Winter break is over, and the students are feeling the effects.
With school back in session, many students are spending their time hitting the books while also reflecting on their vacation time. For some, one month isn’t long enough.
Some students kept it close to home and visited their families, while enjoying the relaxation.
“I spent time with my family and friends. I enjoyed the time to cool off after the first semester,” freshman Rilee Cross said.
For some students, their families came to them. It was a bittersweet feeling for those who haven’t seen their families in so long.
“My family had come over from Puerto Rico, I haven’t seen them in three years. My grandma has cancer, so I was really excited to see her. I’m really involved in church, so we had been doing a lot of promotion for our youth ministry,” junior Angelica Santana said.
“I visited my grandparents in Michigan, and we did family pictures, Christmas cookies and watched family videos. It was really nice to see them because I haven’t seen them in two or three years,” freshman Madalyn Nelson said.
Preparing for a new semester can be tough but students, who didn’t do much, spent their time doing just that. As best they could of course.
“What I’m looking forward to this semester is probably joining pre-veterinary club. Because I’m going to do that this semester definitely,” freshman Marissa Love said.
Students who are looking forward to a new experience and new start to the year, are hoping to gain just that.
“This is my first semester here at Austin Peay. I just got out of the army. I am most looking forward to making new connections through my courses and gaining new experiences and knowledge from my professors,” nontraditional sophomore Andrew Becker said.
“This semester I’m looking forward to getting further in the nursing program and I’m interested in joining our psych clinical,” junior Julia Leegan said.
Last semester, APSU celebrated a large influx of students—11,048 to be exact. With university attendees growing at this new rate, that means even more students going to class, joining clubs and making connections to offer them new opportunities.
With the new opportunities around every corner and within every program, most students can agree that they are ready to take on the semester with a new set of eyes and a new set of courage they may have not had before.
