Far from the historic buildings that tower over the main green, some students stood beneath breathtaking monuments in their week off from school. Some left the New England cold for the sunny beach and others traveled to catch up with old friends.
As Brunonians arrive back on College Hill, The Herald spoke with 10 students who shared how they chose to spend their spring break.
Nearly 4,000 miles from Providence, Ronit Chakraborty ’28 and his friends touched down in Milan, Italy last week. Chakraborty said he likes Roman history, his friends like Italian food and the group “didn’t want to go to Puerto Rico.”
“Everyone was there,” Chakraborty said. “I think we just wanted a bit of distance … we wanted to go to museums and sightseeing.”
In the country of pizza and Pisa, the friends picnicked at Lake Como and took a boat tour.
Kaylee Yoxsimer ’28 and Jocelyn Chang ’28 stood beneath the 1000-year-old Prague Castle on their spring break trip. The two traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic during their week off from school.
“It was really cool seeing all the history,” Yoxsimer said.
Many students went to Puerto Rico, according to Arian Lagarija ’28, who spent the week there with eight of his friends.
“We saw at least a couple of different friend groups that we’ve kind of peripherally known,” he said, adding that it was nice to see other groups when they went to the beach or went out at night. He said the group chose Puerto Rico “mostly for the weather.”
Lagarija said he particularly enjoyed visiting a natural wave pool and a lighthouse lookout during the weeklong vacation.
While some students basked in the warm weather, Sophia Milausnic ’29 braved the cold on the Brown University Orchestra tour in Canada. The group of around 80 people performed three shows in Quebec City, Ottawa and Montreal, Milausnic said. She said she especially loved seeing Quebec City for its architecture and history.
Milausnic, who plays bassoon as part of the orchestra, decided to go on the tour because she “wanted to get closer to people in the BUO.”
Ultimately, spending time with fellow members of the orchestra was her favorite part of the trip. She said she also enjoyed trying local foods, like a smoked meat sandwich in Montreal.
For other students, spring break was an opportunity to visit old friends at other schools.
Amina Hurd ’28 spent the week in Atlanta visiting high school friends who go to Emory University. Hurd hadn’t seen these friends in around two years, so “it was so wonderful reuniting,” she said. Around such close friends, she was able to be “at ease and very happy and very calm and just present in the moment.”
While in Georgia, Hurd explored the Atlanta Beltline — a 22-mile loop of trails, parks and transit lines — went thrift shopping, and even attended a few of her friends’ classes.
Casey McLaughlin ’28 presented a literary analysis of the book “Sofia Petrovna” at a conference about Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Afterwards, McLaughlin went to Tulane University to see a friend from high school. “We went out, and we had a lot of good food,” she said, adding that the trip was “a lot of fun.”
Javier Rodriguez ’28 also split his break, spending the first part of the week in the Turks and Caicos Islands with his family before returning home to Maryland for the second half, where he got to see his sister and dog.
Allison Jimenez-Olmedo ’29 also spent her break at home. “I missed my family and my friends,” she said, adding that it was “really sunny” in Southern California, where she is from. At home, she enjoyed going to the beach and participating in family celebrations.
Damian Chamale ’29 went home to New Jersey during spring break. Over the break, Chamale went bowling for the first time, and he said he was glad to see friends he hadn’t seen in a while.
He also went on a day trip to New York City with his friend from Brown, and said they enjoyed looking at artwork at The Met.
Chamale said he is “a little bit anxious” about upcoming midterms after returning to campus from break, but he still felt “kind of excited” to return to campus and see his friends.
“I feel rejuvenated from the break, but I’m a little scared for what’s to come,” Rodriguez said. This period after spring break (is) just a quick sprint all the way to the end.”
Additional reporting by Ann Gray Golpira.
Pavani Durbhakula is a senior staff writer and photographer. She is a first-year from DC and plans to study IAPA and Public Health. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and searching for new coffee shops.
