Laura Saavedra '21: Camp Leader

Like many of her Buccaneer peers, sophomore Laura Saavedra remembers a childhood that included a jam-packed summer schedule filled with countless camps and trips. As she grew older, it began to bother Laura when she thought about yet another summer of fun when so many in our Charlotte community have so little. With more time on her hands from a sidelining soccer injury to her hip, Laura found a silver lining in this experience.

Laura explains, “I realized I wanted a change from ‘What am I going to do for myself this summer?’ to ‘What can I give to others this summer?’” As a former student at Collinswood Language Academy, whose extended family lives in Colombia, Laura decided to put her stellar bilingual skills into action and create a one-week camp experience for underserved rising first graders.

I feel like being bilingual is a gift that allows me to interact on a different level with so many different kinds of people, and I want others in our community to have that experience too.”

“I approached Mr. (Michael) Rinehart and Ms. (Beverley Ann) Johnson with my proposal to offer a camp at Country Day called Aprende Jugando (Learn Through Play) where Hispanic children would be exposed to English and math in a fun and active environment. Summer learning loss is real, especially bilingual learning loss, so it’s really crucial to help kids get the structure that they need in the summertime because reinforcement does not always happen at home.”

Laura was delighted when the camp directors approved her proposal. Laura worked with Collinswood’s magnet program coordinator to create a camp application and to brainstorm potential campers. “Country Day was wonderful because they offered us a bus so that the Aprende Jugando campers could be transported from Collinswood to the Bissell campus. The Lower School also donated lots of books so that each of our nine campers could take home 10 books each.”

Laura formulated lesson plans that would help improve her campers’ English skills, and bought the snacks and the supplies that they would need. She also scoured YouTube to research activities to do with kids at camp. By the end of the week, parents and campers alike were presenting Laura with flowers, cards, and text messages conveying their deep appreciation for a job well done. “Aprende Jugando is the best camp I ever had,” one boy wrote to Laura in a lovely card.

“Laura provided an amazing opportunity,” notes Mr. Rinehart. “What impressed me the most was the independence and leadership she showed in creating and running the camp. It takes a special person to dedicate countless hours to developing and running a summer camp in the manner in which she did.” For Laura, the desire to lend a hand comes naturally. “Being Latina, I want to help this community because I have a voice,” Laura explains. “I feel like being bilingual is a gift that allows me to interact on a different level with so many different kinds of people, and I want others in our community to have that experience too.”