Swim Specialists
Colleen J., Swim Division Specialist
Colleen was a longtime Elmwood camper and is back for her seventh year on staff. She graduated from SUNY New Paltz where she studied elementary education and Spanish and played on the women’s lacrosse team. In the fall, she will be teaching first grade at the Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT while continuing her education in a Master’s Program for literacy and special education. Colleen joined the Elmwood team following in the footsteps of many family members. Her sister Kate works at Elmwood year-round, and she has various other family members who work in different areas of camp. In her free time, Colleen enjoys knitting, hiking, and baking! She can’t wait to meet all of the campers this summer and can’t wait to teach them swim!
Danny P., Swim Division Specialist
Danny began his Elmwood career last summer, where he worked as an Athletics Specialist. He has decided to make the jump this summer and will be returning back to Elmwood, but as a Swim Division Specialist! Daniel has attended various camps as a child and has worked at several Brooklyn camps more recently. Daniel earned his Bachelor’s Degree from St. Francis and then went on to Brooklyn College where he earned his Master’s in adolescence education with a focus in social studies. During the year, Daniel works at a high school where he has also coaches different teams, including soccer, basketball and swimming. In his free time, Daniel enjoys seeing movies and spending time with his family. He is also an avid sports fan, both playing and watching. One fun fact about Daniel is that he still holds six high school swimming records!
Jane G., Swim Division Specialist
Jane currently attends Quinnipiac University during the year. She is finishing her junior year in the Elementary Education program with an interdisciplinary studies major. As a child, Jane attended Breezemont Day Camp and three summers at a sleep-away camp in Maine. Jane swam competitively as a child, starting at age 8. Jane loves to cook, swim, run, draw, read, and play with her dogs. Jane is excited for her first summer at Elmwood and cannot wait to relay her passion for swimming to her campers!
Jessica J., Swim Division Specialist
During the school year Jess is a teacher at Elmwood Day School. She just finished her first year at Hunter College, studying to get her Master’s in Education. Jess loves to swim, hike, read, do yoga and play with her dog. She used to go to Elmwood when she was younger, and loves the fact that she gets to return back each summer now as a staff member. Jess is excited to be back at Elmwood for another summer!
Rachel C., Swim Division Specialist
Rachel will be spending her eighth summer on staff at Elmwood. She is also an Elmwood alumni and very proud of it! Although Stepping Stones has always been Rachel’s home, she has decided to make the jump this summer to her new home at the pool! This summer, Rachel will be a Swim Division Specialist, and she can’t wait! Rachel graduated from Manhattan College and is now continuing her studies to get her Masters in Mental Health Counseling. She is a teacher at Elmwood Day School as well. Rachel’s favorite camp activities are cooking, gymnastics, and swim!
Seth L., Swim Division Specialist
Seth has been a camp person for as long as he can remember. This is his 22nd summer at Elmwood. He began in the Lower Village as a B1 and B2 counselor before working as the B3 Division Specialist for many summers. Seth now spends part of each camp day at the pool as the Upper Village Boys Swim Division Specialist and also serves as the League Commissioner for Upper Village Intensives. Seth works as a 1st grade teacher during the year at the Co-op School in Brooklyn. In his free time, he enjoys reading books, spending time in parks and searching for a good hamburger. He cannot wait for camp since it allows him time outside on the fields and in the pool.
Brianna M., Swim Specialist
During the year, Brianna is a fourth-grade teacher with the NYC DOE. She received her Master’s Degree in Childhood Education from Hunter College. Brianna is back for her tenth summer at the pool and eighth as a Swim Division Specialist. She has been a lifeguard for thirteen years and has been swimming her whole life! Brianna is looking forward to getting back in the pool and getting to swim all summer. She also can’t wait for carnival, deli day and pool dancing, her favorite Elmwood activity.
Chideraa E., Swim Specialist
Chideraa attends the University of Virginia and intends to major in Psychology. She plays the clarinet in the Marching Band at her school. Chideraa is looking forward to getting to know the campers and being part of the Elmwood Day Camp community. Three words to describe her would be kind, caring, and fun.
