Alumnus Spotlight: How Camp Scugog Magic Sparked Pina’s Journey to Engineering

At Camp Scugog we say that “Magic Happens Here.” For Pina, that magic has been real, shaping her from a quiet little girl who rarely asked for much into a rising engineer and a role model for children who need hope most.

Pina grew up in a home filled with love but weighed down by financial hardship. She remembers not asking for much, because she didn’t want her parents to feel the sting of saying no. As a child her escape was turning her energy toward school. Math became her anchor. Equations, patterns, and logic gave her a sense of possibility.

When her father, a civil engineer, told her she could do it too, she believed him. That belief became the spark that carried her into engineering, even when she stepped into classrooms where women were few and far between.

Camp Scugog entered her story early. She first came through our gates at seven years old, wide-eyed and eager for a summer that felt like a real holiday. Her family would have struggled to afford the full cost of camp, but generous donors and partners made sure she could attend. At camp she learned to swim, to paddle, to sew, and to lead. She made sock monkeys that became treasured toys, bracelets she wore proudly, and friendships that lasted far beyond the lake. Camp gave her a place where she could breathe, play, and imagine more for herself.

As she grew older, Pina returned as a leader-in-training, then as a counsellor, then as a staff member. Today she continues to give back, often taking time from her own busy life to volunteer. And when she returns, she brings something powerful: her passion for engineering.

With small budgets and borrowed supplies, she has created workshops and activities that make engineering come alive for campers. She has guided them through building timber towers, hydraulic arms, and even bows and arrows crafted from popsicle sticks and elastic. These projects do more than fill an afternoon. They show children that invention belongs to them. They give campers, many of whom come from poverty or foster care, the chance to carry home something they made with their own hands.

One biracial girl left camp determined to pursue mechanical engineering after Pina’s workshop. A boy in foster care proudly walked away with a bow-and-arrow of his own, grinning as if he had won the world.

Beyond camp, Pina has already contributed to research on equity, diversity, and inclusion in engineering.She has examined how Canadian universities recruit women into the field and how systemic barriers keep many children from ever seeing themselves in STEM. She has also stepped up to lead graduate student groups at her university, creating community where it did not exist.

But it is here, at Camp Scugog, where her story loops back. The little girl who once arrived on subsidy now returns to spark the next wave of dreamers. Her life is proof of what camp can do. It can turn struggle into strength. It can turn uncertainty into purpose. It can turn a child into an engineer who believes the sky is the limit, and then teaches others to believe it too.

This is why we say magic happens here. It is not just about songs around the fire or a splash in the lake. It is about transforming lives, one child at a time.

Your support makes stories like Pina’s possible. With your help, children who arrive carrying burdens they should never have to bear can instead leave with joy, skills, and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Camp changed Pina’s life. Together, we can make sure the magic continues for the next child who needs it most.

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