When the Pitzer College Office of Admission staff isn’t reading applications or giving tours of the beautiful Pitzer campus, they are doing some pretty adventurous (some may say crazy) things. And their winter break plans are no different. To prove this point, I asked several Pitzer Admission staff and junior staff members what they most looked forward to during their winter break. I think you’ll be just as shocked as I am about how bold and daring some of their break plans are.
Carolina Rodriguez, Interim Operations Manager Assistant
“I am looking forward to catching up on sleep and not having to set an alarm!!! I also hope to spend winter break with family and loved ones, hopefully going ice skating and going on new adventures!”
My Take-Away: Let’s be real. When Carolina says that she is “going on new adventures” during the break, I instantly envisioned her partaking in Indiana Jones-like adventures. She’ll most likely be running from giant boulders, leaping over pits of venomous snakes, and digging up lost historical treasures in unknown corners of the Earth. Carolina doesn’t take her winter break plans lightly…
Dwayne Okpaise, Admission Counselor
“I am most excited for sleeping in and having free time. I hope to take myself to some LA museums I haven’t seen, or revisit old favorite. Maybe I’ll even get around to making some art!”
My Take-Away: Dwayne is going to have a CRAZY winter break. I mean, have you ever seen the movie Night at the Museum? I picture Dwayne’s break being something like the plot from this movie.
Jennifer Kaku ‘18
“I am super excited to see my brother. Not only is it super fun when we hang out, but we love to eat together. Who doesn’t love good food and good company?”
My Take-Away: While on face Jennifer’s winter break plans seem fairly docile, she failed to mention in her quote where she and her brother were planning to hang out together. Knowing Jennifer’s adventurous side, I’m going to make an educated guess that they’ll most likely be hanging out in the darkest depths of the Amazon Rainforest, where survival is dependent on keeping your wits sharpened at all times. And when she says that that they are planning to eat together, it’s a solid assumption that their diet would mainly be restricted to spit-roasted spiders, non-poisonous herbs, and whatever small creatures cross their path on the rainforest floor.
Jamila Everett, Interim Vice President of Admission & Financial Aid
“I am looking forward to spending more time with my husband, family, and reconnecting with friends after a wonderful travel and reading season. I’m staying local for the holidays. On my agenda – a few brunches, shopping with my brothers, a holiday jazz concert, beach day trips, and of course, Disneyland!”
My Take-Away: Seriously y’all, Jamila is visiting Disneyland during the school break. She might be the bravest person on this list…
Adriana Ceron ‘18
“I’m excited about going back home to downtown LA and bike riding around the city with my best friend– there is always something new to discover!”
My Take-Away: I gotta applaud Adriana for making safe, sensible plans for her winter break. While Carolina leaps over pits of venomous snakes and Anjuli cuddles with a 400 pound Siberian tiger, Adriana proves to us all that there is absolutely nothing wrong with having relaxing, easy-going plans for the break.
Kaelyn Bister, Operations Manager Assistant
“I’m most excited about going home to Minnesota to catch up with family and friends. One fun thing we like to do during the holidays is to go see the ice castle sculptures in the Twin Cities, and then warm up at home with treats like hot chocolate, lefse, Krumkake, and my mom’s poppyseed coffee cake”.
My Take-Away: The one thing I’m left wondering after reading Kaelyn’s quote is: What is her motivation for visiting the ice castles? Is she visiting for a diplomatic purposes (ex: to sign a trade agreement with the ruler of the ice castle kingdom)? Or is her family planning to conquer the castles in an epic medieval-style siege? Whatever the case, I know it will result in an awesome story that she can tell the rest of us when she returns to the office in early January.
Patrick King ‘17
“I can’t wait to not leave my couch for a month… I am excited to bake all the cookies I can eat. Which to be clear is a lot. Like think of a number and double it. I am also excited to go home and sit inside and watch the rain as I cry to myself sleep listening to Adele’s 25 on repeat…”
My Take-Away: Do I really need to explain how bold and adventurous Patrick’s winter break plans are? I think he adequately sums it up.
Lesley Malinoski, Secretary
“Hi! I plan to bring a little sunshine to the Pacific Northwest for the Winter Holidays. Can’t wait to see the delight and excitement on Christmas morning watching my grandchildren open their presents from Santa. Sure hope he arrives before the kids discover his cup of hot chocolate!”
My Take-Away: Whoa! Slow down, Lesley! Your plans are a bit too adventurous for me.
Gabe Madrid ‘17
“This winter break, I’ll be applying for internships and job opportunities in the area of law. I look forward to hopefully landing an awesome opportunity to gain hands-on experience, which, I hope, may clarify whether or not I want to pursue a legal career.”
My Take-Away: Is Gabe planning on being the next Keanu Reeves from The Devil’s Advocate? Or the next Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde? Either way, the legal field definitely has its fair share of seedy situations. Gabe may very well see things this winter break that can’t be unseen…
Posted by JR Ramsey, Admission Counselor
