Spring Flings

Spring break was full of exciting opportunities for some students to travel as part of academic investigations, career explorations and extracurricular passions.

Kenyon in the World

By Ryan E. Smith

Date March 18, 2025

Spring break represents an important pause in the academic calendar, but for many students, it was as busy — and exciting — as ever.

For some, the break offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to continue their learning with their professors in far-flung places. Others toured the country with their singing group or sports team. A few even met up with alumni to explore a possible career path as part of a job shadow.

With a student body as diverse as Kenyon’s, there were a million and one ways to spend spring break — including powerlifting! Here are a few of the interesting ways that students made the most of their time off.

Learning on the Go

Classics students participating in a travel-embedded course visited ancient Greek sites like the Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis in Athens (pictured) with Zoë Kontes, NEH Distinguished Teaching Professor of Classics.

1 of 6
Shaun Flanigan ’25 made a presentation to fellow students during a visit to Epidaurus in Greece.

2 of 6
Students learned about the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens.

3 of 6
Nina Loofboro ’28 presented at the Temple of Aphaia on the island of Aegina.

4 of 6
Logan Furlonge ’27 presented on the stone carvings from the Erechtheion on the Acropolis.

5 of 6
Zoë Kontes, NEH Distinguished Teaching Professor of Classics (standing fourth from left), led students on a trip to Greece to study sites like the Temple of Athena Nike in Athens.

6 of 6
Students enjoyed their visit to Nemea.

In the Thick of It

Environmental studies students studied wildlife, learned about sustainable agriculture and more when they visited the Galapagos Islands with Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Iris Levin.

1 of 6
Aarno Heller-Matza '27 (foreground) and other students planted native species during a visit to a sustainable farm in the highlands of San Cristobal as part of a visit to the Galapagos Islands.

2 of 6
Olivia Wangerow '28 planted native species as part of a visit to the Galapagos Islands.

3 of 6
Students took in the view and spotted seabirds during a visit to the Galapagos Islands.

4 of 6
Students hiked across lava on the coast of Isla Lobos.

5 of 6
Sea lions, eagle rays, and sea turtles were among the wildlife studied by students.

6 of 6
The group met with a local employee of a nongovernmental organization on a public beach.

Hit Parade

Ari Jalomo ’26 (pictured) and the rest of the softball team went 11-3 over spring break playing games in Washington, D.C., North Carolina and South Carolina — scoring 110 more runs than their opponents in the process. Other teams traveling for competition included baseball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s golf, women’s track and field, and men’s and women’s lacrosse.

1 of 7
Edwin Groff ’25 and the baseball team were busy over spring break, playing 13 games in Florida.

2 of 7
Lalasa Nagireddy ’25 competed in Florida with the women's tennis team, which went 6-1 over spring break.

3 of 7
Kylie Hamm ’27 and the softball team played games over spring break in Washington, D.C., North Carolina and South Carolina.

4 of 7
Alejandro Gonzalez ’27 played singles and doubles during spring break, when the men's tennis team went 3-1.

5 of 7
Leni Lazaridou ’26 and Hana Nouaime ’28 played doubles together for the women's tennis team.

6 of 7
Pitcher Frank Lynch ’25 and the baseball team competed in Florida during spring break.

7 of 7
Rishil Kondapaneni ’25 and the men's tennis team had matches in Florida during spring break.

High Notes

The Chamber Singers’ weeklong spring tour took them all across the Midwest — including stops in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa — as students shared their voices with alumni, friends and community members at seven concerts in seven days.

1 of 4
Drew Sutherland ’25 took a selfie of the group on the bus on their way to South Bend, Indiana.

2 of 4
Anusha Rao ’28 and Ginny Peterson ’28 posed next to a Chamber Singers concert poster in Findlay, Ohio. (Photo by Tommy Hillmer ’25)

3 of 4
From left: Chiara Rothenberg ’25, Soren Roeser ’26, Haley Sorkin ’25, Elise Minion ’25 and Benjamin Priestland ’27 outside of the Hancock County Courthouse in Findlay, Ohio. (Photo by Benjamin Priestland ’27)

4 of 4
Sasha Ronning ’26 and Maddy Revzon ’27 showed some love during intermission at the group’s concert at One Ancient Hope Presbyterian Church in Iowa City. (Photo by Tommy Hillmer ’25)

Career Counseling

Sascha Shapiro ’25 (right) explored what a career in finance might look like when he met with Mac Carroll ’11 at GM Asset Management in New York City as part of a job shadow program organized by the Career Development Office. A dozen students spent time with alumni all over the country — from New York to Nashville to Seattle — learning about how different careers work as part of the program during spring break.

Book Drive

Students and staff used spring break to deliver 1,000 new and used books donated by the campus community to the International Book Project in Lexington, Kentucky, where they’ll begin a journey to Ukrainian refugees.

Learn more about the book drive.

Strong Stuff

Zoë Goykhman ’28, a powerlifter who last year set a world record in her age group by deadlifting 453 pounds, traveled to the East Coast to take part in the Powerlifting America Garden State (New Jersey) Open Championships. There the Pennsylvania native qualified for nationals. (Photo Courtesy of Barbell Productions)

Read an interview with Zoë.