“I’m Kerri, 24, from Falmouth, Massachusetts. I come from a loving family made of my parents, Barry and Debbie, and my older sister, Kelsey. Some of my favorite and enduring hobbies include riding my bike, playing my guitar, writing letters, cooking and baking, and swimming. I’m resolved to strengthen my yoga practice, running regimen, surfing, and reading list in 2015. I received my B.A. in Social Thought and Political Economy from UMass Amherst, where I fell in love with farms and bike rides through rolling hills as much as I cemented my fondness for the vastness of the sea that raised me. It is also where I first learned the thrill of stepping outside my comfort zone to discover who I really am and who I really want to be. I traveled abroad three times during my collegiate experience, twice to the Middle East and once to Ghana, for a six month study abroad/personal journey. It was an unforgettable experience for me that strengthened my character and inspired me to invest my time forevermore seeking authentic, growth-conscious environments. This pursuit led me to back to Cape Cod, where I have served as both an Adventure Trip Leader (class of 2012) and an Outdoor Education Guru (2012 and 2014) at Camp Burgess and Hayward. Compelled to explore our great country and invest more deeply in the land I love, I traveled to Arizona in 2013 where I led conservation crews primarily in the Grand Canyon. Leading others in the wild for nine days of tenting, campfire-cooking, and rugged manual labor was one of the most intense and beautiful experiences of my life. In the summer of 2014 I was given a special opportunity to connect inner-city youth with the great outdoors as a Mentor for the Nature Conservancy’s Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) program in Virginia. In all of my wanderings, however, no place compares to the supportive, innovative, and truly influential experience of being at Camp. It is the greatest professional family I have yet to find in this life, and I am so happy to be a part of the team full-time.”
We are so happy to have Kerri back at Camp, as a part of the full-time Burgess Hayward Staff!
We had a Q & A sesh with her, so that you could get to know her better…
CBH: What did you most enjoy about working at Camp as a Guru?
Kerri: Being a Guru is the most unique opportunity to lose inhibitions in the creative pursuit of cultivating in others even just an ounce of wonder for the natural world. I loved getting to spend my days surrounded by people whose collective potential to find joy and meaning in life exceeded all previously known capacities for me. There is a thriving energy that pulses through camp and all who enter there; being a Guru meant I got to be a part of keeping that alive…no greater honor!! Sunset kayak tours on Spectacle, watching kids act out photosynthesis in all their shy glory, and eating Lois’ delicious salads harvested from Burgess Farm were just some of the many sprinkles on a life-changing cake.
CBH: What are you most looking forward to in your new role as Outdoor Education Coordinator?
Kerri: I have got some big shoes to fill! Every mentor I have had in my time at camp has shaped me personally, not just professionally. I am humbled and excited by the opportunity to show up for people in whatever way they need; to provide the right resources and support so that the Gurus can wholeheartedly be amazing at what they do. I am also so proud of camp’s relationship with the Cape Cod Collaborative and am looking forward to more deeply connecting with this program. Managing our Challenge Course is a huge part of my job as well and, being an avid adventure junkie, I couldn’t be happier to be tasked with keeping people safe while exploring new ways to bring learning opportunities to their high-wire experience. All in all I am pinching myself that this dream job is mine!
CBH: What is your favorite spot on Camp?
Kerri: I have so many special connections with various nooks at camp, and I can’t wait to keep finding more in the years ahead. But in this moment I cannot choose between the Base Camp Hangout Yurt, where so many lifelong friendships were formed for me, Phillip’s Field on a starry night, and a quiet morning on Spectacle Pond from the vantage point of my stand-up paddle board.
CBH: If you were to write a song about Camp, how would the first verse go?
Kerri: The fire is a’roaring, the owls are a’soaring, the laughter is an echo that just never ends. The stars they are a’twinkling, the s’mores they are a’sizzling, this night is the night I learned the whole world is my friend.
CBH: What has working at Camp taught you about yourself? Others?
Kerri: I cannot begin to express everything that I have learned and gained from my time at camp, but a few one-liners of wisdom I’ve acquired thus far are as follows: Being a facilitator of people’s experiences is serious work, that is best suited for those who are willing to not take themselves too seriously. We all have different comfort zones, but equal amounts to gain from brushing up against their unique boundaries again and again, and again. Pick up that piece of trash even if it’s not yours, just do it. Celebrate absolutely everything, preferably with a round of Knockout. Find your place of daily solitude, and in it your rejuvenation.