text: Projects can be a constructive vehicle for students to thrive and grow academically. But, there are ways that it can be more beneficial than others. Summer assignments should be student-designed because of the freedom of schedule it gives them, as well as the possibility to explore an area of interest. The ideas that students come up with on their own time, free on constraints, can become an excellent opportunity, and could potentially be a route they would like to pursue in the future. Maybe a student led summer project could lead to the next great innovation of our time. In this article, Luke enjoys being a Seagoing Cowboy and views it in a positive way. This was a great opportunity for him. He was able to help people during World War II. But as said in paragraph 9, he didn't only become a cowboy just to help people, like said in this quote from paragraph 9, "It opened up the world to him." This was was many of his reasons to join this program.