Chikamso E., Swim Specialist
Chikamso is a sixteen-year-old girl who attends Harrison High School. She is an upcoming senior and has plans to go to a prestigious university. Her biggest life goals is to be a dermatologist and possibly own her own clinic one day. Chikamso wants to enter the medical field because she gets a good feeling when she helps out people. This summer, Chikamso will be working at the pool as a swim specialist. She is so excited to be outside all day and to help teach all of the campers how to swim.
Eli G., Swim Specialist
Eli is a junior at Edgemont High School, who is involved in a wide variety of activities. He plays soccer and lacrosse for his varsity team, and also is a part of his school Model United Nations team. He has been active in a student to student tutoring program at school for two years now, and has a vacation home in Fire Island, New York. Eli used to go to a summer camp called Camp Cobbossee in Monmouth, Maine for six years. He is looking forward to meeting everyone at camp, and having fun by the pool this summer. Eli has been surfing and swimming all his life and is an expert ocean swimmer!
Genevieve P., Swim Specialist
Genevieve is very excited to start her first summer working at Elmwood Day Camp! During the year, Genevieve attends New Rochelle High School where she enjoys many of the activities that the school has to offer like tennis, lacrosse and art. She enjoys hanging out with her friends and traveling with her family while doing activities such as hiking or going to museums. Genevieve is looking forward to meeting all of the campers and can’t wait to have a great summer!
Nyila M., Swim Specialist
During the school year, Nyila attends Ethical Culture Fieldston School where she is a dance major and a rising senior. When she was younger, she attended Fieldston Outdoors. Her hobbies include dancing, playing sports as well as hanging out with friends. Nyila is really looking forward to making new friends and making connections with the campers. Three words that describe her are determined, patient, and funny. A fun fact about her is that she can still fit into some of her shoes from when she was in 6th grade.
Sadie C., Swim Specialist
Sadie is 17 and a rising senior at Irvington High school. She loves her family, and friends and thinks it’s so important to spend time with one another. She loves lacrosse, soccer, and swimming. She has a passion for animals, children and helping others. When she’s older, she wants to further her love and interest and become a vet or a pediatrician. This is Sadie’s first summer at Elmwood and she is so excited to meet all of her new campers!
Sam H., Swim Specialist
Sam is very excited for his first year lifeguarding at Elmwood. This will be his second summer working as a lifeguard. In the fall, he will be starting his senior year at Ardsley High School. He swims on the varsity swim team each winter, and also plays lacrosse for his school team in the spring. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports and hanging out with friends. Sam can’t wait to meet everyone and have a great summer!
Sammie G., Swim Specialist
Sammie just finished her freshman year at Colgate University in upsate New York. She spent three years as a camper at Elmwood and seven years at Camp Blue Ridge. She is super excited to return to Elmwood for her second year as a swim specialist this summer! She has been lifeguarding for four years. She loves playing sports, traveling to new places, and volunteering.
Sarah J., Swim Specialist
Sarah attends High Point University in North Carolina and currently is studying to become a Physical Therapist with a Doctorate degree. As a child during the summer, she attended day camp at the Ardsley Country Club and sleep away at Camp Runoia in Maine. Sarah traveled to Australia and Fiji when she was 16. During that trip, she taught English in Fijian schools, helped in a wildlife sanctuary and built infrastructure. Sarah is looking forward to helping campers make amazing memories and teaching campers how to be more confident in the water as she is one of the swim instructors. She believes camp is a place that helps campers grow and explore new activities that will shape them for the future.
Thomas G., Swim Specialist
Thomas Getman is one of Elmwood’s newest Swim Specialists. He is from New York City, but went to high school at a boarding school called Hotchkiss, which is in the northwest corner of CT. He will be attending Boston University in the fall, studying Psychology and Philosophy. Thomas grew up at Elmwood from when he was three until he was in the third grade and loved every minute of it. He is really passionate about personal wellness and exercise and loves doing community service. Thomas began learning to swim at Elmwood when he was in the threes. Since then, he has competed competitively at the Varsity level in High School in Water Polo and Swimming & Diving eventually becoming Captain of his team. He is also Red Cross certified in being a Lifeguard, First Aid, AED, and CPR. He is looking forward to helping instill in kids the same love for the water that his counselors instilled in him. A secret talent about Thomas is that he can solve a Rubik’s cube!
