IN PHOTOS: Spring Break 2023

Over break, our staffers enjoyed cities and beaches, home and new places.

A view at the Museum of Modern Art visitors from above, as photographed on Mar. 13, 2023. (Hustler Multimedia/Ophelia Lu)

By Barrie Barto, Ophelia Lu, Narenkumar Thirmiya, Isabella Bautista, Jorie Fawcett and Lexie Perez

Mar 19, 2023

This spring break, our staffers took to both coasts and across the country to enjoy their time off. From enjoying the sun by the beach to exploring new cities, keep reading to see what they did to relax and recharge.

Ophelia Lu, Staff Photographer

After a 4:30 a.m. CDT wakeup call and braving the Nashville airport the week before spring break, I made it to New York City for my break. It immediately reminded me of a quote from The Great Gatsby.

“The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty of the world,” F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote.

As my Uber driver took me across the bridge, I couldn’t agree more. In the city, I tried to capture the hustle and bustle, the peacefulness, the urban spirit and the people. These metropolitan snapshots are a glimpse into a very different life in a vastly different city. To the people and city in motion: O, New York!

Barrie Barto, Photography Director

This spring break I decided to try my hand at the bi-coastal lifestyle. I started with a road trip down to Destin, Florida for a beach vacation with my girlfriends from Vanderbilt. We soaked in the UV rays and visited beach towns such as Seaside.

After a quick stop through Nashville to watch the opening NIT game for Vanderbilt, I flew out to Palm Springs, California for the end of the week.

Narenkumar Thirmiya, Deputy Photography Director

For spring break, I went back home to Orlando, Florida to relax and rest. I wasn’t really up to much, so I took pictures of plants that were beginning to grow in my backyard garden during the spring season.

Isabella Bautista, Deputy Life Editor

For spring break, I returned home to Easton, Pennsylvania. The day after I came back, I met up with my extended family for lunch at Stone House restaurant in New Jersey. On the way there, I pulled over at a scenic lookout spot along the highway for a nice view of the town below.

Two of the things I missed most about home while at college were being able to see the stars almost every night and having a car I could hop into at any time to drive to my favorite lookout spots. I made sure to do both of these things before spring break was over.

Jorie Fawcett, Life Editor

Before heading north to go home for spring break, my mom and I spent the weekend exploring Nashville like tourists. We went to the Country Music Hall of Fame, had dinner at the L&L Market and ended with a country music medley at the Grand Ole Opry. As Vanderbilt students, it is really easy to get caught up in the “Vanderbilt Bubble,” so I really enjoyed getting to check out some iconic Nashville sites beyond West End Ave.

Lexie Perez, Graphics Director

For spring break, I stayed by the beach on Anna Maria Island, Florida with my family, a friend and my dog Jovie. We read on the beach, swam in the ocean and listened to lots of good throwback music.

About the Contributors

Barrie Barto, Editor-in-Chief

Barrie Barto ('25) is majoring in medicine, health & society and communication of science & technology with a neuroscience minor in the College of Arts and Science. She previously served as Photography Director. When she’s not hiking in Percy Warner, you can find Barrie cheering on the St. Louis Blues or tracking down the best gluten-free food in Nashville. She can be reached at [email protected].

Ophelia Lu, Deputy Photography Editor

Ophelia Lu (’26) is from Los Angeles and is double majoring in biomedical and electrical engineering in the School of Engineering. She previously served as a staff photographer. When not covering events and sports games for The Hustler, you can find her listening to a lot of music, studying at Starbucks or lying on Alumni lawn. She can be reached at [email protected].

Narenkumar Thirmiya, Staff Photographer

Narenkumar Thirmiya ('24) is from Orlando, Fla., and is majoring in neuroscience and medicine, health, and society in the College of Arts and Science. When not shooting for The Hustler, he is streaming TV, playing the piano or guitar or exploring nature photography. You can reach him at [email protected].

Isabella Bautista, Senior Staff Writer and Photographer

Isabella Bautista (‘26) is double majoring in mathematics and biological sciences and minoring in psychology on the pre-medical track in the College of Arts and Science. She is from Easton, Pa., and previously served as Deputy Life Editor. When not writing for The Hustler, she can be found spending hours alone in a piano practice room, photographing Vanderbilt squirrels with her digital camera or reading up on penguin evolution in her research lab. She can be reached at [email protected].

Jorie Fawcett, Senior Advisor

Jorie Fawcett ('25) is from Tiffin, Ohio, and studies secondary education and sociology in Peabody College. She previously served as Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Life Editor. When not writing for The Hustler, you can find her teaching, reading or pretending to study at Local Java or Suzie's. You can reach her at [email protected].

Lexie Perez, Senior Graphics Staffer

Lexie Perez (‘26) is from Northern Virginia and is majoring in climate studies and human and organizational development in Peabody College. She formerly served as Graphic Editor. Lexie enjoys rock climbing, exploring Nashville through coffee shops and binging Love Island with her friends. She can be reached at [email protected].

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