It’s Time to Meet up Again
- Jennifer Ward
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
By Evan Cash Rosen
As finals wind down and the last assignments are turned in, many Purchase students shift their thoughts towards home and reconnecting with their loved ones.
Samantha Palmatier, a junior majoring in cinema studies, says, “I’m hoping to just be outside a lot and spend a lot of time with my family. I live three hours away from school, so when I go home, I have to make the most of my time.”
Palmatier recently debuted her final documentary of the semester, titled “Life’s a Fish, Then You Fry,” in the screening room at the Center of Media Film and Television (CMFT) building. Her documentary explores an intergenerational friendship through the art of fly fishing in the Catskills. She says, “I want to do small weekend trips… My boyfriend is really into fly fishing, so whenever we plan a trip, we plan it around that.”
Allison Iacuzzo, a junior majoring in theater and performance, says, “I’m probably going to visit my boyfriend in Syracuse- He’s coming to visit me in Buffalo. I’m also going to the Outer Banks…We have a beach house there and go with my mom, her husband, and my sister. I usually bring a friend, and my sister brings her boyfriend.”
Palmatier holding a question-and-answer panel after the screening of her documentary “Life’s a Fish Then You Fry” (Photo by Evan Cash Rosen)
Litsy Fernandez-Fermin, a junior with a major in psychology has an entire list of fun things she plans to do and even has a few bucket list items. She says, “I’m going to visit my brother in Florida and plan on going to the concert there... I have four concerts I’m going to so far: I’m seeing a Latin artist whose name is Raul Alejandro. I’m also going to see Tyler, The Creator, a K-pop [Korean Pop] concert, and hopefully Bad Bunny.”
When I asked Charlie Rojas-Hernandez, a freshman majoring in film, what his summer plans are, he said, “Getting employed…I plan on going back to work at the Westchester Mall and doing retail for maybe as long as I can, and see if I can bring it into the next semester.”
Brianna Claudio, a sophomore with a major in law and justice, says, “I recently got accepted to an internship, so I’m going to be doing a law internship for the Child Support Enforcement Service in Connecticut. I’ll be commuting there from the city.”
Some students have even begun planning for next semester. Paola Anguiano, a junior with a major in journalism, says, “I’m planning on starting to work on my senior project. I’m going to do an article about the reality of Mexican children with undocumented parents and focus on the separation of families and deportation.”
For Julia Moore, a junior majoring in playwriting and screenwriting from Sullivan County, NY, the summer will be anything but slow, with a packed schedule of both work and travel. She says, “I’m going to go home, and I work virtually with a magazine based in Westchester called ‘Connect To.’ Sometimes I’ll drive all the way to Westchester to do photo and video shoots with them.”
Work isn’t the only thing on Moore’s schedule this summer. As soon as school ends, she has two vacations back-to-back. She says, “I’m going to Myrtle Beach for about a week, and as soon as I get back from that, the next day I’m getting on a plane to California. I’ll be traveling with my family to the Redwoods.”
Ciara Navan, a freshman majoring in visual arts, has plans outside of the States. She says, “My whole family is from Ireland, so I’m going to Ireland for the summer…This is actually my first time visiting Ireland during the summer- we usually only go during the winter.”
When asked if her family had any traditions while visiting, Navan said, “There’s this beach called Black Rock Beach… you jump off this huge rock into the ocean. It’s really cold, but the whole point is to remind you of what homelessness is meant to feel like during the winter.”
A common thread among many Purchase students is the excitement of reuniting with loved ones and taking a well-earned break from campus life- a chance to recharge, reconnect, and return to the people and places that feel like home. Navan says, “I’m looking forward to visiting my grandma and grandpa. But my grandpa, you know, he’s getting a bit old, so it’s time to meet up with him again.”