Freedom to Learn

By Genevieve Buthod

It’s time to take a breather from the structure and demands of school for a little while. Now, to bring on self-imposed structure by finding a summer job or internship! I know it seems nice to just relax for three months and catch up on all of the sleep you missed during finals week. But after a little while, that tends to get old. Our brains are meant to be engaged, our bodies need to do something other than rest for too long.

The truth is, finding work is pretty much essential for most of us paying for school. Summer break is the perfect time to work because we don’t have to worry about how our hours will interfere with schoolwork. Last summer, I worked at a 24-hour diner, and my shifts could be normal, like 9 to 5, or they could be from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. If I was in school during that time, I would have lost my mind. It’s good to only have one aspect of your life stressing you out at a time!

This summer, I decided that an internship would be even better than a simple job. It would be nice to earn money and have steady hours, but it would be even better to have a job that I could put on my resume and gain experience in my future career path. To my surprise, I was accepted for a Research Experience for Undergraduates through Texas A&M University for the summer. I was a little worried because I thought I would have to spend my summer in Texas, away from my family back home in St. Louis. The most important thing about breaks for me is the chance to see family and friends and just be in my home city.

Thankfully, the institute factored in my concerns and paired me with a professional mentor at Washington University in St. Louis. Professor Caitlin Kelleher, with whom I will be spending my summer, created the program Storyteller Alice, designed to help younger children, especially girls, learn and love the principles of programming.

It is an honor to meet someone who shares the same values I do, the same passion for expanding computer education to everyone, not just a privileged few. But to work with her on her projects all summer is a dream come true. I cannot believe my luck that I get to be doing exactly what I hope to be my career later in life right now, in a summer internship. This is the perfect avenue to see what I want to do with my life, and I can’t believe I just get to jump right in and fully experience it.

I encourage everyone, even if you’re still deciding where to go to college, to apply for a summer internship. It could be anywhere, the point is to get experience doing what you enjoy and seeing if it is what you want to pursue in life. You never know, you could just find some new life goals and aspirations.

Have a fantastic and fulfilling summer, everyone, and thanks for reading! See you in the fall. 

Genevieve Buthod is a sophomore, and a major in Computer Science with a minor in Philosophy. She is a happy and healthy vegan. She is also the TIAA-CREF Campaign Manager for Students for Justice in Palestine. Genevieve is the Senior Viewpoints Editor for the Xavierite.