Exclusive Catalyst Updates
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Alumni Update
Ellie Gilchrist
Oh boy!! Picking one favorite memory from my time at KSS is no easy feat!! I spent time at KSS from 2013 to 2022 and wore a multitude of hats – camper, CAP, crossover counselor, SRV dedicated counselor, COVID day camp counselor, Bighorn Head Counselor, and eventually Discovery Camp Manager. I even dabbled with office life doing an internship for my undergraduate degree and helping out the CX team.
Most of my favorite memories at KSS center around the people I met there. Well, and the shenanigans we got in to. Whether it be being told as a CAP, “no you cannot pool all your money to buy an entire turkey” at City Market on CAP night, waking up to “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias playing through the Bighorn vent system, or all agreeing to take our groups for free slushies at 7/11 on 7/11 and literally filling the place shoulder to shoulder of KSS campers with free slushies (just to name a few), I am eternally grateful for the many years of laughter I shared with people who became my family.
KSS taught me to take myself less seriously. It was all about people laughing with you, not at you. It instilled in me a love of the outdoors and adventure. KSS pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me to learn from my mistakes – both of which are lessons I’ve carried with me and have helped shape my career.
Following my time at KSS, I went to law school. I finished that up in May 2025 and passed the Bar Exam the following summer (MASSIVE sigh of relief). Now, I am a family law attorney in Anchorage, Alaska. And to be honest, so far, being an attorney isn’t all that different from being a counselor on stage at the opening campfire – I’d say the line “fake it till you make it” is playing in my head almost every day….just like it was before every skit or song I did in front of kids.
Oh yeah! I also got a puppy. Her name is Cala (yes, like the Cala Pub).
Any who, I am forever grateful for how KSS shaped my life. If any of you fellow KSS-ers find yourself in Alaska, give me a shout!