Students explore work options at summer camp job fair

It ranged from adventure and outdoor camps to special needs camps to space camps.
And students could chose from day camps, overnight camps and family camps.

The Summer Camp Jobs Fair  on Wednesday represented more than 65 camps from organizations across the country in efforts to gain exposure and possible future employees.

Many of the camp representatives said they looked for students with a desire to work with children, a friendly personality and a sense of responsibility. The representative from Chicago Youth Centers added students with “strong character” to the list.

Sophomore Rebecca Johnstone said she attended the fair to look at one specific camp near her home but also to see what opportunities there are to work with children with disabilities. As an education major, she said she needed to expand her experience.

“I need to become more comfortable,” she said.

Many of the students who helped run booths were IU students who have worked at the camps before. Sophomores Caitlin and Carly O’Connor worked at the Camp Saginaw booth. They found out about Camp Saginaw at a previous fair and worked at the camp.

“I had never been to the East Coast before. I met so many people that I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to otherwise,” Caitlin O’Connor said.

“It’s a great way to travel,” Carly O’Connor said.

Sophomore Emily Guadagno has been involved with Camp Robindel in New Hampshire since 1997, first as a camper and later as a counselor. She said you really have to be enthusiastic about camp.

“You live 10 months for two, because you wait all year to get back to camp,” Guadagno said.

Jolly Corley, the staff coordinator of Camp Robindel, said she looks for campers who can step out of the box and are ready for new experiences.

David Knee, a representative of Starlight camp in Pennsylvania, said the philosophy of the camp is “exposure to everything,” rather than just one area of experience.

He said the camp looks for counselors who can bring a new dynamic to the camp and contribute to the diversity of the staff.