From Camper to CIT to Counselor
This post was written by Counselors Ren Carter-Tucker and Emma Steinert, as well as PR Intern and Program Director Katja Orlow-Ornstein
CIT’s Do it All
2017 Session IV CITs!
Each year we select a number of perennial campers to be Counselors in Training (CIT’s) here at camp. In this program they shadow and assist a veteran counselor, performing the full range of counselor tasks with guidance, and gradually taking on more responsibility as the session goes on. For us, it’s a way to give a leadership experience to older campers that show promise, and also to identify people to hire in the future. Current counselors Emma Steinert and Ren Carter-Tucker share some thoughts on what it was like to go from camper to CIT to counselor.
Counselor Ren on silks
Ren:
Being a camper was the best thing ever. Getting to do circus eight hours a day made me realize that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life, with my summers being consumed by Smirkus. So I became a CIT! That was an incredibly interesting time for me, as I got a whole new perspective on what it would be liketo be a counselor. I wanted to help campers grow, just as my counselors had helped me. So I became a counselor!! This was my first summer as a counselor, and it has been absolutely amazing. I’m here for nine weeks, and I hope to be back for eleven next summer!
Counselor Emma at the 4th of July celebration
Emma:
Going from camper, to CIT, to counselor this year has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. Each step brought more exciting responsibilities that I watched staff members do for me for so many years. I remember being a CIT for the first time and getting to pick costume winners, or the first time I got to use a walkie talkie as a junior counselor. Even though I thought I had done it all, this year I got to sort capture the flag teams, which was very exciting. Going through all these levels has opened my eyes to the passion and work that goes into making this camp run.