From staying at Vanderbilt to traveling abroad, Hustler staff members kept busy this past summer with work, leisure and everything in between.
Abby Hoelscher, Photography Editor
I spent my break away from school in my hometown of St. Louis, bouncing between working my sixth year at a summer camp for kids with special needs during the days and spinning cotton candy in the evenings and on weekends. I also got the chance to travel to Florida, Texas and Colorado to take time off the clock and visit loved ones.
Vince Lin, Deputy Videography Editor
I spent a month of my summer traveling around China, primarily in the rural areas like Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Hangzhou and Guiyang. It was the first time I’d been back in China in over 15 years, and I was able to visit the place I grew up in. I saw the urbanization of many of the rural places I had seen as a kid and was also able to visit my grandparents. Many of the photos taken were of remote places, while some of them were in more populated regions. The landscape was beautiful along with the sunrises and sunsets. Hot take: plane food is lowkey good.
George Albu, Staff Writer and Photographer
Some might call my summer mundane, but I argue otherwise. I mostly spent it with my family, walking around the quiet streets of my hometown taking photos of what I like to call “peace.” Something about the quiet is soothing after spending months in a bustling city such as Nashville, and I honestly began to miss the hometown vibes back in Georgia.
I also spent the start of my summer visiting my sister, exploring Atlanta as we walked around the Emory University campus and even visited the Michael C. Carlos Museum! In the relatively short time I spent with her, it felt comforting to have another home away from my hometown with somebody who knew the best ice cream spots in town — especially considering the Georgia heat!
I also missed seeing the Fourth of July fireworks, feeling a sense of tightness in a community that I hadn’t been with for months. Overall, I enjoyed my summer, even if I wasn’t traveling around the globe.
Chloe Kim, Staff Writer and Photographer
I traveled to Europe for the first time this summer, but it wasn’t the Pinterest summer I had imagined. Many physical challenges awaited me on the Camino de Santiago, a religious pilgrimage that spans Spain. Bed bugs also gave me a fun surprise in Germany. Despite these unexpected events, every view along my journey was serene and picturesque.
Miguel Beristain, Staff Photographer
Over the summer, I took an early graduation trip with my friends in the class of 2024. I had never been to Europe and had the opportunity to explore seven cities in four countries. I saw monuments that I had only dreamt about seeing and walked through places I had only read about. It was an unforgettable trip that I am incredibly lucky to have gone on — especially with some of my closest friends.
Alex Brodeur, Staff Photographer
After finishing up my first year at Vanderbilt, I traveled home to New Jersey, where I spent most of my time interning at my local congresswoman’s office. I reconnected with old friends in New York City and around my hometown and attended events held by Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams and Kacey Musgraves. Though I mostly stayed close to home, I took trips to Boston and Pittsburgh to see family and celebrate my 19th birthday. In my free time, I listened to some older musical artists I’ve been wanting to check out for a while, such as Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette.
Ashley Hofflander, Staff Photographer
This summer, I visited a friend in Indiana for the Indy 500, as well as a Pacers playoff game. In July, I went to Europe with my friends where we visited France, Monaco and Italy!
Rachel Koh, Staff Photographer
From blasting Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York” as I touched down in Manhattan to exploring a quaint little antique shop in Boston, I had the time of my life gallivanting off to new, shiny places this summer. I climbed up the Statue of Liberty, drank overpriced butterbeer at the Harry Potter store and ate cannolis on the Freedom Trail on my first self-funded trip and the first time traveling without my family. There were challenges that came with that, but the experience of exploring new cities with my friends was well worth any trouble I encountered. I’m glad I got to add to the flashback film reel of my youth this summer, and I enjoy sharing these snapshots of it.
Alice Tang, Staff Photographer
This summer, I went on a trip to Denver to see the Sterling Ranch neighborhood development with Vanderbilt’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. It was interesting to learn about the patterns of urban growth, and we had a great time hiking in the area as well! I also went on a vacation to Acadia National Park with my family.
Royce Yang, Staff Photographer
Interspersed sparingly throughout this summer were some brief adventures within and around the state of Tennessee. Harmonious interplays between human industry and natural artistry found solace in scenes both pastoral and sublime. Such experiences unfolded not in haste but in the deliberate embrace of a land rich with the enduring spirit of antiquity yet alive with the vibrant pulse of modernity.
Jorie Fawcett, Senior Advisor
I got to map out Noah Kahan’s 2020 EP “Cape Elizabeth” during my family vacation to New England in June. My mom, sister and I flew into Boston and spent a day admiring the Charles River and Boston Commons. I made sure to sing “Mess” from Kahan’s 2019 album “Busyhead” as many times as possible. We then hopped in the car and drove north, headed for Acadia National Park. We stopped in Salem, Mass. and explored the history of the Salem Witch Trials and did some shopping in the cutest boutique stores. We made four more stops in York, Portland, Peaks Island and Freeport, Maine before spending the rest of the week hiking the trails in Acadia and eating as much lobster as possible. The views were breathtaking and unique to anything I had seen before. The songs “Maine” and “Glue Myself Shut” rounded out our tour.
Katherine Oung, Data Editor
I spent my summer exploring the different neighborhoods of New York City. From kids playing together on Pebble Beach to grandmothers buying groceries in Flushing to people from around the world celebrating Pride at Washington Square Park, summer in the city that never sleeps was full of people leading lively and luminous lives.
Nikita Rohila, Deputy Social Media Editor
Immediately after submitting my last final exam last semester, I packed up my belongings and flew to Greece for my Maymester course. I spent the whole month learning about Greek religion and history and traveling across northern Greece. It was an incredible experience to be immersed in Greek culture, and I always had my camera on hand to capture the picturesque scenery that surrounded me. After the course ended, I headed to Boston for my summer internship and spent most of my summer working in the city. For the Fourth of July, I took a trip with some Vanderbilt friends to New York City and spent a few days enjoying the vibrancy and liveliness of the city. Because I had been traveling so much, I could not sit still, so I went on a final trip to Canada and visited Montreal and Québec City before wrapping up my internship and returning to Nashville.
Isabella Bautista, Life Copy Editor
This summer, I stayed in Nashville for research and braved the southern heat with a few Vanderbilt friends. At the end of June, I vacationed with my family in Belize, where we were able to see several exotic bird species, the native howler monkeys and the Xunantunich Mayan ruins. The highlight of my summer was my trip to Montreal, Canada, with a few members of my lab for a research conference on evolution. Though I spent much of my week there attending talks by researchers from all over the world and presenting my own project, I had plenty of time to sightsee. Some of my favorite places that I visited were the Montreal Biodome, St. Joseph’s Oratory, the Montreal Botanical Garden and the famous Notre-Dame Basilica. I certainly was not short of adventure for the past few months.
