For many U students, summer is a time to try new things, go on spontaneous adventures and make memories exclusive to the season.
Al Vangeison, a senior in nursing, is spending her summer traveling.
“I’ve always been into travel, but because my major is so stressful throughout the school year, I want to try and recover over the summer,” Vangeison said
Vangeison spent two weeks in Portugal and then another six weeks in Costa Rica as part of the U’s study abroad programs.
“I chose to go to Costa Rica based on the pictures alone. The brochure showed these absolutely beautiful landscapes, and I wanted to be a part of that,” Vangeison said. “I’m doing research all over the internet now of the university I’ll be studying at and possible excursions I can take.”
Travel is a popular thing to do this time of year, whether it’s international or domestic. Shaun Smith, a sophomore in computer science, decided to take advantage of the sites available in Utah and integrated a lifestyle change to his summer trips.
“I have never really been an outdoorsy guy, but I was feeling super unhealthy and in need of a change. I started googling different peaks, trails and points of interest in Utah and just decided to do it,” Smith said.
Smith decided to explore his passion in photography and improve his fitness at the same time. He made a Top Five list of places every Utahn should explore. Destinations include Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, the Canyonlands, Lake Powell and Escalante. These areas each receive upwards of 3 million visitors per year.
Smith said he started this challenge as a way to become more active, and now he has seen it affect several other parts of his life as well.
“I have such an appreciation for the beauty around me. I remember watching the sun rise at Arches National Park and thought that I had never seen anything quite so breathtaking,” Smith said.
Vangeison said she’ll never regret going on these adventures and is grateful for the opportunities to have them.
“I am glad summer is at least three months,” Vangeison said. “Otherwise who knows if I would have had enough time to explore.”
@ArevaloStefani