Alumni Profile: Camille Ridge Naldini

When a partnership between The United Way and the Portland, Maine, school district gifted students with scholarships to attend the summer camp of their choice, Camille Ridge knew exactly where she wanted to go: Agassiz Village.

“They offered $600-$1,000 to cover any camp’s tuition,” says Camille. “I had always wanted to try an overnight camp, and Agassiz was the first camp on the list for co-ed. I was intrigued by all the activities it had to offer, and so I made my choice!”

That choice, made when she was just nine years old, has resulted in a lifetime association with Agassiz that has shaped her life in several ways.

Camille’s initial summer at camp was in 2007. She vividly recalls that first drive down Agassiz Village Lane and having her expectations shattered.

“I was amazed with the beauty of Agassiz,” she says. “We pulled into camp on a beautiful sunny day, and I remember being on the edge of my seat waiting to make it down the long, winding road to see what camp looked like. I had waited months to see it, and when I finally did it was much more beautiful than I could have ever expected. I remember looking up at the dining hall and being blown away by how huge it was. I don’t think I had ever seen a building like that prior to coming to camp.”

She settled into Pioneer Village, which became her summer home for the next five years before she moved on to Ranger Village as an INSTEP participant, and then as a Junior Counselor (2014-2015), 

Cabin Counselor (2016-2017), Assistant Village Leader (2018), and Village Leader (2019). What she remembers most from those years is the laughter created from so many varied experiences.

“There were never bad days at camp,” she says. “There might have been difficult moments over the years but at the end of the day we always came together as a team, and we were able to see the joy and laughter in everything we did.”

One of her favorite memories is the Outer Space Night that took place in 2021. Agassiz had been shuttered in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, so there was great excitement in being back on campus for the 2021 summer sessions.

“The campers were running around to all their different rotations, and it felt like the first time we had normalcy since COVID,” Camille says. “Even if we had face masks on and had COVID regulations, it was just so heart-warming to see the campers being kids and enjoying their time at camp.”

And it is that time spent at Agassiz that lingers on even after camp has closed each season. Like other children who attend Agassiz, Camille has a special feeling when she reminisces about her days there.  

“Every time I think of camp, I think of this smell you always experience first thing in the morning,” she says. “The sun is coming through the window, and you are waking up and you know you are home and safe. All the stress you have in your outside life isn’t important anymore. You are completely immersed in your Agassiz community, and it is quite peaceful.”

What stands out to Camille as well is the programming Agassiz offered to help her develop life and leadership skills, especially the ability to connect and effectively communicate with others—something especially critical for someone who was so shy.

“Agassiz made me much more self-aware and socially aware,” she says. “I learned so many different lessons during my time at camp, such as thinking about my decisions carefully and recognizing when to take the initiative and lead when needed. I also learned to listen to others and how to be empathetic and supportive of them, too.”

The skills further developed as Camille took on greater responsibilities at camp in the following years. In 2021 she became Interim Camp Director, and then Program Director, and finally, Youth Experience and Development Director, the role she has had for the last two years.

“I don’t think I could capture everything that Agassiz has done for my life because it is so much,” she says. “I am truly grateful.”

Part of that gratitude is directly related to the most significant event to happen while at Agassiz. In 2021, Camille met Yari Naldini, an Agassiz counselor from Italy who was working as the Waterfront Director. A friendship formed and then blossomed into love. Today, Camille and Yari, who is now a police officer, are married and raising their daughter, Barbara. They will be welcoming a boy, Cosimo, in August.

With the pending arrival of her son, Camille is stepping aside from her duties at Agassiz to be a full-time mom. This is sad news for both the staff at Agassiz who treasure her and for the hundreds of children who love Camille and enjoy spending time with her at camp. However, it is not surprising that a shift in priorities has occurred and that she now is focused on motherhood. It is reflective of what she considers the most important lesson she learned at Agassiz Village, the one that guides all she does.

“To live life with a purpose,” she says. “Agassiz has always pushed me to be my best self and to give everything I do my all.”

We know Barbara and Cosimo will experience the best mom they could hope for.