Photo by Kaydence Wilkinson

Waterloo swim instructor, Emler swim instructor, and Camp Hope leader are just some of the jobs available for students over the summer. Junior Clara Rabago will be working as a small group leader at Camp Hope for two weeks over the summer where she will be taking care of the children there and participating in activities such as church services, games, art, and science. “I’m excited to have my own kids this year,” Rabago said. “I like seeing how a kid will come in and be super shy, but then they come out all being friends. They’re so happy and energetic and it’s just cool to see how much these kids grow within a week.”

A blaring wake-up alarm rings out in the early morning, and she startles from her sleep. Rising groggily from her bed, she questions if the camp is worth waking up early for, but when she is greeted by clusters of little smiling faces, she knows that it absolutely is. Junior Clara Rabago will be working as a small group leader at Camp Hope for two weeks over the summer where she will spend time with children as they participate in activities such as church services, games, art, and science.

“I’m excited to have my own kids this year,” Rabago said. “I like seeing how a kid will come in and be super shy, but then they come out all being friends. They’re so happy and energetic and it’s just cool to see how much these kids grow within a week.”

Although the hours are long, going from about seven in the morning to four in the afternoon Mon through Fri, Rabago said she enjoys spending time with the staff members and the kids.

“I think it is a lot of fun,” Rabago said. “All of the people on the staff have been friends for a long time, so it’s just like working with your friends, and it’s really fun interacting with all the children and seeing how they grow.”

In addition to working as a small group leader, Rabago will work as a piano teacher, teaching little kids the fundamentals of playing the piano.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating to work [with the students]” Rabago said. “I’ve been [playing piano] for so long that it’s natural, but they’re just sweet little kids so they don’t understand all of it and they don’t know any better.”

Junior Noah Martinez works at Waterloo Swimming, and he will continue into the summer where he will teach kids of various ages how to swim.

“It’s really fun,” Martinez said. “[I’ve enjoyed learning to] talk in ways that kids understand. [For example], to an adult or a teenager you can say, ‘Hey, point your toes,’ but to a kid, you have to be like ‘Hey make your legs super straight.’ You have to make [your words] different.”  

Over the summer, senior Reagan Singleton will be working as a nanny for a family with six children.

“I like playing outside with [the kids] and going on walks and bikes [with them],” Singleton said. “I think my favorite thing is when you use nice words to them, they use them right back to you and it’s very kind.”

Because she has been a nanny for these children for about a year now, Singleton has had time to get to know them on a deeper level, and she will continue to develop her relationships with them as the summer progresses.

“[Being a nanny is] good practice for being a mom, and it’s really fun to make a connection with a kid that you see every day,” Singleton said. “Baby-sitting is different because you see them like once a month, but as a nanny, you see these kids every day, and you become part of their family.”

Singleton will also be a manager and swim instructor at Elmer Swim School. According to Singleton, the best part about being a swim instructor and a nanny is the people she works with.

“I like the kids,” Singleton said. “I like seeing the growth in a kid, and their confidence even in just a 30-minute lesson. When you just tell a kid they can do it and you watch them believe in themselves, it’s kind of magical.”