Emma Vanden Heuvel, The Adventures of Rockies and Vanden Heuvel-winkle
There is a special place on 425 acres, 20 miles west-southwest of Erie, Pennsylvania on Lake Erie called Camp Fitch YMCA. Camp Fitch started as a small camp on the banks of the Little Beaver River in Ohio. According to their website, Camp Fitch now “serves over 18,000 people year around in their programs that include traditional summer camp, outdoor education, retreats and weekend getaways, adventure trips, farm and STEM programs”. It is a place to connect with nature and connect with people.
Camp Fitch YMCA has also been the starting point for several Penn State Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management students including Nick Decker (2012); Mark Gorman (2021); Claire Coyne (2022); Drake Duda (anticipated RPTM 2025) and, last but not least, Emma Vanden Heuvel who anticipates graduating in August 2025 after the completion of her summer internship.
It was her experience at Camp Fitch and her connections made through Penn State’s RPTM program that led Emma to her “dream internship” with the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado.
A State College Area High School graduate whose father was employed by Penn State, enrolling at Penn State was almost a given. “I grew up 15 minutes from campus. It’s all I’ve ever known,” said Emma. “I applied to other schools, but I always knew it would be Penn State. I went to football games growing up.”
Emma started as an elementary education major but after a year and a half she knew it wasn’t for her. “I looked in the University bulletin to look at majors. I was between Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and RPTM.” Emma’s hobbies include anything outdoors – hiking and fishing. “I like to be outside,” she said. She eventually landed in RPTM.
It was a roommate who suggested she investigate Camp Fitch for a role as a camp counselor. “I spent the first summer at Camp Fitch as a counselor for five weeks,” she said.
It was during her second summer at Camp Fitch that things started to change. “I was there for 2-3 weeks and took a trip to the beach. When I returned, Claire Coyne (2022) asked me if I wanted to be a part of the leadership development team,” she shared. “I was iffy. Leadership sometimes feels apart from the day-to-day interactions with campers. Instead, I had the best experiences every day with the leadership development team.”
Emma shared, “Life is filled with opportunities, but also choices.”
As Emma looked forward to her summers with Camp Fitch, she continued toward the progression of earning her degree in RPTM with a focus on Commercial Recreation.
It was that second summer at Camp Fitch that the seeds were planted for what would become her final semester and dream internship at the YMCA of the Rockies. “The first sign that this was where I needed to be came in that second summer when the Director at Camp Fitch ever asked me if I have heard of the YMCA of the Rockies.”
A third summer at Camp Fitch took another turn. “I ended up being the Galley Crew Chief. We all had to take turns working and managing the dining hall where we served campers. It seemed like I was taking on more shifts, so I stepped up to be the Crew Chief. I really learned what it was like to be a leader, supervising 16–17-year-olds. I also learned that I never want to do Food Service ever again,” she laughed.
In the pre-internship course (RPTM 394), Emma noted that the YMCA of the Rockies was on the list of agencies where previous students had completed their 12-credit internship (RPTM 495A). Another sign. “I applied and was in a panic because I hadn’t heard back from them, even though it was only a week,” she laughed. “I was literally typing up the follow up email when they got back to me to schedule the interview.” Emma saw this as yet another sign that she was on the right track.
After a series of meetings that, to Emma, felt more like conversations than interviews, she was offered the position of Special Events and Programming intern at the YMCA of the Rockies. In this role, she is the point of contact for entertainers. She plans and executes large-scale special events for staff and park guests. She serves as the family programs facilitator lead.
“The vibes in my interview met every one of my expectations,” said Emma. She is enjoying the move to Colorado and all the outside activities she is exposed to. “There are elk roaming around everywhere,” she said. It’s a pretty cool gig for a person who likes everything outdoors.
Emma’s advice for students looking at majors is, “Pick RPTM. Even if you don’t ever work in the field, what we learn is helpful in every life situation and in every job. The life lessons we learn, including working with people, will be valuable in any career that you take.”