On the Gonzaga campus, caffeine consumption has plummeted and the availability of parking spots has soared. It must be summer. And, with apologies to Alice Cooper, Sheryl Crow, and Sly and the Family Stone, that means "School's Out," it's time to "Soak up the Sun" and have some "Hot Fun in the Summertime."

Just a few short months ago, our campus was teeming with students - learning in the classrooms, laughing on the lawn and forever talking on their cell phones. But just where do they go and what do they do once the last final has been taken? One person who knows is Gonzaga's Career Center Director Mary Ritter Heitkemper. "Our most recent comprehensive formal results are from our spring, summer and fall 2006 graduates who took an exit survey upon graduation," she said. "Even though they were just walking down the commencement aisle, more than two-thirds of them had already gained employment, secured a long-term service opportunity or were enrolled in graduate school."

The remaining one-third were either continuing to look for just the right employment or had chosen to take a "gap" year, an increasingly popular option among today's college graduates, where they often work, volunteer or travel internationally. "What's really interesting is that when asked again about their employment or graduate school status within a year of graduation, the number of them who had secured employment or received full acceptance to graduate school had increased dramatically," said Heitkemper.

Itinerary: "We left Seattle June 18 and made it to Boise by the end of the day," said Jenny. "It was definitely warmer there. The next day we arrived in Salt Lake City, took in some of the sights and headed to eastern Colorado. Luckily we found some little hotels that fit our slim budget. We aimed our SUV for Texas and found a quaint little town that took us in for the night - stars and silence everywhere. What an interesting culture! Made it to our GU friend's house the next day in Dallas, where we crashed for three days, watched some baseball games and took in the metropolitan nightlife. Headed back north, with camping stops in Albuquerque and the Grand Canyon." Despite losing a toenail and earning an infected toe blister, Jenny and Amanda look back and laugh at their Grand Canyon hiking experience. In less than two days, the duo hiked 24 miles in temperatures exceeding 120 degrees and through knee-high swamp waters. "The funniest part was when we were informed we only had a half-mile to go. We looked up and saw two more switchbacks and a straight away. We threw our backpacks to the ground and collapsed, claiming there was no way we could bring ourselves to finish.

"Ventured west until we were facing the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur, Calif. A few hundred miles north on Highway 1 took us to the Napa Valley vineyards, where we not only did some wine tasting, but truly drank in the atmosphere of it all. Continuing northward, we visited some of our Zag friends in the Portland area. By the Fourth of July we were home in Seattle, feeling like we already had our own Independence Day."

Name: Louis Chen, '07, philosophy and journalism, Comprehensive Leadership Program certificate

Destination: Portland, Ore., JVC recreation services coordinator

Distance from Gonzaga: 355 miles

Why JVC? "I felt the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, with its Roman Catholic tradition, Jesuit connection, and dedication to bringing peace and justice through service, was a wonderful opportunity to live in service to others while simultaneously sorting out my future plans," said Louis.

Trip #1 Duration: 20 days

Trip #1 Itinerary: "My wife Anne and I left Spokane July 1 and drove our trusty Corolla to Humboldt National Forest in Nevada," Taylor said. "The next day we arrived at Anne's parents' house and stayed with them for two weeks. We participated in one of her family's long-held traditions: driving to the lowest (Badwater in Death Valley National Park) and highest (Mount Whitney) places in the lower 48 states in the span of one day. Our trip home to Spokane included some camping at Yosemite National Park, visiting the ghost town of Bodie, Calif., and touring parts of Hell's Canyon."

Trip #2 Duration: 13 days

Trip #2 Itinerary: "Time for graduate school at Boston College. Anne and I took advantage of our cross-country road trip and stopped by Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Wind Caves and Badlands national parks, reconnected with long-lost family members and went to an extended family reunion," Taylor said. "Indiana took us to Notre Dame where we visited more family and friends, continued northeastward to Ann Arbor and Detroit, Mich., and Toronto. (I hope to earn my Ph.D. at the University of Toronto once I'm done at Boston College.) Seeing the impressive Niagara Falls capped off our journey and we recently arrived in Boston."

Parting Words: "I believe it is truly God who accomplishes the work and I am merely His instrument."