Meet the Spring 2017 Outdoor Education Staff
Despite the snow on the ground spring has sprung in the Outdoor Education department. We’re excited to welcome back a number of familiar faces and we’re just as excited to introduce you to some new ones as we prepare for another stellar season.
Mongoose
My name is Mongoose and I am blessed to live here at Tecumseh year-round as the Outdoor Education Director. I’ve been working full time here at camp for almost three years, but I started here as a camper and just haven’t been able to leave. I grew up in the great state of Michigan, but found myself in Florida to study at the University of Miami where I earned a degree in Microbiology and Immunology. After college, I was accepted to Teach For America where I served in the classroom teaching high school biology and AP biology for four years. It was during that experience that I fell in love with education and saw first hand the need for providing quality educational opportunities for all of our kids, and the impact that an experience outside of the classroom can have on the culture within the classroom. In my free time I love to read a good book, go for a run, travel with family and friends, or hang out with my dog Dash. I’m Looking forward to having you out to Tecumseh!
Jalapeño
Hello, my name is Jalapeño. I grew up in Crawfordsville, Indiana and graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Human Services. I met my husband here at Camp when we were counselors in 2010 and we got married in June of 2014. We live here at camp with our dog, Miley, and are very excited to soon be welcoming our first child into the world in August! I started working at Tecumseh in the summer of 2010 as a summer camp counselor and then stayed and worked Outdoor Education for a few more seasons. This is my second year on full time staff. Some of my favorite things include walks with my dog, crafting, singing, taking naps in hammocks, movie theater popcorn, and staying in the loop about anything new from Disney or Marvel. My family are the greatest people I know. I have two nephews and a beautiful niece that I adore and try to visit as much as I can. So glad you are here!
Jaguar
My name is Jaguar, and I have the awesome opportunity to live here at camp year-round. Before finding a home at Camp Tecumseh, I grew up in Dayton, Ohio and later attended the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!). While growing up in Ohio, my parents were wonderful and chose to drive over three hours each way to bring me to Camp Tecumseh for a week of summer camp. My first year as a camper was 2003, and I just haven’t been able to leave! I have since worked for our day camp, equestrian camp, retreats, and outdoor education programs. If I’m not hanging out at camp, I tend to be horseback riding, hiking, or taking much too long of a nap. I have a dog named Chloe who comes nearly everywhere with me, and a horse named Nike who would come along, too, if he weren’t so large! Nike and I competed for several years in a sport called “eventing” which judges horse and rider on skills based in dressage, cross-country jumping, and stadium jumping. If you like to talk horses, I’m your gal!
Kilimanjaro
Hello, my camp name is Kilimanjaro, or Brother Nature. Sometimes people call me Keith. I grew up in Belleville, Illinois, not too far from the mighty Mississippi River. This is my tenth year on staff at Camp, living next to the quiet flowing Tippecanoe River. I graduated from MacMurray College with a BA in Religious Studies and General Psychology, and received an MA in Pastoral Care and Counseling from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. You may see me juggling, using puppets, walking through the woods, enjoying a peaceful night next to a campfire, and spending time with the amphibians and reptiles in the nature center. I enjoy lounging in a hammock, eating unique foods, and trying to visit all 50 states (I’ve been to 40).
Sasquatch
Hello, friends! The name is Sasquatch. Friends and family may call me “Sassy” or “Squatch” from time to time. It just depends on the occasion I suppose. After I emerged from the woods, I found deep roots in the bustling streets of a farmer’s community called Zeeland. That’s the Zeeland from this wonderful country, located in the Mitten just North of us (Michigan)! I have lived most of the seasons of my life there with my five brothers and sister. With my lovely parents that makes nine! This is my second season of Outdoor Education. Tecumseh continues to bring bursts of love and joy into my life like I’ve never seen before! What does a sasquatch like me do for fun? I love connecting with people and will walk up to anyone. I like to read a good story, something like The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I like trying my hand at artsy stuff or anything that calls for creativity. You’ll find me outdoors chasing adventure like hiking, hammocking, exploring, or figuring out the physics of a mountain bike. I love laughing, seeing people come together, and games and shenanigans of any kind. Napping is also great and a hammock is a fine place for it.
Monsoon
My name is Monsoon. I am so excited to be back at Camp Tecumseh for a second season! I live in Lafayette, Indiana with my wife where I obtained my Master’s degree in Mathematics from Purdue University. We have two adorable cats, Pepsi and Houdini. In my free time I enjoy challenging my mind by playing strategic board games, completing puzzles, and reading books. My favorite board game is Camel Up, a silly game where camels stack on top of each other as they race around the board.
