Kindergarten Countdown Camp: Karla Medina

Up next for our Kindergarten Countdown Camp (KCC) summer blog series that kicked off in Waukegan on June 19th, we have Karla Medina, our Community Impact intern who has been spending her summer working in a bilingual classroom at camp.

What is your role at Camp?

My role at Camp entails working directly with the bilingual class and guiding the students throughout the day in our different activities. If a student is having trouble with a certain activity I will give them my attention and assess what the student most needs while working with them one on one to improve their skills.

So far, what has been the most memorable part about your involvement in the Kindergarten Countdown Camp?

So far, the most memorable part has been when we use fun and catchy songs to learn to count. The kids wiggle, wave their hands, and dance along while practicing their numbers and there’s always giggles!

Have there been any students or teachers, in particular, that have impacted you and how?

All the students have been amazing and have a huge place in my heart! It’s especially rewarding when they give you an unexpected hug and look up at you with a bright smile or tell you something more about themselves or their family. One of my favorite things as well is when I might be passing by and they call out to me wanting to show me their work. When that happens, I can tell that they are proud of what they’ve accomplished and I love that they’d want to share that with me. I’m honored to see their progress and join them in their journey in preparation for kindergarten.

Do you think Kindergarten Countdown Camp is making an impact on the children that attend?

I can tell that Kindergarten Countdown Camp has a significant impact on the children that attend. During the first week of classes I took part in performing initial assessments to measure what the children came in already knowing. Having taken part of that, and working personally with the children, I have noticed huge improvement and growth of their skills.

What does education mean to you?

To me, education is an essential right to be guided in developing skills, abilities, and knowledge to be successful and prepared for life.