Alumni Spotlight- February/March 2016

This month’s Alumni Spotlight features Julie Chaiken! Julie was at camp as a camper in the late ’90s and early 2000s and then a staff member on and off until 2011 (when she was 25!). Julie was originally from Syracuse and despite not coming to camp with anybody from her hometown, she immediately jumped into the Chippy lifestyle. She comes from a big Chippewa family and they are all awesome as well :). We loved having Julie at camp for so many summers and love all that she has to say below about her camp experience!

What years were you at CRC?
1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2011

Which summer was your favorite and why?
It’s SO hard! 2007 was the best because I skipped Trailriders as a camper and although I was a counselor in 2007 I got to experience Trailriders for the first time and it was magical. I have to say 2011 (another Trailriders summer) is a close second favorite. I guess there’s something special about Trailriders…

What is your favorite camp memory?
BBQ for dinner and sitting with friends (from all age groups) outside the mess hall with table chips and a hot dog (to share).

What was your favorite activity at camp?
Waterskiing was my favorite! I’m a Chippybat, hear me ROAR!

Were you a Tan or a White?
Go Tans! My mom (Debbie Straus, now Debbie Chaiken) was a Tan, my sister (Ally Chaiken) was a Tan, my Aunt (Jody Straus, now Jody Margolis) was a Tan, my cousins (Rachel and Melissa Margolis) were Tans. Our blood runs Tan.

How do you keep in touch with your camp friends?
Text, iMessage, Whatsapp, Facetime, Skype, Phone calls, Email and the best of the best, visits! From time to time, I’ve had the pleasure of living in the same city as my camp friends but the beauty of our friendships is that no matter where we are in the world, they are always there for me and when we do see each other in person we pick up right where we left off. Usually talking about camp or our next meal.

Where do you live now?
Stockholm, Sweden

What do you do?
I work in Human Resources at American Express.

What do you miss most about camp?
Getting to spend 9 weeks (including pre-camp obviously) with my best friends.

Is there anything else you want to share with your Chippy family?
Although I do not recommend it, sometimes you have to skip a summer of camp for some reason or another but you can always go back and camp will always be there for you. Sometimes, it’s even better than you remembered it.