When senior history major J.D. Whitt attended his first Cub Scouts meeting at the Hickory Tavern Lions Club, he had no idea where his newfound passion would lead. He started his scouting career at age 6 - the earliest possible age - and quickly rose through the ranks of Cub Scouting, earning his Arrow of Light at age 11.
"That was the summer I attended Camp Old Indian for the first time," Whitt said, a place that he has had the privilege of calling his "home-away-from-home" for more than 12 years.
Reaping the rewards of the teamwork skills he developed over a decade of scouting, Whitt had the honor of spending this past summer as the Program Director at Camp Old Indian - a nationally accredited Boy Scouts of America camp just outside of Tigerville, under the jurisdiction of the Blue Ridge Council. "I made sure that my staff were ready to run their classes and programs each day, and I worked with scoutmasters, volunteers, professional scouters and my camp director to plan for the summer, each week and each day."
After transitioning from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, Whitt continued to showcase his leadership abilities in several different positions within his local troop, including senior patrol leader. In 2010, he joined the staff at Camp Old Indian and was inducted into the Order of the Arrow. Within a year, he was recognized as the Saluda River District's Scout of the Year and began a two-year term as chief of his Order of the Arrow chapter. Whitt completed his Eagle Scout project in 2014, building a run/walk track around the Hickory Tavern school and reached the rank of Eagle Scout that same year. "Since then, most of my involvement has been on the district and council levels," Whitt said.
As a future educator, Whitt had the opportunity to teach several different courses at camp. He has served as an archery instructor, a civil development instructor, and was recently certified as a rifle and shotgun instructor. "Camp is what inspired me to become a teacher," he said. "This is the place where I fell in love with teaching and working with youth." He also noted that working at a summer camp has given him experience in lesson planning and teaching outside of the traditional classroom, working with kids from ages 6 to 21.
In addition to Whitt, several other Lander alumni have called Camp Old Indian their summer home. Patrick Buchanan '16, who serves as music director at the Lowcountry Montessori School during the academic year, spent his summer break working alongside Whitt; and Michael Kirby '05 served as the camp's Pathfinder Director. "Michael has really been a mentor to me," Whitt commented.
Whitt just completed his ninth summer at Camp Old Indian and has already committed to coming back next summer, with his goal being to serve a full decade. When teaching, he plans to devote his summers to helping with camps, as well as volunteering for other events within his local district throughout the school year. "My years at camp have been invaluable to my goal of becoming a successful teacher."
This story is featured in the Fall 2018 edition of Lander Magazine. Read more at www.lander.edu/magazine.