Left to right: Student researchers Talya Binienda ’25, Shaniya Duckworth ’27 and Deenah McFadden ’25 are working in the lab this summer for Assistant Professor of Biology Whitney Bullock (far right); lab photos by Penh Alicandro ’22
It’s easy to find a parking space, lines at the cafeteria are short, and the quiet on campus is, well … it takes some getting used to. But don’t be misled.
Summer at Eckerd College offers students a broad range of academic courses, as well as internships and job and research opportunities, often at an affordable price.
About 200 students live on Eckerd’s campus in the summer, mostly at West Lodge, Iota and Omega residence complexes. Some students pay a daily rate. For those working on campus, housing is included. Nonworking students can rent over the summer and choose West Lodge or Omega. “The costs vary,” explains Jack Layden ’17, Eckerd’s director of residence life and leadership programs. “But most students don’t pay rent because they’re working at one of the jobs or positions. Even for those who do pay rent, it’s probably the most inexpensive in St. Petersburg.”
It is. If students are taking a course or receiving Eckerd credit, they are charged a daily rate based on where their room is. If they are paying for housing while not participating in anything Eckerd-related, they pay a flat fee, also depending on the room type and location. Daily rates range from $22 to $38, while the flat rate for the entire summer ranges from $2,500 to $3,500.
The average monthly rent for a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in St. Petersburg is $1,691, according to Apartments.com.
“This is a great opportunity for students to do research with a faculty member, to do an internship in the area … it’s a great time for students to do whatever they think will help them,” Layden says. “And they can make friends and explore St. Petersburg.” A car is beneficial, he adds, “But not essential.”
Eckerd College students enjoy exploring downtown St. Petersburg.
So who’s summering at Eckerd this year? Deenah McFadden, for one. A senior anthropology and biology student from Willoughby, Ohio, Deenah has an internship at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital; is doing laboratory research with Whitney Bullock, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at Eckerd; and in her spare time, is taking an analytic/persuasive writing class. She plans to go to medical school after graduating.
“I was accepted to a student summer research training program at All Children’s, and I had met with Dr. Bullock, and her lab really spoke to me,” Deenah explains. “I wondered if I should try to do both. Dr. Bullock told me to go for it. And writing is a great skill. A lot of medical schools like to see that as part of your portfolio.”
Deenah McFadden ’25 conducts lab research in the James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences.
Most mornings Deenah, who lives in West Lodge and drives a Jeep Wrangler, goes to Bullock’s lab, then the hospital. She works on her online writing class at night with her dog Echo at her side. “I wear my business clothes [to Bullock’s lab], so I can go straight to All Children’s in the afternoon,” Deenah explains. “And I still get to spend lots of time with my best friend, Echo.
“It’s really nice here in the summer,” Deenah says about the 188-acre waterfront campus. “Most of the students are either working with children in summer camps or doing research. It’s really easy to connect with people on campus who have the same drive and work ethic. And summer is a good time to just kind of look around campus and take a minute to reflect on where we live. It’s really beautiful.”
Aja Jones, the incoming president of the Eckerd College Organization of Students, also is calling Eckerd home during the summer. An animal studies student from Jacksonville, Florida, who is minoring in marketing, Aja lives in West Lodge rent-free. “We needed an ECOS representative on campus over the summer,” she explains, “and I’m that representative. I’m also a resident advisor.”
During the week, Aja drives Chloe, her 2021 Kia Soul, to the Humane Society office in Pinellas Park, where she interns as part of the Society’s marketing team.
“I do a lot of work with social media, Instagram, TikTok and the Society’s website,” she says. “I help get the newsletter out every week, and I go to local radio and TV stations with my mentor, and we bring dogs to the stations. It really helps get the adoption rate up.”
Aja created the internship on her own. “I had been to the Humane Society, and they told me they didn’t have an official internship to offer,” she explains. “But if I wanted to be a test dummy, I could do it.” Her internship satisfies her summer practicum in animal studies requirement and was approved by Lauren Highfill, Ph.D., professor of psychology and animal studies.
The internship is scheduled to end in July. “But they want me to come back through the school year to help with marketing,” Aja says, “because I’m younger and I bring in new ideas and perspectives. And this is exactly what I want to do … marketing for aquariums or animal shelters.”
Finn Steele and Aidan Leak are members of the Eckerd College soccer team, and are roommates at West Lodge. Finn is working with the College Athletics Department and the soccer camp program, while Aidan works for the College as a conference aide.
A senior computer science student from Cape Town, South Africa, Aidan transferred from Tyler Junior College in the fall of 2023 because he wanted to play soccer at Eckerd, and because of where the College is located. “Coming from Cape Town, which is right on the beach, it felt like home in a way. I felt comfortable from the get-go.”
As a conference aide, Aidan assists in everything from setting up audio and visual aids to booking conference halls to resolving room issues. Because they work on campus, the College pays for Aidan and Finn’s room at West Lodge as well as their meals. “I like the summer at the College because it’s really a comfortable community,” Aidan says. “Everyone is on their own mission, but we know each other. I haven’t been bored yet. There’s so much to do with the conference aide job. I’m working to save up some money to fly home in December, so it helps there too.”
Along with working with the Athletics Department and the Soccer Program, Finn, a senior psychology student from Ipswich, England, takes summer-session classes. “And I’ve done some dog-sitting off campus,” he adds.
In their free time, Aidan and Finn play for the St. Petersburg Football Club on an amateur/semiprofessional soccer team.
“I feel like I’m more busy now,” Finn says, “than I was during the semester.”
Aja Jones ’25
Aidan Leak ’25
Finn Steele ’25
