Thursday, October 1, 2026
College is expensive. Getting hired is difficult. Finding a place at school for the summer may become another quandary on the list for young people in limbo between semesters. The truth is, coming home to Rockville Centre, to mom’s cooking, good friends, the beach, and yes, that double-sized bed, seems more and more like a no-brainer.
Many college students have returned to the village, taking up summer jobs they have held in the past. Katie Spadaro, a recreation and leisure administration major at York College of Pennsylvania, is returning to her position as a camp counselor at the Rockville Centre Recreation Center for the fourth consecutive summer. Experience working with children will help her obtain future opportunities in recreation and event management, she said.
Likewise, Kayce Robinson, a rising junior at Towson University has committed to her fifth summer as a leader at the Rec Center. However, Robinson hopes to follow a different career path, deciding to enroll in a six-week class at Brittany Beauty School in Levittown to become a certified makeup artist.
“Ultimately I want to pursue a career in cosmetology,” she said. “I work at a salon at school so I hoped to get a job in a salon. But the makeup certification class I am taking is a great way to further my knowledge and open doors for job opportunities in the future.”
Kevin Mulcahy, who attends Syracuse University, also decided to take a class back in June in order to earn additional credits before the start of next semester. Mulcahy has since returned home and is working as a landscaper for Rockville Centre Schools.
Another student home for the summer, Taylor Maniscalco, just completed her second year on a pre-med track at SUNY Albany and explained the challenges of finding work experience relevant to one’s desired field.
“I think that’s it’s hard for college kids to get jobs because we have no skills or experience yet, and everyone thinks we should.”
It can be especially difficult for those who started looking for employment later in the season. Max Rosing, 20, is a sports management major and a proud member of the nationally ranked baseball team at SUNY Cortland. After sustaining an injury and having surgery on his shoulder in June, he found the quest for a job more challenging than ever.
“I am beginning to look now and find it very hard being that I got a late jump on opportunities due to my surgery,” he said. “During summers it is extremely competitive in the job market for college students, especially nowadays where people are looking for more jobs and internships to add to their resumes for jobs after college graduation.”
Robinson agreed, adding that many employers are also hesitant to hire students for a brief period over applicants who are available all year.
“I have been working at the Rec Center for too many summers, but it is nice to have a secure job there every time I come home from school,” she said.
At the same time, Spadaro said that what you apply often determines where you end up.
“I think that it depends on what field you are looking into and the amount of time you are willing to put in,” she said. “There are different opportunities for different people.”
