Sara “Rosie” Tesson
Director of Events and Catering | Refined Hospitality Concepts
Camper/Summer Staff Member/Leadership – 2001 – 2015
When were you a staff member at camp and what positions did you hold while you were there?
Bunk Counselor
Theatre Specialist
Cornerstone Counselor
Special Events Coordinator & Logistics and Purchasing
Maccabiah Queen
What skills learned at camp are the most important to your career? And how do you use them today?
The ability to multitask with attention to detail was the most important part of being successful at camp life and in return successful in my career choice. This came into play most heavily during my time in special events and logistics. There were often many different things happening at the same time, while all needing equal amounts of attention. Learning how to balance everything while still being successful in respect to each proved to be pivotal.
Is there an aspect of being a summer staff member that you didn’t truly appreciate until you started working in your career? If so, what is it and why?
I think the fact that being a summer staff member was a 24-hour job was the most trying part, but this also helped to build my stamina for the “real world”. Learning how to properly allocate “down time” and pay special attention to self-care while still being successful has proved to be a invaluable quality.
What advice would you give to a college student that is putting camp on their resume for the first time?
If you have never worked at camp, you don’t often fully understand what it means to be a camp counselor (or one of the many other jobs behind those gates). Make sure to highlight some of the skills you achieved along with daily duties. Writing programs, leading said programs, problem solving, logistics, mediation, etc, these are all useful skills that translate into life beyond camp.
What is the most unexpected way that your camp experience prepared you for your career?
Surprisingly, or maybe less surprisingly, camp literally changed my career path over the years I was there. It wasn’t until I start doing special events and logistics for GFC that I truly realized where my passion and strengths lie within the events industry. It lead me to pursue a career path far different from the college degree I obtained, and I couldn’t be happier with where it has led my life.
Would you recommend taking on a specialist role at camp? If so, what is it and why?
I HIGHLY suggest trying a specialist role at camp. Regardless of what your passions are outside of camp, there is some specialty role within camp that can help you to further purse your interests. Even if it ends up doing the opposite and making you realize you don’t actually like something as much as you thought, it is still worth your time. Camp is an amazing safe space to learn and grow, and you never know until you try!
If you were able to go back and give your past-self advice (as a summer staff member), what would your advice be?
Sleep more, but then again, no, don’t change a thing. I would not be who am I today, without all the choices I made over 14 summers at GFC. The mistakes I made just made me stronger, the accomplishments only made me more driven. I can honestly and truly say that without Greene Family Camp and all the amazing people I met through my time there, I would be a very different person than I am today. So honestly, no, don’t change one thing.