Courtesy of Tess Mooney

For some Bowdoin students, summer break is just that, a well-deserved break from a rigorous academic year. For others, it’s an opportunity to explore real-world career experiences or conduct hands-on research beyond the boundaries of campus. This summer, students Noemi Guzman ’26, Sophie Maguire ’26 and Tess Mooney ’26 followed their passions—from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania to Iceland.

Funded by the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Department, Guzman conducted research on the Mexican diaspora, specifically, the practice of mariachi in Los Angeles.

“Mainly, I was interviewing educators or people involved in the mariachi scene—players or students—and I was also able to join a mariachi group,” Guzman said. “I was able to see from the inside what a mariachi rehearsal and gigs look like.”

Courtesy of Noemi Guzman

This semester, Guzman plans to analyze her research through an independent study. As a government and Hispanic studies major planning on becoming a lawyer, the experience will carry on throughout the rest of her career.

“Through this research, I was able to learn how to connect with people and hear people’s stories,” Guzman said. “I think that’s a very important aspect of representing people in law, especially when you’re advocating for others.”

No matter how you spend your summer, or if you are unsure of what direction to take, Guzman recommends being curious.

“I think curiosity really got me far throughout the summer [through] just asking questions and being intentional with the connections I was making,” Guzman said.

For Maguire, following her passions manifested as working at the University of Pennsylvania’s “Working Dog Center,” training search and rescue dogs on odor and scent marking skills, getting their foundational olfaction and maintaining their fitness levels.

“The most rewarding part was knowing that I was making a difference in environmental and human health through search and rescue. These dogs will one day be able to be heroes after natural disasters or environmental disasters,” Maguire said.

Maguire, who is on the pre-veterinarian track, knew she wanted to spend her summer pursuing a pre-vet opportunity and following her interest in working with dogs.

“My advice [for planning your summer] is to do what you love and do what you’re passionate about,” Maguire said. “If you’re doing internships just to get credit, you won’t feel as inspired to do other things. So do what you’re passionate about first, and the career and everything will come to you.”

On the other side of the world, Mooney spent her summer digging holes—conducting soil research—in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, funded by the Career Exploration and Development Office.

“It’s amazing doing the soil work in Iceland,” Mooney said. “Because of the volcanic activity, you get a bunch of volcanic ash layers called ‘tephra.’ You can point to a very specific point in the soil profile and be like, ‘This was 1875.’”

Mooney connected with a field station director, Ólafur örn Pétursson, that she met while studying abroad in Ísafjörður, Iceland researching soil carbon storage, and returned this summer to tackle a more extensive soil research project.

“It was a type of hands-on learning that I hadn’t gotten to experience before,” Mooney said. “Getting to know a place more deeply than just in a one-day lab setting was really cool.”

For Mooney, who was conducting her research in an entirely new environment without knowing anyone, it was important to find trust in the connections she made along the way.

“The best part of the experience was all the people that I met through doing science in a small community that had really limited scientific instruments,” Mooney said. “I was really surprised by the community that showed up to help—a community of people who weren’t just scientists.”

Summer break offers a chance to explore, whether it’s a country, passion, professional experience or even all three, like Mooney.

“There’s so many options when you’re trying to choose what to do with your summers,” Mooney said. “People should definitely lean into doing things that bring them a lot of joy. For me, that’s hiking and being outside and doing things with my hands.”

Ultimately, Mooney recommends taking advantage of the risks, freedom and opportunity summer can bring.

“Lean into the unlikely connections you make,” Mooney said. “I found this opportunity just by having a chat and then sending an email out of the blue. It opened up a lot of opportunities for me to have a super amazing summer experience that I don’t think I would have found [otherwise].”