Staff member standing in front of waterslide.

Harrison Feist at SummerKids Camp, 2023.

Every summer, new hires join our big team of camp counselors in large part because Camp Fire Central Oregon’s summer camp jobs can be a blast! Yet drawn by a shared passion for youth development, many of our summer staff choose to work or intern each season not just for the fun factor—but because their journey with Camp Fire directly supports their long-term goals as future educators and mentors.

Serving Central Oregon for over a century, Camp Fire has been an incredible training ground for many people who’ve entered the education field, then carried those skills and lessons forward as they’ve grown their careers, whether teaching or serving youth in other meaningful ways.

Such has been the case with Harrison Feist, who, with plans to be a science teacher, is wrapping up his master’s in teaching this spring at the Oregon State University—Cascades. Camp Fire caught up with Harrison to hear about his unique journey with us and, in particular, how it has complemented his education and amplified his career goals.

Harrison Feist at Camp Fire Afterschool.

Harrison engages a group of Camp Fire Afterschool youth around a science project.

The Camp Fire Journey Begins
Harrison grew up in Bend and, upon graduating from high school, moved to Corvallis to attend Oregon State University. There, he first pursued a science degree until sparked by a desire to blend his passion for science with a degree in education. His junior year, Harrison transferred to the OSU-Cascades campus, focusing on that particular education tract in Bend, where he soon learned about job opportunities with Camp Fire. 

“Looking for work with youth that would help me build my skills as an educator, I began working with Camp Fire in the summer of 2022 in their SummerKids program,” he says. “I had the opportunity to work with groups of students of all ages and still remember the students I had in my very first group.”

It proved to be a busy summer for Harrison as he went through the initial SummerKids training, then spent nine weeks building up his youth development skills. Also that summer, Harrison (aka by his camp name “Pluto”) also had the chance to work with the SummerKids Youth Leaders, helping coach middle school students toward being future camp counselors.

Learning Through Leadership
Once summer came to an end, Harrison dove back into school, which kept him busy over the academic year. However, the following summer, Harrison returned to Camp Fire’s SummerKids program for another action-packed experience. This time, however, he took on more responsibility as a lead counselor. That included a change of pace, he says, moving from implementation of activities as a counselor to facilitating the big picture of how to manage time for the day and address behaviors and changes to schedule and plans. It was all helpful learning that translates to how he manages a classroom when student teaching.

“I also spent more time working with the older students, which better aligned to my goals as a future middle/high school teacher,” he says. “Each week, I took new incoming fifth and sixth graders on field trips, exploring new spots in central Oregon. I also had the opportunity to head the AM extended care team for the summer, welcoming students in each morning and starting their day off with different activities. I continued working at Camp Fire through the school year in their Camp Fire Afterschool program first as a counselor, then later a site lead and member of the curriculum team, where I wrote STEM curriculum for use in Camp Fire programs.”

Harrison Feist standing in front of OSU-Cascades sign.

Harrison will graduate from OSU-Cascades in June 2025 with a master's in teaching.

A Future in Education Unfolds
As the school year came to a close, Harrison, now pursuing a master’s in teaching, spent a third summer and a second school year working in Camp Fire programs. 

While he’s been focused on education at the secondary level, he’s brought forth valuable lessons from working with elementary-age kids at Camp Fire.

“It’s helped me see how quickly students grow and helped me focus on finding ways to engage students,” he says. “It’s always been about the relationships you build with students, and it’s been super rewarding to be part of that the past few years.”

Upon reflecting, Harrison also notes that through Camp Fire, he has had the benefit of a great team to work with and a supportive management staff that helped provide opportunities for development, growth, and support. In short, it’s been a community in which he’s been able to thrive.

In Harrison’s own words: “My time at Camp Fire helped me build skills and practices to best support my current students, and played a part in helping me prepare for a future in education. Over the years, it’s been rewarding to work with the amazing staff and campers in our programs, helping youth find their voice as well as connect to the outdoors and each other. Working with Camp Fire in their summer camps and afterschool programs has always been a rewarding job with excellent people with whom I’ve been able to share the journey every step of the way.”

As for Harrison’s next steps? Lucky for us, he plans on working at Camp Fire for one more summer while he searches for future teaching jobs, officially launching his education career. Hooray! (And, Harrison, best of luck from your Camp Fire family!)

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