For many students there are several amazing trips to choose from during the summer; whether they are  a paid internship,  a chance to travel to another part of the world, an opportunity to take college or STEM courses, or another activity  worth their  time. For Senior Christian Ciezobka attending a postsecondary school named Kenyon College in Ohio provided an amazing experience during the summer.

“The program was two weeks of creative writing classes. I found the content pretty challenging because it wasn’t what I was used to in school, but it was really fun regardless,” said Ciezobka.

Taking extra classes during the summer was not only fun but full of memorable moments that Ciezobka will cherish.

“Sharing my best piece in front of everyone was an exhilarating but a relaxing experience since the attention was on me, but I also received the audience’s respect,” said Ciezobka.

Some students might be skeptical about leaving home,, paying for courses, or traveling  relatively far, however, for Ciezobka the risks were worth it. “It was relatively close to Chicago and they offered me a sizable scholarship compared to some other programs. I also heard that Kenyon had a top-tier English department, which was very relevant for excelling in its writing program,” said Ciezobka.

Programs like these aren’t forced upon students, they are completely optional! Whether or not you want the college experience.

“Students interested in the program can apply on Kenyon’s website; you just need to write short essay and put their academic information. Just be open to criticism and be comfortable with writing multiple pages. Be confident in your work regardless of how bad you think it is; most of the prompts only allowed me a few minutes to answer them, but everyone usually supported my work,” said Ciezobka.

All in all, summer can’t be about staying home and doing nothing for about three months. It’s all about exploring, learning, and seeing new things in order to see the great things in life. There’s a reason why there are opportunities for students out there, to gain more knowledge in order to succeed whether it was optional or given.