“Could you tell our Camp Horsin’ Around friends a little about yourself?”
I am originally from a small town, Lamar, in Colorado. Most of my upbringing came from a rural ranching and farming community. In the southeastern region, Colorado is where the majority of my family originally homesteaded and still lives today. My small town background became the foundation of who I am today.
“What about your background with the camp industry?”
Growing up I had the privilege of being a camp counselor for a 4-H camp in Colorado. I learned that camp could be a life changing experience for those that attend. As an ambitious first time college student, I signed up for a double major in Wildlife Resources and Rangeland Ecology Management with a minor in outdoor recreation. After a couple of years in school, I developed a passion for providing outdoor recreation experiences for populations that do not find the opportunity to do so in everyday life. This led to a major switch to Recreation while keeping my minor in outdoor recreation.
My personal goal was to gain as much knowledge about programs across the country that were providing outdoor experiences for underserved populations. I achieved this goal by choosing to work a summer position for organizations that were located in parts of the country that I have never been to. I soon started to realize that the camps that I worked at created a magical space where individuals can grow and develop a sense of belonging and who they are. My direct experience that makes me a well-qualified member of Camp Horsin’ Around’s team was being a Senior Program Coordinator/Challenge Course Manager for the Life Adventure Center camp facility in Versailles, Kentucky. My 5 years with that great organization helped me grow as an individual.
“What attracted you to Camp Horsin’ Around?”
I first discovered Camp Horsin’ Around at a local challenge course forum. I was excited to hear their mission to provide a camp experience to populations that did not think they would ever be able to attend camp. Immediately I felt a connection to this amazing organization and the people that I met that worked at camp. The next few interactions with camp I was realizing that the organization was in the process to develop more opportunities through a challenge course environment for their campers. In my personal path, I found my next step was to develop and design new challenge course elements that allowed more populations to have access to this unique experience. After hearing there was an opening for the Camp Director position, I knew I needed to apply!
“What is something you would especially like campers to know about you?”
I truly believe that the camp experience for anyone but especially youth is a magical life changing experience. For the campers at Camp Horsin’ Around: I look forward to meeting all of you and learning more about what you love about camp. Then I promise to take all of my knowledge and passion to create a space where all of our campers can horse around and most importantly be yourselves!