Welcome to the Pingry Summer Blog 2021!

My name is Rayna Landa, I’m originally from Springfield, NJ, am a lifelong camp enthusiast and a proud member of the Pingry Summer team. A little more about me; This past May I graduated from the Pennsylvania State University where I studied the Public Policy of Education and Sociology. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the Pingry Summer team for almost a year now. When I am not helping to curate a Summer newsletter or a Pingry-X Instagram post, I am participating in a year-long Social Justice fellowship with an organization called Avodah, based in Washington D.C.

Through my fellowship, I work full-time as the Program Associate for BUILD Metro DC, an organization that envisions a world where all students—regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or neighborhood—have the opportunity to develop the skills needed for success in the 21st-century economy through the empowering experience of running a real business. Every day, I work with students and teachers to engage in the experiential learning process through teaching and exercising entrepreneurship. It was at camp that I truly learned the value of these types of experiences and why I chose to continue to aid these experiences with the incredible Pingry Summer team, creating an enhanced version of my summers at camp. I spent 12 summers fully immersed in my camp’s world, exploring, embracing, and engaging with the outdoors, my best friends, and new endeavors. Pingry Summer is my dose of camp all year round, it is a place that cultivates exploration and engagement, filled with what campers need most- fun and friends!

I can’t believe that summer is just around the corner! Here in DC, it is already Cherry Blossom season and the pink flowers and potent pollen are just beginning to fill the air. Not only am I itching from my pollen allergy but I am also itching for summer and to dive deep into the outdoors and incredible adventures that lay ahead. I am craving hands-on adventures after working remotely for over a year now. I wish that I could skip a few months and jump into the archery, ax throwing, magic creating, and fun outdoor expeditions that the Pingry team is cultivating. I can’t wait to share this blog with all of you and to speak about the thing I love most – CAMP!