Sacramento State students found a way to make their summer more than hot in the valley’s bright sun while collecting a paycheck.

One Sac State student made the decisions on popular applications of the thousands available on the iPhone in an office he calls his home. Applications are games and additions to the iPhone that other mobile phones do not offer.

Sam Dominguez, junior civil engineer major, is responsible for the creative portion of the applications by Bobby’s Software. Dominguez has the entire creative portion is in his hands. He is his own boss. He does his work on his own time. And he still manages to make enough money to get by working 10 to 20 hours per week.

“Our most popular apps are Photobrush and King’s Cup,” he said. “I wanted King’s Cup to have movies so I designed the movies, perfected them, and added them to the app.”

Another student considered the Marriott Hotel in Salem, Ore. his home this summer. Montié Easter, junior civil engineer major, worked with Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups in Oregon.

Easter conducted research using hydrologic software programs to calculate data for federal highways. His focus was on coverts, which are pipes under the ground that transfer water without disrupting traffic. Coverts help transport fish, protect animals, and reduce flooding. They are critical to understand because if a covert fails the road collapses, Easter said

The last week of Easter’s internship, he and other STIPDG students nationwide met in Washington D.C. to present their research while touring the White House and surrounding monument.

“I got to represent my college at a national level and listen to famous speakers,” Easter said. “It was pretty amazing.”

Ignacio Galvez, better known as Nacho, freshman criminal justice major, met tons of students before classes even started at Sac State due to his summer job in the Dining Commons. His job on campus was interesting to him because it was lively and he had the opportunity to interact with students who shared many things in common with him.

Galvez held a variety of titles from cold runner to hot runner and occasionally cook. He met plenty of students serving each orientation group that made their way through the Dining Commons this summer. “Being a cook was awesome. I loved it,” Galvez said with excitement and in hopes of making the cook his permanent position.

Working over summer vacation does not always have to be boring. These students show just how fun summer jobs can be.

Vanessa Garibaldi can be reached at [email protected]