Student Summer Opportunities: Evan Doherty
Sara Purviance, Associate Director of College Counseling, interviewed a few of seniors, asking them about their most recent summer, their most meaningful summer experience, and how their experiences have changed their perspective. Here are the answers from Evan Doherty:
How did you spend your time over the past summer?
My family and I spent July biking in the mountains. We explored Aspen, Crested Butte, Buena Vista, Basalt and Fruita to check out new mountain bike and hike trails. My favorite ride is the 401 Trail in Crested Butte - it’s a tough workout with a rewarding downhill at the end, but the best part about it is the scenery. We biked it during peak wildflower season, and the entire valley was blanketed in four-foot sunflowers and colorful plants. The flowers were so dense that at the end of the ride they were wedged in the handlebars and pedals of my bike!
What did you learn about yourself?
It’s great to get out and adventure in the mountains, but I also really enjoyed having time to relax. I usually like to keep myself really busy by packing in as much as I can in a day, but this summer I realized the importance of slowing down. I didn’t expect that reading would make me as happy as mountain biking and I found that I valued down time as much as I loved being active. I plowed through a crazy amount of books this summer - probably around sixteen. My favorites were The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Flight Behavior, and The Glass Castle.
It’s great to get out and adventure in the mountains, but I also really enjoyed having time to relax. I usually like to keep myself really busy by packing in as much as I can in a day, but this summer I realized the importance of slowing down. I didn’t expect that reading would make me as happy as mountain biking and I found that I valued down time as much as I loved being active. I plowed through a crazy amount of books this summer - probably around sixteen. My favorites were The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Flight Behavior, and The Glass Castle.
How have your summer experiences carried over into the school year, or changed your overall perspective?
After reading for fun over the summer, I’ve been able to appreciate required school reading more. I look forward to my reading assignments and have a greater appreciation for literature.
© 2023 Colorado Academy
