strives to promote Queens’ local businesses by providing them with chances to sell their goods. Meyers spent much of her time using social media to promote a market. She deemed this experience “interesting” since she “thought about and used social media in a very different way than what I’m used to.” During the final days of her internship, she was able to go to the market herself and “meet the people behind the businesses I had read about and tagged in posts.”

Annie Burtson ’21 worked at Saugatuck Sweets in Fairfield. Burtson stated she 'learned so much about running a business." Burtson thoroughly enjoyed her working experience, calling it "an amazing experience" that she "can’t wait to continue during the school year!"

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Off the Hill: Summer Activities