Where is She Now: Jessica (Kurtz) Cicoria

“I loved how independent I could be… I loved learning new skills… There was always this sense of belonging and support and the feeling that I could be as silly as I wanted to be with no judgement.”

Came to Nyoda from: We lived about an hour away in New York (not city) in a town called Cornwall, on the Hudson River. It’s beautiful there!

Returning to Nyoda this summer from: Southwest Florida where I’m a graphic designer at a small retail store. I spend most of my time helping customers and branding and designing things for local small businesses.

Memory of first summer at camp: I remember I got homesick during flag the very first morning of camp. My junior’s counselor took me to homesick rock and although I don’t remember what she said exactly, whatever it was, by the time my three weeks were over I absolutely didn’t want to go home!

Returned because of: I loved how independent I could be with picking my daily activities (dance and arts and crafts were my favorites!). I loved learning new skills like archery and tennis, and evening activities were awesome (Halloween, lip sync, and counselor hunt were the best!). There was always this sense of belonging and support and the feeling that I could be as silly as I wanted to be with no judgement.

I returned for a total of 12 summers, including four on the counselor staff.

Favorite camp memory or things in life that bring out your Nyoda memories: The sound of the bugle and crumb cake.

Nyoda traditions that you keep alive daily: Nyoda really taught me to try to see the good in people, something I try to do everyday!

Work/Health-related goal: I plan to keep working on my career in design and marketing and to continue to be a mental health advocate.