Summer vacation: a two-month recess between the school years that gives time to relax, play and have fun without school. To fill the void, some students spend their winter and spring planning and applying to educational programs, camps, internships and jobs for their summer breaks. However, the spread of COVID-19 is threatening summer plans.

Though no one is sure of what the state of the COVID-19 pandemic will be in the summer, many people are taking precautions and adjusting their summer plans. As of April 30, there have been 1,031,659 cases in the U.S. with 238 in Westport.

Dylan Goodman ’21 was set to participate in music programs across the country throughout the summer, but most have been cancelled.

“I was very upset when they cancelled the programs,” Goodman said. “I had worked for hours on end to prepare for the auditions and fill out the applications.”

Students often take advantage of summer vacation to explore subjects and careers or to improve their college applications. Summer activities are becoming more important as colleges review them.

For Goodman, this summer was filled with opportunities to improve her skills and meet influential people.

Teagan Smith ’21 earned a research internship at New York University (NYU), however, the future of the internship is unclear. NYU is currently closed and it is unlikely to reopen in time.

“It can’t be helped,” Smith said. “It’s better to be safe and keep the curve down to protect our health care professionals and those who would be particularly negatively impacted by the virus.”