Not having spring break last year was a big heartbreak for some students at Suffolk University. However, the times had changed and now break is back! Students are getting excited to have a chance to relax before they wrap up the rest of the semester.
Some students are taking a trip or heading out of Boston for the break, while others are staying home for their week off.
“I am very excited to be traveling to Los Angeles for spring break. I feel as if it is a well-deserved break for me,” said freshman Alana Mobbs, who is a biology major at Suffolk.
Mobbs said she sees this break as a time to reboot, as she will be able to see her cousin that she hasn’t seen in a long time.
“We are staying in Santa Monica. We have a few things planned, but mainly just trying to spend as much time as I can with her,” Mobbs said.
When it comes to the risk of COVID-19, Mobbs said she is “not really concerned.”
“Everyone I am traveling with is vaccinated and boosted,” she said.
However, Mobbs is worried about the people around her and what decisions they are going to make.
“I do have concerns because a lot of other people there are not going to be as nearly safe as I’m being,” she said.
Other students, like Ava Leombruno, a freshman global cultural studies major, plan on traveling outside of the United States for Suffolk’s Global Gateway program.
“I am very excited. I really was looking forward to applying because I was really looking forward to this opportunity,” Leombruno said.
She said she still has concerns about getting COVID-19 overseas.
“I am definitely nervous about getting COVID and getting stuck there. But, I have traveled in the past six months on a plane before and I felt pretty safe,” Leombruno said.
Leombruno said she is also concerned for when she comes back from Madrid. She is nervous about how the COVID cases will rise and what school will look like after break.
“For fully vaccinated people, travel should be permitted and encouraged at your own risk and I feel like time goes on as long as you do your part and make sure you’re safe,” she said, adding that she hopes that everyone does the best they can to stay safe.
For some staying home, like Kathleen Fahey, a freshman biology major, there is not nearly as much excitement about the break.
“I’m not excited…I am not going to have any relaxation,” they said.
Fahey added that their spring break was going to be impacted by homework and doctor appointments, which gives them little time to do what they want.
Fahey said returning to Suffolk after spring break is a daunting thought, as students are traveling while the risk of COVID-19 remains a prevalent issue.
“[I have] a bit [of concern] because I know a lot of people who are going to other countries and I am not really sure what the situation is with COVID there,” Fahey said, adding that the thought of potentially going back online if COVID-19 gets bad again is discouraging.
“If we are going to go back online, I am going to be frustrated. I am not a fan of online classes,” they said.
Suffolk University lifted its mask mandate on March 7, citing recent COVID-19 data and Suffolk vaccination rates. This announcement has raised concerns about timing and travel for students like Leombruno.
“The mask mandate being lifted before [spring] break was a little strange, especially for the people who are traveling out of the country, so we have to be a little more cautious. But by the time we get back, I think professors should get to decide for their classroom if they advise a mask or not,” said Leombruno.
Both Fahey and Mobbs said they plan on wearing masks, despite the mandate being lifted.
