Darrin Benjumea knows from personal experience the kind of impact summer camp can have on a child.
Benjumea, from Long Valley, N.J., is a camp counselor who wants to help Camp Southern Ground, a camp in Georgia that aims to help children overcome academic and emotional challenges.
“I feel that summer camps offer a great experience for children, helping alleviate several anxieties that kids might have,” he said. “I personally believe in supporting programs for the youth — particularly typically marginalized youth, such as those from diverse abilities and backgrounds — because I feel that having a space where they can freely express themselves without the scrutiny or pressures of their own societies is integral in the youth development.”
Benjumea is a chemistry major on the biochemistry track and a French minor.
As co-director for Relay for Life at UNC, he oversees the program’s yearlong fundraiser that raises money for the American Cancer Society.
He also works with UNC Admissions Ambassadors and mentors a student through the Scholars’ Latino Initiative.
“Camp Southern Ground, in my opinion, properly supports these kids in the capacities that they need,” he said.
His proposed project is a fair in Chapel Hill in April that will benefit Camp Southern Ground. The fair will include performers and food vendors.
He plans to recognize and celebrate community members with neurobehavioral disorders throughout the event.
