Summer camp alumnae become role models for girls

By Abri Hochstetler, AmeriCorps VISTA Public Relations Specialist

Marisela Ruiz and Jade Williams return to Girls Inc. summer camp in a new role this year, as junior counselors.

In 2007, Girls Inc. developed junior counselor positions at summer camp as a creative way to engage teenagers who are too old to attend our summer camp. Jade and Marisela, 15, applied for the positions to give back to Girls Inc. and to be role models for the younger girls. “I remember when I was twelve, how I looked up to the counselors. I think it’d be cool to have [this year's campers] look up to me,” said Marisela.

For Jade, becoming a junior counselor was a way to re-engage with Girls Inc. “Because I can’t go to camp [this year], I wanted to work there.”

Marisela returns to Girls Inc. after attending camp every summer from age seven to twelve. “It was a fun experience and I remember that camp was what I looked forward to all summer. I met lots of friends and got to know girls I only saw in the summer.”

But they also know it will be a real job. Jade expects to have her hands full, “helping out with the other counselors and directing the kids where to go and making sure they are behaving.”

Both girls look forward to a summer filled with fun, professional experience, and inspiring girls to be strong, smart, and boldSM!