PEAK/LVC Alumni: The Heartbeat of PEAK's Legacy
There are multiple approaches to measuring the success of youth serving organizations. Some examples include turning soft skills into hard data points, giving out satisfaction surveys to participants and their parents, or simply relying on testimonials. PEAK employs all of these methods, but one of the most powerful anecdotal examples of PEAK’s impact is how our alumni have continued to stay connected.
Currently, several alumni hold positions on the annual staff team. Lucero Serna, Assistant Director of Camp Programs, Mariah Johnson, Teen and Community Programs Manager, Laura Martinez, Youth Programs Coordinator, and Jiselle Rivera, our Camper Support Coordinator, were all long term participants at PEAK and it was their experience as young campers that motivated them to return. These alumni regularly share how Lake Valley Camp fostered their love for nature, and how the PEAK experience is also much more than that. “The way I envisioned it as a young person was very much like I was getting a power up of all this positivity and self-belief that would then sustain me over the school year,” said Jiselle.
Lake Valley Camp was, and still is, a safe haven for its participants. It not only gives young people something to look forward to every summer, it helps them learn the power they have as young leaders. Lucero described one of her most memorable experiences, when she received affirmations from her counselors after spending the summer as a Leader in Training. They were adamant that even though she wasn’t a “traditional” leader, they recognized all of the work she did and the influence she had on her peers. “That was something I had never seen in myself, or seen as a leadership trait, but here was this adult who was paying attention to me and my role in the group and helping me define leadership in a really different way,” explained Lucero.
Today, Lucero, Jiselle, Laura, and Mariah have taken their lessons in leadership and use their own personal strengths to give back to the PEAK community. “There's a responsibility... because you've been around for such a long time and this is a community that we care about so much... and it helped shape who we are. There is that responsibility I feel to make sure it's running well and making the impact for this new generation that it did for us. I take that very seriously, that responsibility,” said Jiselle.
Whether they are working directly with campers, managing Leaders in Training, or leading other staff in programs, all of our alumni staff are the essence of PEAK - authentic leaders who are dedicated to a cause greater than themselves and to their community as a whole. As Mariah described it, “The only way you can really grow is to talk about things... when that comes from the top, that really trickles down into the staff, and to the participants.” Today, our alumni are still on their individual leadership journeys and wish to keep modeling a growth mindset for our future leaders.
