One student made a gutsy decision to forego a week vacation to Panama City with his college roommates this spring break in order to prove to his friends still in high school that he had lived up to his inspirational yearbook quote.
For most college students spring break is a time to participate in activities that will motivate them to immediately get a blood test afterwards. For other students, such as engineering freshman Tyler Rosenthal, it’s a time to rewrite the past.
“It’s a sacrifice, but I know it’ll be worth it,”
Said Rosenthal.
“I just feel like my Facebook profile picture next to Century Tower doesn’t fully display how much I’ve grown.”
Having to sleep on his parents’ foldout couch because his stepdad already turned his old room into a gym didn’t dissuade Rosenthal from achieving his mission.
“We hung out at Menchie’s which was fun, but he kept doing the gator chomp after every spoonful of low fat Raspberry chocolate chip swirl.”
Said Ashley Simon, a former classmate of Rosenthal who is looking forward to prom next month.
Rosenthal looked confident as he caught the bus to his old school tightly gripping his thick lanyard with laminated college ID.
“College is completely different than high school,”
Said Rosenthal when visiting one of his high school classes in which the kids, and teacher, seemed to be baffled by who he was.
“Except the teachers still care just as little and the pretty girls only give you their school email for group projects.”
Rosenthal even made an appearance at every high school house party in his hometown throughout spring break, where he enlightened those who didn’t know him about his new and exciting life as a college student.
“Why he would come back to his hometown of Ocala instead of peeping on all those young college babes is beyond me.”
Said Rosenthal’s stepdad Randy Jenkings as he set his Garmin GPS to Panama City.
Rosenthal spent most of his spring break in Ocala at the local mall (which only consisted of a Gap and abandoned Quiznos) in hopes of running into someone he recognized.
“I think a lot of my old friends are just intimidated by the person I’ve become. Hopefully they’ll have gotten used to it by the time I ask Ashley to prom.”
Said Rosenthal, who is currently back in Gainesville and in his classes at Santa Fe College.