We’ll have another familiar face at camp this summer: Winston Toutain. For those of you who weren’t around in 2013, 2014, or 2015, meet Winston. He’s a camp expert after spending 3 summers with us, and has many stories to share from his time as a camper. After living all over the world, he’s found his way back to North Carolina where he’s using his dyslexic thinking to study Computer Science at NC State. Find some pictures from when Winston was a camper down below.
Tell us a little bit about where you live and where you grew up. Where would you take an out-of-town visitor?
I’d say I’m from West Hartford Connecticut but, I have moved quite a lot throughout my childhood. I was originally born in Hamburg, Germany though I didn’t live there very long, and then moved to Chicago, Illinois. From there we moved to West Hartford, then to Randolph, New Jersey, then back to West Hartford, then to Lausanne, Switzerland, then back to West Hartford. It is the location I have spent the largest amount of my childhood and something about the town always pulled us back. West Hartford is a medium-sized town with a total population of around sixty-four thousand residents. Some of the things the town is known for is how it was the home of Noah Webster, a man who helped to pioneer the American education system and wrote books to teach children how to spell and read. West Hartford is also the home of the American School for the Deaf which is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in all of America but also the first school for children with disabilities anywhere in the western hemisphere. Some of my favorite locations in West Hartford that I frequent would be Blue Back Square along with the rest of the town center, the West-farms Mall area, and Bishops Corner.
What do you do during the school year?
During the school year I am a student at NC State. I am just finishing up my sophomore year and am majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Film Studies.
You came to Camp Spring Creek for three summers! What’s your best camp memory?
Some of my best camp memories would be how in my third year the older campers were able to go on a camping trip for a few days. We had to hike up a mountain and even fetch our own water. At the time I wasn’t very fit, and the hike really challenged me, but I can remember how good it felt once it was all done. I also remember I believe it was my second year the theme was some sort of survival show and we had an event one night where you had to eat a bunch of gross food quickly, and man was it gross!
How do you think you'll be the same (or different) from your counselors when you were a camper?
After being there for three years I was able to notice how some of the more iconic trips and events are repeated each session and having already experienced them I’ll be in better shoes than the new counselors. Granted some of the counselors I had returned for more than one summer, so I’d say I’m in a similar boat as them already having experience with the different trips. I also know what it was like to be a camper and how things at the camp operate giving me a lot of know-how even before the camp starts.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I enjoy playing sports of any kind with friends though tennis is my go-to, going to the gym, and sailing our boat or working on repairs for it. I also like to play video games, binge Netflix, screen write, and recently read Manga.
Dog or cat person?
That’s a hard question so I’m just going to say both as I got both a dog and a cat.
What’s one thing campers would be surprised to learn about you?
How I used to be a camper, how I’m a certified scuba diver and sailor, and how I’m fluent in French.
What’s something you’d like to teach the campers?
I’m definitely open to really anything, but if I had to only pick one it would be woodworking or outdoor sports.
What can campers do to make you smile?
Just be themselves and feel comfortable and ready to turn what they have always seen as a disability into a strength they can be proud of.
What advice would you give campers for being successful at camp?
Try our best to take what the tutors are teaching you to heart and to have fun!
