Where in the World was REFINE?

Design by Anna Williams, REFINE Graphic Designer

Curated by Rebekah Harding

After an exciting first year of production, our staff spent the summer in over 20 different countries across the globe. From interning, studying abroad, and backpacking through Europe, you can officially certify us as globetrotters. (Does that make us a travel mag?) Even though it’s time to jump back into the swing of things, we can’t end summer without some sweet reminiscing, now can we?

Francesca Furey, Editor-in-Chief

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to explore Southeast Asia. After studying abroad in Japan for five months, I had the privilege—thanks, mom—to visit South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore. The distinct food scenes and vibrant history made me want to drop everything and stay forever. I’ll never forget watching the set-up of the lantern festival at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul, night market hopping in Taipei, and dipping my feet in the warm waters of the Singaporean coast. Travel is my everything.”

Fiona Weir, Managing Editor

“I’ve been taking summer classes to stay on track for graduation and enjoying Philly. Since I’ve been here all summer, I really invested in my health and doing art!”

Lindsay Bowen, Senior Editor

“I spent a majority of my summer working a retail job and writing stories for my internship at a local newspaper in Montgomery County, the Lansdale Reporter. Aside from working, I went on a road trip with my friends to Toronto in early June, where we explored the city, visited museums and ate a ton of food. The best part—exploring the beautiful Scarborough Bluffs, a series of parks and cliffs along Lake Ontario. The scenery is something I’ll never forget.”

Kimberly Burton, Social Media Director

“I spent the summer interning in Washington, D.C. at FreedomWorks. I was able to work in political communications while exploring all the great museums and sights in the city.”

Diana Garcia, Co-Fashion Director

“I went to Florida this summer for my cousin’s graduation! I spent time with family, went to the beach, and took some #ootd pictures.”

Jediael Peterson, Co-Fashion Director

“This summer, I was fortunate enough to spend my time between three major cities (New York, Philadelphia and DC). Traveling isn’t cheap so I decided to do as many free activities as I could before I was forced to pay for entry.”

Dani Meenan, Art Director

“This summer I spent most of my time working at El Vez in Center City. Apart from work, I took trips to Ocean City with my friends, family and boyfriend and even traveled to Saint Lucia for a week with my family. Despite this summer being work-oriented, I still found the time to relax and focus on bettering myself and getting back into fitness.”

Ariana Dos Santos. Copy Editor

“After I finished the most amazing semester abroad at Temple Rome, I traveled to Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands to visit my family. It was amazing to be able to immerse myself in the cultures of both sides of my family and visit these countries for the first time in years.”

Maryam Siddiqui, Copy Editor

“Most of my summer travels were to and from different shows on Netflix, but one interesting place outside my laptop I did go was the Luray Caverns in Virginia. Do you remember that Berenstain Bears episode where they went spelunking and got lost? It was like that, but without getting lost. There were these incredible cave formations everywhere you looked, but my favorite part was Dream Lake. The bottom looks fairly deep and appears to be covered in stalagmites, but the image is actually just a really good reflection, and it’s only 18 inches at the deepest point! It was so unreal I wanted to throw a penny in it just to see if it would actually ripple, but I successfully resisted the urge.”

Sarah Waddington, Digital Editor

“I ended my study abroad this summer with a trip to Barcelona and Paris with my friends in May. Since then, when I’m not at my internship with Congressman Dwight Evans District Office, I have been spending time in Sea Isle City, NJ with friends and family.”

Briana Vetter, Health Editor

“This summer I had the opportunity to be a research assistant in the Political Science Department at Temple. I specifically worked with Dr. Vander Wielen, who is writing a book on how the introduction of Fox News affected congressional behavior. I’ve worked on various data collection and analysis projects over the summer, and have learned so much about professional research!”

Rebekah Harding, Features Editor

“This summer I studied at Yonsei University in South Korea for two months and spent my weekends traveling all over the peninsula to places like Busan and the nearby Jeju Island. My favorite part of the trip was visiting Haedong Yonggungsa, a seaside Buddhist temple in Busan. It was so serene and helped me clear my head from all the stress of my fast-paced school life in Seoul.”

Holly Huepfel, Video Editor

“I went on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea on a giant sailboat called the Royal Clipper which holds around 200 passengers. We went to tons of cool places on the cruise like Corsica, France; Sardinia, Italy; Portofino, Italy; and Monte Carlo! On my way home, we also stopped in London.”

Morgan Sullivan, Love Editor

“I spent my time [in Charleston] fully immersing myself in some Southern soul food, and to burn some calories after, running the Ravenel bridge. Next time you’re in Charleston, check out Élevé at The Grand Bohemian Hotel. It’s a rooftop space with fun aesthetics, like colored mood lighting and oversized furniture. Not to mention, chandeliers at the bar. Nbd.”

