We were thrilled when Vega alums Liz Trenk Prusinsky and Alexandra Smith both made trips to visit camp last summer with their young families.  We were elated when we learned that they were interested and able to return to Vega in 2018, Liz as a group leader and Alex as our resident certified pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care (CPNP-PC)!   We can hardly wait for everyone to get to know these wonderful ladies this summer (and their adorable baby girls!), and asked them to share how their paths led them back to their summer home.  – Kyle and Emily

Part 1 – Liz

Alexandra Smith (left) and Liz Trenk Prusinsky (right) during their camper years.

I am so excited to be returning to my summer home for my 12th summer!

I spent 8 summers as a camper (’95-’02) and then 3 summers on staff, 2 as a swim counselor (’06 &’07) and 1 summer as inter group leader (’08). These were truly the best times of my life and I can not believe it has been 10 summers since I have been on Echo Lake.

Since my last summer in Maine, I have graduated from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and earned my Masters of Science in Teaching, with a focus on special education, from Pace University in New York, while completing The New York City Teaching Fellows. In addition, I went on to earn my graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Hunter College.

I have been working in public schools, private schools, and developing and running home programs for children on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities. My areas of expertise include behavior management, creative academic approaches, staff training and management, and program development and implementation.

Last summer, while figuring out the next move in my career, my husband and I took our first family trip to Maine with our then 4 month old daughter. Of course, I had to show them my favorite place on earth, Camp Vega. While driving down the “dirt road”, my husband looked at me and said, “I have never seen you this happy.” It immediately clicked, I needed to be back at camp.

So, here I am, 23 years after my first steps on Camp Vega, counting down to summer 2018, where I will once again be able to make memories of a life time. I truly believe in the gift of camp and can not wait to help campers, counselors, and parents experience the magic of Camp Vega for Girls.

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