The Camp Massasoit Experience Assists with Personal and Professional Growth

By: Damon Markiewicz

Since 2008, Springfield College alumna Caitlyn Malone, G'13, has called East Campus home while working at Camp Massasoit during the summer months. With the help of a childhood friend, Malone found East Campus as a sophomore in college when she started working as a camp counselor. Malone had aspirations of having a career in education, and now 16 years later, she continues to flourish in her role as the head counselor for Camp Massasoit, while also enjoying success as a science teacher at North Brookfield Jr/Sr High School in North Brookfield, Mass.

“Having the experiences at Camp Massasoit and East Campus in my life have completely molded me into the type of leader, mentor, and teacher I always strived to be,” explained Malone. “There is no question in my mind that having Camp Massasoit and East Campus in my life has made me a better person and professional.”

Malone quickly fell in love with the sense of fulfillment that the Camp Massasoit experience provides. After spending two years as a camp counselor, Malone had a conversation with Associate Director of East Campus and Outdoor Programs Angela Veatch, G’07, about starting up a program called Project Wild during her third summer. This initiative would assist campers in the development of awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment, to help them make informed decisions, behave responsibly, and be mindful and respectful of wildlife and the environment.

“My background is biologic sciences and education, so when I got offered to start Project Wild, it was a perfect fit for me,” explained Malone. “It was exciting to be able to start the project, and design it, and build up the expectations. That was the start for me to take on a little more at Camp Massasoit, and develop leadership skills as an undergraduate student.”

As Malone continued to build such meaningful relationships with fellow camp counselors and staff at East Campus, when it came time to earn her master’s degree, Springfield College was the ideal spot for her. It was a setting that was very comfortable for Malone. She would be able to learn even more from two important mentors in her life, Veatch, and Director of East Campus and Outdoor Programs Ben Taylor ’99, G’16.

“As a graduate student on campus, I was able to take a couple of Veatch’s classes, and I was able to learn so much about working with groups and learn from some of the best people,” explained Malone. “I was also able to help with facilitating groups on the ropes course during that time, and highlight as part of my independent study, the work we did with the Project Wild program. Most importantly, I was able to work even more in-depth with Ben and Veatch, and witness how they interact in leading students, and that allowed me to strive for that same model. Building the relationships with others, and respecting and supporting each other, those are such important qualities I learned from Ben and Veatch.”

Because of the growth Malone continued to display as a student, and as a counselor at Camp Massasoit, she would earn an opportunity to take on the advanced leadership opportunities that come with serving as head counselor for Camp Massasoit.

“The head counselor role was one of the most important opportunities that was presented to me because I was able to see how the entire camp runs, and learn from two of the best people in the business in Ben and Veatch,” explained Malone. “The skills I had learned as a camp counselor, and the skills I would continue to gain from the head counselor role, were very transferable to my full-time job as a teacher as well.”