Maggie Mancini, FOB/BOB Editor

“I was excited to go to Philly Pride, especially because of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. While corporate sponsorship is much of what the Philly pride parade has become, it remains one of the only places I’ve been to that is fully and completely queer. I’m even more excited for OutFest, a Gayborhood-wide community festival in October for even more celebration and engagement with the larger Philly queer community because pride never ends.”

Didem Arslanoglu, Culture Editor

“This summer, I embarked on a two and a half month backpacking trip in Europe and Turkey with my best friend. We bought two small backpacks and packing cubes and without a concise plan, we hopped from country to country. I made friends in very odd places, challenged myself to new cuisines––escargot and brain soup being two prime examples––and discovered I am not as directionally challenged as I once thought!”

Jenna Garcia, Co-PR/Events Director

“I spent a week in New York City for the Klein College of Media and Communication's NYC World Pride Program. It was the first time World Pride was being held in New York City and the cohort I was a part of got to volunteer at events that lead up to the march. After we volunteered at World Pride itself, Temple University got to march in the parade and experience what Pride is really about. As I was attempting to find a bathroom that was not a porta-potty, I ran into internet personality, Rickey Thompson!”

Taylor Franck, Co-PR/Events Director

“Although I didn’t do much besides work 60+ hrs a week, I did start a job at the Four Seasons! My summer was filled with views of watching the sunset at my new job, located on the 60th floor of the tallest building in Philly (the Comcast Technology Center). As bar staff member at JG Sky High, I got to witness the development of the beautiful building and set my eyes on the amazing views.”

Anna Williams, Graphic Designer

“This summer I got to visit my family in Seattle, WA, and drove down to Astoria and Cannon Beach, OR! I went hiking a ton, went off-roading on the beaches, explored coffee shops and got to spend time with my Norwegian family who I almost never get to see.”

Abigayle Stoetzer, Marketing/PR Assistant

“I’m currently working at WRTI, a classical and jazz radio station on campus, and for A Modern Reveal as a research analyst. I am also the Music Director of Jewkebox A Cappella, a Jewish a cappella group here on campus. I have spent my free time making arrangements for the upcoming semester!”

Alexis Levant, Marketing/PR Assistant

“This summer I spent time serving my community as a camp counselor to five and six-year-olds! I was also able to sneak in a wonderful beach day in Ocean City, NJ! Beach bumming, endless fun, and leading some wonderful kids--this is what summer is all about!”

Ashley Dellaratta, Marketing/PR Assistant

“I spent most of my time this summer working at Ulta Beauty during the day and I bartend at a concert venue on most weekends. Aside from working, I took a trip to Aruba for a little over a week! I’ve just been relaxing on the beach with my family and having some much needed time off from work.”

Maddison Snyder, Marketing/PR Assistant

“I spent a week in Bar Harbor, ME! While I was there, I hiked many trails in Acadia National Park, my favorite hike being the Beehive Trail. We also watched the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain at 5:20 a.m. and went whale watching!”

Maura Brody, Marketing/PR Assistant

“I spent my summer on Owl Team orienting new students to Temple. It was a blast! I made so many new connections, learned so much, and truly ‘changed lives,’ as the Owl Team Leaders like to say.”

Zoe Conte, Marketing/PR Assistant

“This summer I took a spontaneous trip to Miami. I indulged in the different local cultures and their traditional dishes and explored the aesthetic the city had to offer. I can’t wait to go back!”

Mary Diaz de la Portilla, Twitter Chief

“I spent the majority of my summer back home in Miami, FL, working in retail, frequenting South Beach, and spending time with friends and family. Although Miami was my home base, my brothers and I also took a sibling trip to Mexico. My uncle just purchased a vacation home in San Miguel de Allende, so we decided to visit him and stop in Mexico City on the way. In just one week, I had the most enriching experience of my summer. I ate the best al pastor tacos, practiced my Spanish, and explored the winding roads of this little town. Most importantly, I got to spend quality time with my older brothers.”

Rachel Neal, Instagram Chief

“This summer I’ve mostly been traveling! More recently, I’ve flown to Northern Ireland to spend some time with my friends that live there for two weeks. It was actually my first time out of the country so it was really amazing to explore a different culture and see all the beautiful sights that Ireland had to offer. It also definitely gave me a taste of what it’ll be like if I study abroad during my time at Temple!”

Nora Alamiri, Social Media Team Member

“I worked part-time at Express and part-time at my summer internship as a Health Coordinator with HIAS Pennsylvania, a refugee resettlement organization based in Philadelphia. Beyond my work and school life, I managed to start an organization called The Minority Voices Project, which is a platform where minority students can share their stories about their life experiences living as a minority in the United States. I have been traveling to different places like New York City and Washington D.C. to spread the Minority Voices Project and raise awareness about inequality and discrimination against minority groups. I also attended the United Nations Global Leadership Summit where I was given the opportunity to talk to representatives at Capitol Hill.”

This summer re-cap marks the end of our blog series for Summer 2019. Stay tuned for weekly digital content, social media takeovers, events, and the lead-up to our semesterly issue once the semester begins late-August. XO, REFINE.