As a child, Suzy Bernstein spent her summers at Camp Modin in Belgrade, Maine. This summer, the rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania is using her experience as a former camper and the many skills that she’s learned at Penn to further strengthen her leadership abilities. 

Bernstein, from Merion, Pa., was a counselor there in 2013 and 2014, and this year, she was promoted to Girls’ Head Counselor, working with Modin’s team of administrators, directors and logistics and operations managers. 

Her leadership philosophy is based on treating everyone equally and with respect. She manages 60 female staff members and serves as the first point of contact for any issues that come up with their campers. 

She also personally checks in on the campers living in each cabin to better understand their dynamics and address any issues that may arise; acts as a bridge between staff, administrators, campers and parents; and manages lots of conflict resolution. 

“Day in and day out, I work hard to remain approachable and caring to campers and staff alike,” Bernstein says. “I do a lot of problem solving, from the smallest of matters, such as ‘I left my sleeping bag at home and I’m going on a camping trip tomorrow: what do I do?’ to evaluating and making judgment calls on serious issues.” 

Her time at Penn, both inside and outside of the classroom, has prepared her for a leadership position at the camp in several ways, Bernstein says. 

As an English major, she says, she has learned the value of examining events from many different perspectives, because respectfully investigating and analyzing multiple perspectives is crucial to conflict resolution. Bernstein adds the language classes that she’s taken at Penn have helped her to communicate better with French-speaking campers and their parents. 

An active member of Penn’s Parliamentary Debate Team since her freshman year, she has had substantial experience in applying logic and reasoning skills in difficult situations, communicating effectively and mastering the art of public speaking. 

“Being involved in Hillel, part of the club basketball team and a member of Sigma Delta Tau has further instilled in me the importance of community, something that helps to motivate me at camp -- even on a stressful day,” Bernstein says. “Looking holistically at my Penn experience so far, it is the multitude of responsibilities I’ve assumed, expectations I’ve worked hard to meet and the energy I’ve invested in relationships that has most prepared me for this job.”

Because she operates in a unique space between campers, staff and parents, her position at Camp Modin has allowed her to take on a wide spectrum of various responsibilities – from management roles to operations to customer relations and communications. Even though she’s the newest member of the administrative team, Bernstein says that she has learned a lot this summer. 

“The most important thing is not to be embarrassed about things that I don’t know,” she says. “Without any formal training, I needed to be confident in asking about policies, patterns or general nuances with which I was unfamiliar.”   

This particular leadership position at the camp has satisfied what she wanted out of the summer of 2015, she says. 

“The skills I am acquiring are going to be helpful in any other professional venture I might pursue in the future. I’m learning how to work on a team, communicate effectively, multi-task and manage time,” she says. “Personally, I am so lucky to spend the summer up in beautiful Maine, meeting really interesting people and spending time fostering incredibly fulfilling relationships with campers.” 

This fall she will study broad, at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.