06/02/2026
At Camp Treetops, each generation helps shape the next, and many former campers return as counselors, sharing the skills, traditions, and lessons they once learned themselves.
Meet Ivry, who spent six summers as a camper before returning to camp as a counselor. Below, he shares the lessons he learned, what he is still working on, and what he hopes to pass on to the next generation at Treetops.
"As a camper, there was always a feeling that the counselors were pushing me to do better. Whether improving swim strokes, learning to portage, or mastering new skills around the barn, each summer brought new challenges and opportunities for growth.”
What surprised him was that the learning didn't stop when he became a counselor.
"The challenges are different now. Instead of learning how to portage myself, I'm figuring out how to help a camper carry a canoe safely. Instead of learning how to climb the chimney, I'm balancing on a wood frame while helping put up tents."
For Ivry, one of the most rewarding parts of returning to camp is growing alongside campers while guiding them through challenges of their own. The lessons he learned as a camper—that meaningful growth comes from doing hard things and that there are no shortcuts to hard work—still shape him today as a mechanical engineering student at Olin College of Engineering.
This summer, he's excited to help campers discover what they're capable of—and maybe finally learn how to build a really good campfire.
Only a few weeks until camp begins!
Photos: Ivry as a camper, Ivry (center) with his 2025 tent group, Ivry with campers at the waterfront, Ivry (left) as a camper at the waterfront
