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Student Spotlight-Kristen Linek

UTK CFS Community Outreach Practicum

Kristen Linek
Meet Kristen at West Side YMCA Summer Camp

“I decided to choose the YMCA Summer Camp because I love working with children. My goal is to open my own child care facility, so what better way to gain experience in running a program than working with directors of a summer camp. Added bonus, there are field trips, swim and ice cream days every week! What better way is there to spend a summer if you have to work?

My biggest accomplishment at camp has been being able to connect with the kids on an individual level. They are always coming to share stories with me about what is going on at home, like what they did over the weekend.

I think the most exciting activity so far has been our field trip to the fountains down town. While we do trips ever week, this was one that we were really given time to play with the kids, instead of just making sure they get from point A to point B and supervising. The kids love when we really have time to play, so having a few hours to run through water and act like kids with them was great.

While there are some more stressful, difficult times, seeing how excited the kids get about coming to camp makes the difficult days worth it. The directors have years of experience with working with children and know all the DCS/STARS rules and regulations. Out of the 3 Y camps, West Side is the largest and is known as “The Beast.” If you think you want to work with kids, this is a great place to find out!”

If you have any questions for her, please pm on this page or email me at julisams@utk.edu.