Teacher by Trade, Counselor by Passion!

Favorite book: ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini.
Favorite color: Blue, it has been since I was a kid.
Favorite song: Ships in the Night by Mat Kearney (It’s a big hit amongst a lot of the Counselors at Camp).
Nickname: Col.  Some of my campers would call me: Col Bol.

I’m Colin (on the left) and I’m from a town in southern Ireland called Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.  I grew up there with my younger sister, mom, dad and our dog Jessie (I love dogs!)

I thoroughly enjoy music – I was a member of a marching band and orchestra for a number of years throughout school.  I play the flute and piano, and I now teach music.  I also love to swim and travel.  I have travelled all over Europe and have been to the United States numerous times since I was a child – both with family, friends and while I was in a marching band.

I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Education and Music from St Patrick’s College of Education at Dublin City University.  I am a Primary School Teacher and  I teach all subjects to Primary Level children aging from 4 – 12 years of age. I recently taught 5th grade for a year which I absolutely loved!

I heard about Hampton Country Day Camp through a friend of mine who I went to college with in Dublin.  Having spent a summer in Santa Barbara working at a basketball camp, I felt that I would really enjoy working at a camp like HCDC.

I have since spent two fantastic summers at HCDC and I’ve loved every minute being there.  What I love most about camp are the friendships that you make – I have made some of the best friends at camp that I believe I will have forever.

The relationship which develops between you and your campers, is something that someone outside of camp just couldn’t imagine.  The energy levels at camp every day are literally through the roof!  One of my campers once told me that he wished I were his older brother.  This was a great moment for me and really showed me the connection and impact that I can make within a few weeks with my campers.

Hampton Country Day Camp has made me realize that I will always want to work with kids, be it at a summer camp or as a teacher.  Before HCDC, I was unsure whether I would stick to my chosen route of Education. But HCDC truly ignited the passion that made me realize that working with children was definitely for me!