Everyday at Camp is my Favorite Day!

Hi there! I’m Jenn! I am 24, and I was born and raised in Sarasota, Florida. I’m also an aunt to the most amazing nephew, Dillon, and niece, Aaylah – they’re my pride and joy! I graduated last December from Florida Gulf Coast University with my bachelors in Early Childhood Education. I LOVE watching football and my favorite team is Florida State (Go Noles!)  Working with and hanging out with children has always been something that I enjoy and something that comes naturally to me. When I am not at camp, I often find myself counting down the days until I get to be back at my summer home. 

I ended up at Tyler Hill by pure luck. I was in my freshmen year of college and looking for a way to get out of the Florida heat for the summer. I had worked at day camps before and I had heard of Tyler Hill.  I looked over their website and applied for a job – little did I know that my first summer there would change my life!

I still remember driving into camp, having no idea where I was going, and completely second-guessing myself. I spent about a week and a half thinking “Oh my gosh, why did I decide to do this?” and then something changed out of nowhere. My co-counselors that year were incredible! The people that I met that summer have become some of my closest friends to this day. Tyler Hill is such an amazing place, and when I try to describe it to my friends at home, I honestly cannot do it justice.

This summer will be my 6th summer at camp. I was a general counselor for two years, and the past three years I have been a group leader. It has been such a journey and learning experience. The girls I have had through the years have been so impactful upon my life. It’s been fun for me to have different groups each year. I get to learn so much from these girls and I hope that I in turn, have been a role model for them. Camp has allowed me the opportunity to meet so many people from all over the world and it has exposed me to many different types of people and their cultures. I have been able to embrace the STARFISH qualities and see the importance of them not only at camp, but also at home too.

This past summer I wasn’t sure if I was going to be coming back to camp, so I took on the mentality that I should cherish each day while I was there. I genuinely found in doing that, each day was better than the last! All 56 of my campers had me laughing each and every moment along with their silly antics and their views on life. Camp has allowed me to take a break from reality and act like a kid. To me, everyday at Tyler Hill Camp is my favorite day!