The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) students will be indulging in spring break during the week of March 16. Despite social media glamorizing the life of college students during spring break through vacations, carefree festivities and leisure, most UTEP students will be working on jobs and assignments to meet the demand of everyday life.
Remember when spring break meant poolside meals, long days in the sun until your skin burned and staying out until the infamous commercial warning, “It’s 10 p.m., do you know where your children are?” would come on? For most college students today, we do not recall that because it was nearly 40 years ago in the era of college students enjoying spring break while later indulging in a thriving economy to kick start their lives.
In 2026, that carefree version of spring break isn’t just something we look forward to; it’s a rare experience that many students can only dream about.
Senior Milan Johnson, a communications major with a minor in film set to graduate this spring, owns Tears Vision, a business analyzing emotional states in relation to workplace performance.
“The thing about my business is that I can do it anywhere,” Johnson said. “Even if it’s just an hour with clients, I feel productive instead of not doing anything at all.”
Johnson plans to travel to Florida and New York during spring break to meet clients and expand his business. Yet academic obligations remain.
“I have to write a 40-page essay for one class, so I need to stay on top of it even though it’s spring break. I won’t have the spring break I’d like, especially since it’s my last semester,” Johnson said.
Financial pressures add to the challenge. Rising costs of rent, groceries and tuition are forcing students to pick up extra shifts. Junior Jocelyn Ibarra, a communications major, balances travel plans with a part-time job.
“It’s a need for me [to work,]” Ibarra said. “I work to provide for myself and for school. Prices keep going up, but our pay doesn’t, so we have to work more.”
Ibarra works year-round, switching to full-time hours in the summer to cover tuition and personal expenses.
The financial and academic pressures faced by college students today are more intense than ever. Even during a break like spring break, rest is often overshadowed by deadlines, work commitments and the need to maintain financial stability. For current students and recent graduates, economic shifts are creating an environment where students feel out of touch with what they once were.
Record high inflation, housing costs and limited job opportunities mean that even high-achieving students often must stretch themselves in ways previous generations did not. Balancing academics with jobs while chasing the leisure that social media glamorizes has become a defining feature of the college experience.
As long as economic pressure continues to rise faster than wages and support systems, students will need to find creative ways to juggle school and work while carving out time for themselves.
The reality is that for many, the ideal break remains largely out of reach, emphasizing the resilience and determination required of today’s college generation.
Nonetheless, UTEP students hold special value to their title as “Miners.” Miners, keep mining until a vision is not only something you dream of, but until you hit gold by turning dreams into a reality worth the work.
Vanessa Orozco is a contributor writer at The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected]