Summer Memories: What Barnard Students Did During High School Summers

There’s an old Ella Fitzgerald song that goes: “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” However, for so many high school students with big college dreams, those summers are not always easy. Many feel pressured to find the most prestigious internship or research opportunity. Sure, it’s important to spend your summers productively, but you do not have to perform an open heart surgery or work for the CIA in order to be considered a strong applicant at a school like Barnard. This blog post shines a spotlight on current Barnard students and how they spent their high school summers:

Alexis Demirjian ‘21: “I was a camp counselor at a day camp for first through fifth graders. I got to supervise their summer activities, like music and art class, pool time, and trips to the playground. It was great because I was able to make a little money, and have enough time to work on my college applications and extended essay for the IB diploma.”

Aliza Bloostein ‘21: “I was a tour guide at the Massachusetts State House for two summers. I also interned at a doctor’s office for a summer and worked on a gubernatorial campaign. In my free time, I volunteered at a hospital.”

Annie Renas ‘21: “I worked four jobs in the summer before my senior year of high school. I tutored a middle schooler in the evenings, worked in my neighborhood coffee shop on weekends, and held two part-time internships: one with Planned Parenthood and the other with the International Rescue Committee. The summer was by no means easy, but it exposed me to many different environments and rewarding experiences!”

Cassandra Clifford ‘21: “I did two summer programs for creative writing! One was at Columbia University and the other was at Skidmore College. I also spent the summer before my junior year of high school creating costumes for an indie monster film. It was very random, but fun!”

Cleo Payne ‘21: “One summer I went to astronomy camp, which was super cool and what made me seriously consider going into science communication. And then once I was old enough to work, I worked at Target for a couple summers.”

Isabelle Taswell ‘19: “I spent the summers after my junior and senior years in high school working at a preschool summer camp with two to four year olds. No prestige, just fun and something I’m super passionate about! Now, I am graduating with a special major in Child Studies, and next year, I will begin pursuing a Master’s Degree at Bank Street College of Education.”

Madeleine Culpepper ‘21: “I interned at a creative writing camp in my home town for two summers (between my sophomore and junior years). Then, the summer before college, I worked at my town’s local historical society.”

Sophia Fineberg ‘22: “The summer before college I worked as a camp counselor, and in the summers before that, I did a combination of dance programs and BBYO (Jewish youth group) programs!”

Sophie Hauth ‘21: “I remember I worked at a summer camp for a couple summers while also babysitting and dog/cat-sitting. Then the summer before my senior year of high school, I had a communications internship with Multnomah County in Oregon!”