Every Sunday, Meher Sareen of London made the five-minute trek to Clark Street Beach to spend a few precious hours by the water before evening lectures.
Like most, if not all, cherubs, she rushed to the lakeshore on weekends and rare free moments between classes, eager to soak up the sun and wade into the waves of Lake Michigan.
“I’m trying to make the most of the opportunity to be in the hot weather and spend time outside with my friends,” Sareen said. “There’s no beach at all close to where I live at home, and it’s nowhere near warm enough, so I was really excited when I found out there was one near campus.”
Sareen and her friends developed a strategy, rotating between listening to music, playing games on the sand and jumping in the lake to cool down, she said.
Charlie Tobin of Menlo Park, California, relaxed on the sand and played beach volleyball. He also spent his beach time with an academic pursuit in mind: finding sources. He visited the beach frequently while writing a feature story on the behind-the-scenes work of the lifeguards.
The beach is an ideal place to find approachable people, instructor Karen Springen said.
“Where do you go when you want to be relaxed and you’re just casual and chill? Right on the beach,” she said. “People tend to be happy. They’re relaxed. They’re happy to chat.”
While some cherubs used the beach to connect with sources, others simply used it to connect with each other.
“I separate my academic life from my beach life because cherubs can be very busy, and the beach has been a lovely step away from that,” Sareen said. “It’s important to take breaks so that you can bring your full self to whatever you’re working on.”
