SUNY Maritime Students Hit The High Seas For The Summer
May 13, 2008
While many college students are heading home for summer vacation, hundreds from the Bronx headed to sea Monday for an experience of a lifetime. NY1's Bronx reporter Dean Meminger was there as they set sail and filed the following report.
Hundreds of students from SUNY Maritime College departed for a 7.5-week summer term at sea Monday.
"We are definitely scared and nervous," said freshman Stephanie Cavaliere of Queens. "We don't know what to expect, but there is a first time for everything. This is the start of what we are going to be doing for the rest of our lives."
The cadets are studying to be engineers in the merchant marine industry. Their journey on the Empire State VI will take them to the Bahamas, Spain, France and England.
"This is a working ship, so all of our cadets do six credits a class," explained Lieutenant Commander Andrew McCarthy. "So they take classes and do maintenance on-board the vessel and they stand watch."
There are 575 students on board, which means a lot of loved ones left behind.
"I have very mixed emotions," said the mother of one cadet. "I'm very happy for him, but I'm sad that he is leaving."
Leaving dry land, it will take some students a few days to get used to being on a ship. They got a taste of what rough weather can be like just preparing to leave.
"I'm tired," said freshman Vanessa Nieves. "It’s been a challenge preparing for this."
"It is really different," added freshman Shayna Michaels. "It is not sitting in an office. It's getting out there and seeing everything and everyone. That's what I'm interested in."
Some have been on the voyage before.
"Last year we were in Rome, Italy; Estonia; Copenhagen, Denmark, and Charleston, South Carolina," said sophomore Brian Torressen. "I'm a traveling man. I've been all over."
The young cadets are scheduled to arrive back at their campus of SUNY Maritime on July 4th, Independence Day with stories from the high seas that they can talk about for a life time.
- Dean Meminger
May 13, 2008
SUNY Maritime Students Hit The High Seas For The Summer
Dean Meminger
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