By: Cam’Ron Johnson I Published: March 5, 2025
Whether you’re a freshman excited for your first spring break or a senior with plans that range from unique adventures to a more low-key experience, everyone has something in mind for a college student’s favorite week. Spring break is a time for relaxing, catching up on shows, spending time with family and just exploring the universe. Also, it’s a time to re-gather yourself, sometimes taking control of your mental health when your social battery feels overloaded. We were able to ask two students what their plans are for this upcoming spring break and get deeper inside their mind and thoughts.
Marcus Concepcion, a senior criminal justice major, spoke about his plans for this upcoming break.
“My plans for spring break is to take a vacation to Puerto Rico for a few days and relax,“ said Concepcion. “I just want to go visit where I’m from and enjoy the beaches and nice weather. It gives me a chance to get away from people.”
Having family in PR always gives Concepcion a reason to return. The country also gives a sense of comfort for his break, so while he may be in a new location, it doesn’t ever really feel like it.
“I have family over there, they are scattered all over the island but my family is from Lares, PR. This is going to be my fourth time in Puerto Rico, so my family always tells me about any new food spots or bars whenever I come… Something I look forward to doing is relaxing on the beach listening to Bad Bunny while I sip on a coconut. I also plan on visiting a lot of the West Side, which is rich in ancient history.”
When wrapping up the conversation, Concepcion expressed the real importance of spring break for him
“As I am in the last semester of my college life, what spring break does mentally and emotionally for me is it makes me wonder what will happen if I don’t pass a class this semester and how it would affect my graduation, so it motivates me to work harder in class and try my best in every class.”
Concepcion’s “big picture” thinking really highlights the part of spring break that most don’t think about: a reprieve from college life to finish the second half of the semester strong.
While Concepcion looks forward to relaxing and reconnecting with family, Justin Velasco, graduate student pursing athletic training, has a different take on how he plans to spend his break combining adventure and bonding with family in a unique way.
“Snowboarding, it’s a must for me to go during this spring break,” said Velasco.
Velasco intends to head west for a snowboarding trip in Salt Lake City, Utah. The graduate student has been connected to the sport for over a decade.
“I played a lot of sports growing up and snowboarding was one that you could really do in the winter time. I started it in high school at like 15 years old in Pennsylvania. I honestly didn’t like snowboarding then because it’s such a hard sport to learn, and you get hurt a lot, you know bruises everywhere when you’re trying to learn it. I knew it could be fun and I had a desire to get better and every year from age 15 to now 23 years old the progression has gone upward,” said Velasco.
Velasco continued to elaborate that the sport is familial activity that allows him to visit new areas.
“I am the youngest of four in my family. My sister introduced me to snowboarding, so she showed me the ropes to it. I really value the family time when we all go snowboarding together. The cool thing about snowboarding is looking at the different mountains and areas that we can visit, and one day I want to even go out of the country. It’s not just a random activity you can really plan around it so I am excited for spring break.”
Velasco, being a graduate student, this is his fifth spring break. He discussed why spring break is so different now compared to his early years.
“I guess you can say I have experienced spring break a lot but I know I just go about it differently. I understand the value of having rest and you get a chance to unwind from the pressure of school. Sometimes you see these walls everyday and it can feel like a box. I also think that too much time off can be a bad thing. So having just a whole week off seems like a perfect amount of time, you don’t want to completely fall out of school mode and into vacation mode.”
Overall, as spring break comes upon us, everyone takes a deep breath emotional, physical, and even spiritually in their own way. It’s important that to take advantage of this break because that’s what makes it useful. No matter how you spend it, spring break is a reminder to take care of yourself and find balance amid your busy college life.