As the months go by and the middle of May begins, clear skies partner with the warm sun to invite everyone outside.

It is that time of the year when people in Washington trade their winter coats for t-shirts and sunglasses. Even with the country still dealing with the effects of COVID-19, people are getting outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

The sunshine is much preferred over the cold, rainy Seattle weather for sophomore apparel marketing major Yevgeniya Kushnir.

“The rainy, gloomy weather just gives a negative feeling towards school, there is already stress and the weather does not help,” Kushnir stated. “It just entails for it in general to be gloomy and sad. Then with COVID where there is very limited to no in-person classes it just becomes lonely.”

For senior linguistics major Sara Haines, the bright sun prompts happiness.

“The sun definitely makes me happier. Cloudy and rainy is fine, but when it’s consistently dark during the rainy season it just makes me want to sleep,” Haines said.

For Kushnir, as the weather shifts, so does her motivation.

“The stress of school will continue, but the reinforcement of looking outside and the fact that it is sunny gives me motivation to get my work done,” Kushnir said.

While the sunshine can make students feel more motivated to do school work, it also provides temptation. After having months of colder, cloudy weather, some students are itching to just get outside and enjoy the day.

Sophomore business administration major Zack Paulsen struggles to stay focused when the weather makes it easier to go outside.

“The sunshine does not motivate me to do school, because I would rather be outside in the sun instead of behind the screen,” Paulsen said.

The sun can indicate many things: graduation is coming, spikeball in the loop is a more frequent activity, happiness comes more naturally, the list goes on. For Paulsen, the sun being out equals pure bliss.

“I associate the sunshine with being happy and being outside, it just gives off a positive vibe,” Paulsen said.

The positive vibes and energy that the sun provides is beneficial to the students as it helps them end the last ten weeks of the school year on a positive note.

The sadness that some may feel during the winter seems to be clearing as the sun comes out.

“I feel more energetic. I usually just want to be outside because I begin to get excited about what is going on outside,” Kushnir said.

Even though COVID-19 has prevented certain activities from happening, students are still able to come together and enjoy the warm weather in a safe manner. Hikes, spikeball, football, or even just a good old-fashioned picnic are a few of the many activities that are made possible with the sun peeking out.

The warm outdoors provides a welcoming atmosphere for students across campus.

“I think the sun helps others be more interactive because people are more likely to gather outdoors with COVID,” Paulsen said.