With school coming to a close, students must find something to do with all the free time that comes with summer break. Summer vacation is an opportunity for students to earn some money.  Whether it’s at the beach, in town, or babysitting, WHB students have a variety of options to fill up the time (and their bank accounts) before school starts up again.

Since we live just a few minutes away from the beach, it is a popular place to work. Senior Brian Hunter has been working as a lifeguard at Rogers Beach for the past couple of summers. According to Brian, finding jobs as a lifeguard is very different from any other job. He says, “When I completed the test, Rob Duca (head guard at Rogers) was there and he hired me on the spot. A lot of head guards go down and talk to the kids that pass the test.” Brian loves his job, saying that he looks forward to going to work every day.

Other students prefer retail jobs, which are readily available around the community. Sophomore Loulou Westlake is currently working at Xanadu in East Quogue, which is a clothing store specializing in children. Loulou says, “It gets pretty boring throughout the day and I basically get paid to do my homework.”

Sophomore Julia Smith also works in retail at Island Surf in Westhampton Beach. However, she also plans on interning at Westhampton Primary Care Center as a physical therapist. She is balancing the internship with her job at Island Surf by working three days a week and interning one. Interning is a beneficial way for high schoolers to expand their horizons and find potential careers. According to Julia, “I think I want to go into physical therapy for college so this is a way for me to see if I am going to enjoy the environment or not.” Julia will be gaining community service hours from her internship.

Sophomore JP Ferrantino will also be interning but for money. He will be working at the Town of Southampton Attorney’s Office. He will be “going through case law, and make decisions for people who apply for a variance, such as when they want their pool to be a little closer to the property line. Someone who wants to build on a wetland or any other preserved property, they have to go to the town.” However, he hates that he will be stuck in a windowless office for seven hours a day. Even with this minor convenience, he still loves his internship because he loves the people that he works with. Also, it is beneficial if JP decides to go to pursue a career in law.

Lastly, jobs in restaurant are also very popular among WHBHS students. Junior Hunter Hawkesworth works in the restaurant at the Westhampton Beach Country Club. He is a busboy. Working at a country club, it is inevitable that one would run into someone really wealthy. Hunter says, “The members, a lot of them, aren’t as respectful as everybody else but then again you just have to deal with it.” Overall, Hunter loves his job because, “There’s a lot of great people that work there. Everybody there is very respectful to each other.”

In conclusion, there are many different types of jobs available in this community. These jobs are beneficial to workers such as Julia learning to become a physical therapist or JP learning our community laws. Other job are beneficial to the community such as Brian protecting swimmers at Rogers Beach. Overall, summer jobs are not just for making money, they aid the community as a whole.