An Alumni Story and Update from Kayla Fulkerson
I guess this is my life update/reminiscing on the impact of KSS on my life – haha!
I don’t think many people get to say they grew up just a minute down the street from the place that would shape so much of who they are. I feel incredibly lucky that I can.
I’m not exactly sure when (or why!) my mom signed me up for Intro to Disco at KSS (in 2008?). I don’t remember much (if anything) from that first summer, but it must have worked its magic. The next year, I came back for a week. And the next year. And the next. Again and again. Eventually, when I had the chance to stay for two weeks, I jumped at it. And once I was old enough? You better believe I was riding my little bike down the road every morning to be a CAP at day camp and then Disco. I even dabbled in Intro to Keystone Mountain Adventures, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Sorry, I’m forever a residential camp gal.
Summers felt unpredictable as a kid, but there was one place I always knew I’d end up: KSS.
It wasn’t just one thing that made it special. Of course, there was the science, the adventure, the fun (I was always especially partial to the science). But it was also the songs, skits, and games (big fan of Gold Rush, Predator Prey, Alpha Wolf, Camp Chaos, Capture the Mattress, and Space Invaders). It was the cold, early mornings heading out for challenge hikes and sharing the LOVE at the success point. It was the truly astonishing amount of Cinnamon Toast Crunch consumed. A real live pony magically appearing as we learned how to respect Property, Others, Nature, and Your(our)self. Friday night “sneak outs” to Rives for treats and a dance party. Seeing the Grape Ape for the first time. Harvest camp! It was the best friends I could have ever asked for, and the counselors from near and far who were the coolest people in the world. It was everything.
There was never a question in my mind that the very first summer I was old enough, I’d be on staff. 2019 was quite possibly the best summer of my life (at least up until that point). It was summer camp… all summer! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed, danced, hiked, or even cried as much as I did during those months. We talk so much at KSS about comfort zones. That summer, I lived in my GO zone. Sometimes I tiptoed (or got shoved!) into my P zone. But hey – it was worth it!
Then came the fateful summer of 2020. And somehow, even in the uncertainty, we made it work. We showed up. We spread camp magic, probably when it was needed most. That summer taught me resilience and creativity in ways I never expected.
2021 felt different again. It was a summer when I really connected with the leaders around me. I began to understand that leadership was about showing up for your peers, just as much as it is about showing up for your campers.
And then 2022, my final summer on staff. I stepped into a role that had strong, powerful, bad a** (sorry if I’m not allowed to say that, but I can’t think of no other descriptor) predecessors, who I still look up to to this day: Head of Bighorn. It felt big, it was so meaningful, and it stretched me in all the best ways. That was the summer I grew the most as a leader. Not only with campers, but in mentorship and trying to be the presence that others had once been for me.
Each summer built on the last. Camper to CAP. CAP to counselor. Counselor to the Head of Bighorn. All rooted in the same place that first welcomed me so many years ago.
Science eventually became my formal path. I fell in love with the natural world, especially asking questions about animals and trying to understand them better. In June 2025, I completed my Master’s degree in Biology, focusing on Animal Behavior and Welfare. I studied snakes, which feels very on brand for a kid who grew up going to “science camp”.
Adventure has remained a constant. If I can be outside, I will be. Now, I’m lucky enough to work in adventure and leadership full-time. I’m settled in Asheville, North Carolina, working as the Staffing and Custom Programs Manager for Bold Earth Adventures.
Bold Earth felt like the natural next step after my final summer at KSS in 2022. I spent three summers (2023-2025) with them as a trip leader, taking middle and high schoolers to Croatia and Montenegro, the Grand Canyon, Colorado, and California. This winter, I transitioned to this full-time office role, but I still get into the field whenever I can 🙂
There are so many qualities Bold Earth and KSS share. Deep care for students/campers, tight-knit communities, the belief that challenge builds confidence, the list could go on and on. But most importantly, FUN! It feels right that I landed here.
Even more special? There’s another KSS alum on our summer leader team! And that story means a lot to me.
In 2019, my first year as a counselor, I only had one CAP I directly mentored: Kayla Hanson. We bonded quickly (maybe because we’re name twins), but more than that, it was a mentorship that just clicked. I kept returning to KSS, and so did she. In summer 2022, my last summer on staff and her first as a counselor, I got to watch her absolutely thrive. Seeing her grow from a CAP into a confident, capable leader at camp was one of the most special full-circle moments. That mentorship has since grown into a beautiful friendship. So, when Kayla was looking for her next step for summer 2025, I knew she’d be an incredible fit for Bold Earth. One thing led to another… she had an epic summer in the Alps, we got to be co-leaders for the first time this fall, and she’s now heading into her second summer as a trip leader with us. Full circle, once again!
As for the fun, that’s a given!
KSS has found a way to weave itself into every corner of my life. My career, my friendships, my sense of adventure, my love of science, and my joy for life.
I don’t think I could fully capture what this place means to this little kid from just down the street, but I hope this begins to.
Happy 50th, KSS.
I think about you whenever I see those stars in the sky ✨
Long live the #kampily (KSS Camp Family)
