Alumnae Spotlight May 2013 Rachel Steury Brown-Purple

How did you find out about camp?
Toni Baughman was married to Earl, Earl worked with my dad, my dad wanted to send me to camp for the summer so what else was he to do?

Describe your first summer? Camper years 1983-86
I started in Dove and I think I was there 2 years, then Bluebird then Swallow. Once I was a returning camper, I kept hearing about this girl, Jen “Sally” Mehler. She was my doppelganger- always came for the first session, I came for the second, she was the Brown Team captain, I took over after she went home, she slept on that bunk, I slept on that bunk! I kind of felt inferior every time I got to camp- Oh, Jen slept there. Oh, Sally was the team captain, oh oh oh! Once she and I met in person, our CIT summer, we became fast friends and she’s still one of my closest peeps in DC! I wouldn’t be who I am without Camp. I love Carysbrook with all of my heart and am so grateful for her presence in my life.

Counselor days: 1989-90
As a counselor, my cabin was Bluebird twice. I was the gymnastics counselor because there was no one else to do it and I could do a somersault!

Education/Professional Life
I got my undergrad at University of Wisconsin. After spending 20 years in Milwaukee, I returned to the East Coast via a short trip to Connecticut for grad school at Yale. Now I work as a Nurse Practitioner at the Heart Institute at Children’s National Medical Center. I still see Sally Mehler Rardin as much as possible and know her daughters will be Carysbrook girls, in fact her oldest’s first gift from “Auntie Rachel” was a BROWN blanket. Camp taught me that a silly song goes a long way, grilled cheese and tomato soup make the sun shine on the rainiest of days and that no matter where we came from or what our family was like, if we were sitting in a hammock, waiting for lunch; walking quietly through the dark to campfire; sweeping out the cabin for morning inspection or just hanging out at fire patrol, we all shared camp. Thanks CC!