Students and teachers alike have been patiently awaiting the arrival of summer vacation. Most would agree that the long break and warm weather is the best part of the year. Summer plans vary, with some staying home, getting jobs, going to the beach, or traveling to exotic places with family and friends.

This summer, Cathedral junior Allie Prunty has plans to travel to Orlando, Florida with her volleyball team to compete in a tournament. “It’s a really fun experience and I’m really excited to go with my team!” said Allie. When she returns from Florida, Allie will be attending Steubenville, “a weekend-long Catholic conference for teens” located on the University of San Diego campus. “I went last year and had an amazing time and can’t wait to go back this year!” she said.

Some students, like Olina Philippoussis, a sophomore at Cathedral, are traveling abroad for their summer vacation. For the first time in her life, Olina is going to Jamaica, and she is most excited about this vacation because she will be traveling with her dad. “My dad hasn’t been on vacation for many years because he’s working and busily running his crêpe shop in Sorrento Valley,” said Olina.

Having not been out of the country since her last trip to France six years ago, Olina hopes to have new and interesting experiences in Jamaica. And instead of hanging out at a resort hotel, Olina said that she is “more interested in seeing sites and exploring.” Top on her list is to visit villages and go snorkeling with her father.

Upon her return to the U.S., Olina plans to work at her father’s crêpe shop, called La Crêpe Fraîche, which is inspired by her French roots. “I love helping out at my dad’s store,” Olina said. She even loves the food that the shop makes. “And my favorite savory crêpe is ‘dinde’ which is turkey in French, and my favorite sweet crêpe is Nutella,” she said.

Visiting Jamaica and working at her dad’s shop is certainly not the only thing Olina is looking forward to this summer. After she returns from Jamaica, her friend from New York will be visiting her in San Diego, and together, they are going to the Del Mar Fairgrounds to enjoy the “exhilarating rides.”

An international traveler too, junior Carmen Preece will be traveling to Guaymas, Mexico, a beach on the Gulf of Mexico. “I’m most excited to go to visit Guaymas and my family. But also to enjoy snorkeling and other beach activities,” said Carmen.

In addition to her travels to Mexico, Carmen will be doing an internship at Rady Children’s Hospital in conjunction with the Summer Medical Academy. Career-wise, Carmen is interested in going into the medical field and believes the summer program will be an enriching learning experience. Like a lot of her friends, Carmen also plans on hanging out with friends, going to the beach, and her most favorite, playing club water polo.

It’s as if the whole world is waiting for the summer to roll around. And even when the summer ends, students and teachers are already looking forward to the following summer. For now, though, all the excitement of new experiences is just around the corner, and summer 2015 is almost here.