Lobo
Hola! Me llamo Lobo! I hail from the nearby West Lafayette, Indiana and recently graduated from the small but mighty Hanover College with a degree in Spanish. I have spent the last three summers having fun on the run in the sun as a summer camp counselor here at Camp T but this will be my second season working on Outdoor Education. Camp has had an amazing impact on my life and has even helped me discover some hidden talents including a propensity for tripping at inopportune moments and the ability to consume enormous amounts of coffee. When not drinking coffee or tripping over my own feet, I really enjoy painting, taking naps in sunshine, and giving high fives. I also really enjoy a good book; my favorite is Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones because it’s full of whimsy and funny characters.
Junco
Hey everyone. Tweet tweet! My name is Junco. I hatched in Peoria, Illinois 23 years ago! After I graduated from high school I flew to Michigan to study International Development at Calvin College. I just finished my degree this past January! For the past three summers I migrated to Camp Tecumseh to be a camp counselor! This is my first season working OE and I am excited to be out in God’s beautiful creation all day everyday! I am looking forward to teaching kids more about the world around them and helping them build a stronger community! I really enjoy taking long hikes and watching beautiful sunsets! In my free time I like to journal, play ultimate frisbee, hang out with friends, and sing! Excuse me as I catch the next gust of wind and I am looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Jade
Hello! My name is Jade, and I’m from Decatur, IL. This is my first time at Camp Tecumseh, and I am super excited to be a part of the OE team! I have previously worked at four other camps where I served in a variety of ways, which included day camp and cabin counselor, program intern, retreat host, and team building, and high ropes facilitator. It is my dream to one day be a program director of a Christian camp. During my free time, I love visiting time with friends and family. I also enjoy spending time outside whether it is riding my bike, playing softball, or running. A fun fact about myself is that I love doing martial arts and I am a first-degree black belt in Tang Soo Doe!
Iguana
Hey, my name is Iguana and I am from a family of nine. I am from the Brookston area and I have lived here all my life. My Tecumseh experience started when I was five years old and I began attending Day Camp. I have since attended Camp Tecumseh’s overnight camp and have worked as both a day camp and overnight camp counselor. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing, and playing sports. My favorite sport is soccer and I am always happy to play or talk about soccer.
Echo
Hi, My name is Echo! This is my second season at Camp Tecumseh working in Outdoor Education. I graduated from Purdue University in December with a degree in Human Services. Boiler up! I am excited to use my passion for helping others at camp and I can’t wait to see how much I grow and learn here. I am from Indianapolis, Indiana where I grew up with four siblings. Whenever I have free time you can find me hanging out with any one of my family members, hiking, hammock-ing, water skiing/tubing or finding a new restaurant to stuff my face with the delicious gift of food. I also love hanging out with friends or watching a good comedy movie. My favorite TV show is The Office. I could not tell you how many times I have seen each season. It is a show you can watch at any given time and be guaranteed a good laugh.
Dingo
My name is Dingo, and I am from Frankfort, Illinois. Not to be mistaken with Frankfort, Indiana, home of the hotdogs. Frankfort, Illinois is more like one of the biggest craft booth gathering places in the United States (Yes, I am serious. I’ve spent hours walking from booth to booth). I am currently taking classes online working towards my degree in business administration with a focus on project management. I have been a part of Camp Tecumseh since the summer of 2012 and they still have not gotten rid of me! This will be my sixth season with the incredible program that is Outdoor Education. We strive for so much in this department and I am so lucky to be back for another season to see the amazing changes that happen when students and teachers come to camp.
Alpaca
Good day to all! My name is Alpaca or “Paca” if we’re good pals, and I hail from the lovely town of LaGrange Park, IL. However I’ve also lived in Iowa City, IA., Champaign, IL., and a magical place called Camp Tecumseh! My current hobbies have included drinking tea, trying to do yoga, and successfully eating all the wonderful baked good my friends and I make. This will be my second season in Outdoor Ed., but I’ve worked at camp every summer since 2014. Recently I’ve had a lot of interest in edible gardening, however my tomato, pepper, and cucumber plants from last summer have downgraded into a single pot of spearmint this spring, which I am no less excited about. In the meantime, Alpaca my bags and finish up this short bio of mine!
Alligator
Hey y’all! What has four legs, swims around the swamp at about 14 feet long, and is a part of the Outdoor Education Staff this season? The world’s most amazing gator, of course! My name is Alligator and I am originally from Indianapolis, IN. I am the eldest of nine children, so I have had plenty of experience teaching other little gators how to crawl around the swamp and chomp their enormous jaws. Teaching is a passion of mine and I absolutely LOVE every opportunity I get to teach kids new and exciting things. I am looking forward to my first season of outdoor education and am so ready to teach and have fun! I have studied a year and a half so far at Indiana University (I’m not the most popular gator in the swamp here, though, being so close to Lafayette.) I am looking to continue my schooling soon and in the mean time have found camp is the perfect place to be at! So, let’s get on with the swamp creeping, the tail swaying, and the jaw chomping!
