Pikesville native Laurie Rosen has plenty of memories from summer camp. After all, she was a camper and counselor for eight years, from age 8 to 16. Now 30, the Pikesville High School and University of Delaware graduate who works as a financial loan consultant for her father’s company, HFS Financial in Reisterstown, attended Beth Tfiloh Camps, Gerstung, Camp Louise and Camp Seafarer. She also was a counselor at BT and Gerstung. Rosen lives in the Pikesville/Mount Washington area with her husband Mike, a dentist from Suffern, N.Y., who did not attend summer camp. The couple met on JDate and married in May 2014.
INSIDER:What did you like most about your summer camp experience?
Laurie: I enjoyed making friends and doing all the activities. At Camp Seafarer, which was right on the water in North Carolina, I did all sorts of water sports. It exposed me to lots of new things that I wouldn’t have tried if I hadn’t gone to camp. I remember packing the trunk every summer and sending it off. It was always exciting.
Any bad memories?
There’s always a little homesickness at the beginning.
Was it different being at Jewish summer camps like Beth Tfiloh and Camp Louise, as opposed to non-Jewish camps such as Camp Seafarer?
Camp Seafarer was a YMCA Camp, but non-denominational and not at all religious. In fact, there was a whole group of Jewish people from Pikesville who went there. It was interesting to have both experiences.
Do you keep in touch with camp friends?
Yes, I email and stay connected on Facebook. Last year, when we were traveling back from Florida to Baltimore I took my husband to Camp Seafarer to show him everything. He learned to tie figure-eight knots while wewere there.
If you have kids, do you expect to send them to summer camp?
Yes, I will definitely send my kids.
