Meet Maggie Mitchell By Amy Monsky

Maggie Mitchell is the Overnight Camps Director at Camp Copneconic, a 700-acre YMCA camp just south of Flint, MI. With a Bachelor's degree in teaching and a Master’s in public administration with a focus on educational leadership, Maggie is well-suited for her role in providing a memorable camp experience for as many as 500 to 600 kids each week. The Y’s core values of respect, responsibility, honesty, and caring reflect Maggie’s own, and the programming she oversees reflects her own belief in the importance of a supportive and engaging community.

Maggie’s introduction to summer camp was when she attended a camp designed to prepare her and the rest of the rising 6th graders for their new life in middle school. As an only child, Maggie loved spending time with other kids, and this week of camp was nothing short of amazing. Maggie later returned to the camp, which had relocated to Camp Copneconic, as a high school chaperone. It was during her senior year’s service that her future boss identified her caring and enthusiastic interactions with campers and invited her to apply to be a regular camp counselor.

Maggie’s first year as a counselor proved to be a transformative experience for her and the direction her life would take. It was at camp that Maggie would find her calling. It was camp that caused her to change her major from nursing to teaching on her very first day of college, and it was ultimately camp that led her away from teaching school to teaching (and more!) at camp years later. Over the next several years, Maggie served in many different roles at both Camp Copneconic and Cheley Colorado Camps, each preparing her for where she is now. Some people call their job “work,” but for Maggie, it’s home.