Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

Conner McMillan—Learning Is Teamwork

When it came time for Conner McMillan, a senior in the College of Social Work, to complete the field placement required by her major, she gravitated toward an opportunity that was a perfect fit for her love of kids, the outdoors, and being active. Her placement took her to Fall Creek Falls State Park, where she worked with a team to develop and carry out a summer camp curriculum that teaches leadership skills.

“I learned that everyone learns differently and everyone is great at different things,” Conner says of the experience. “I hope I grew a bit and learned how to reach all those differences.”

Conner’s role on the team was managing the outside games that focused on teamwork and problem solving. Her goal was to make the curriculum both fun and creative for the children attending the Blue Ridge Institute’s Youth Leadership Academy.

“We had these kids all week long so I wanted everything we did to not just be a learning experience but to be something they remembered,” she says.

Summer camp may be over, but she’s not done yet. Conner is taking what her team learned this summer and applying it to her new placement at Dogwood Elementary, where she’s working with the school’s community resource coordinator to implement new community school programs.