The Background of the YMCA Camp Executive

By: Isaac Green

June 6th, 2016

Stepping into the blood red room feeling my heart race knowing I was going to
find out more personal things about my mentor that most wouldnt know. Taking
the steps toward my step wondering if she was able to hear my heart trying to jump
out of my chest or hear me trying to gulp down the nervous feelings. Finally I got
to my seat that felt as though it was miles away asking courtney if should want to
look over the questions or flow through to get a true reaction. With her being a true
sport I am began the list of questions that felt like would be over in the matter of
seconds.
Asking the first questions felt as though I had to take both a gulp of nerves and a
deep breath between every word. Wondering after I asked the question if it able to
be understood. The pause between me asking and her beginning her answer felt
like hours were flying by. Then bang the beginning of her response began and the
largest sense of relief hit me. Hearing able how courtney started at the YMCA was
very interesting for the reason being that she started very young with being a
swimmer at the Y and then transforming in a lifeguard and exact same pool.
Something that most would of never guessed to happen.

Isaac: How long have you been working with YMCA my relationship with the YMCA?\
Courtney: My relationship with the Y kind of has 3 different stages I started with the Y when I
was in an elementary school when I started Being a competitive swimmer for about 12 years
thereafter even for me a couple years in college so that was my first taste with the wife then

became my first paid job when I was 16 I was a lifeguard at the same pool that I swim in when I
was younger so that was a cool way to gain professional experience I was able to lifeguard,
coach swim team there, I taught swim lessons for a few years before I moved to college in LA
and then a number of years later when I was looking for a career track after my Peace Corps
experience I came back to the way we were in the middle of the economic recession and just
started as a youth leader and now 6 years later I've gone from being an entry-level youth leader
program director 3 so good things keep happening for me here and I'm really excited to be a
part of an agency that supports me and my development.
Isaac: How is it being the boss of the youth leaders and you being a youth leader in the past?
Courtney: So it's been gradual it's interesting because even though my original entry level
position was with the East County Y at South Bay we currently have supervisors who I worked
with as youth leaders in East County which is weird but kind of the way it works like it's a very
close-knit Network and I think it just comes down to emotional maturity and professionalism and
knowing how to connect navigate those relationships and hold people the expectations as you
move on and become supervisors of people that your friends with or we're on the same level
with.
Isaac: So i've noticed since i've been here that there's some play and silliness does that ever
interfere with the work?
Courtney: I mean I think that one of the great things about the Y is that we laughed a lot and we
genuinely enjoy everyone's company but we all have the capacity to work together to get the job
done I mean just closing down like the 26 after school - and flash sites while booting up for
Camp is a really lofty task and if we just focused and worked through all of those things without
having a good time moral would be really low so I'm always conscious of the fact that you know
we have to have a good time but then the team knows like when a task needs to be done so I
just set expectations with deadlines and different methods of communication cell phone text
email about those deadlines so that we're all on the same page so that there's no confusion
about not getting the job done .
Isaac : Do you feel more comfortable working as a team or on your own?
Courtney:I don't know why I have opportunities to work in both capacities and I definitely have
projects that I'm working on for the association that are more independent like the let's move
outside campaign for San Diego that's kind of something that I'm working on solo but when it
comes to like program development in after school and Hampden Academy that's always a
team thing out because it's such a huge impact on program and it really takes a team to be
successful and that so I don't think that one is necessarily better than the other I mean the team
Dynamic is always more impactful because you get to help and watch the team grow with you
and you get to celebrate successes together instead of individually
Isaac: So did you go to college? Is so which one?

Courtney: Is it go to college yes I went to Whittier College in East LA it's a small private liberal
arts school we are the poet's it was a fantastic experience I actually created my own major there
so it was largely based on history and anthropology but I studied the contact consequences and
Legacies of colonization and I always thought that I would be a history teacher that's really what
was driving that academic path teaching is still something I'm interested in and I get to do it in a
different way here but it's cool because everything that I've learned as an undergrad you know
still applies to what I do now because I think it gave me a really great lens to appreciate people
for who they are and what what factors in somebody's life based on their Heritage and personal
experience create their own identities and how to accept people for who they are and then last
spring and I graduated from San Diego State with my Master's in public administration
Isaac: What was your first career choice?
Courtney: I would be a teacher a middle school history teacher probably because my favorite
teacher is going up work history liberal arts teachers when they have the opportunity to be a
Peace Corps volunteer I tried my hand at teaching for about 2 years and I really loved it but the
relationship that I had with my students outside of the classroom for English Club and camp that
we had and service learning project or lot more impactful than what we could do inside the
classroom so when I came back to the States it just seems like the why was an agency with a
mission that resonates with me personally and a good way to keep impacting lives were to
change the community while still having no academic and enrichment lens and what we were
doing
Isaac: What is it about the Y that keeps you here?
Courtney: Is like a balance between appreciating the Y as a job because the end of the day
that's what it is you know you have to you have to finish your day have to go home to your
family and know that they are what matters most but I think that the impact that we have
collectively on the community and the relationships we build with the community and with each
other or what differentiates the way from just a job so I think that's why I like so many of the
directors and supervisors and coordinators that you need like are so passionate about what they
do it's really because the impact in relationships
Isaac: Do you plan on retiring from the Y?
Courtney: You know people refer to that as like being a while I feel like they're people like Lori
our VP and baron our CEO who have been with the wife for 20 years 30 years 40 years I don't
know if my life after finishing my master's degree in public administration I am interested in
working for an agency that does more with policy and legislative initiatives that create
opportunities for youth versus implementing opportunities for you but the let's move outside
initiative has kind of been a compliment to that in addition because I am doing some work on a
national level with policy and the department of the Interior so that's a piece of me for now I
guess ask me in 10 years where I am

Isaac : If you could give me one piece of advice what would it be?
Courtney: I think that's something that's always work to my benefit is just to take every
opportunity presented whether it's something you're excited about it or not because there's
always something to be learned from a new relationship or a new experience even if it's
intimidating even if it's ruling something out of your normal take every experience and
opportunity presented to you you know I don't put yourself out there because worst case
scenario things don't work out people say no and you learn from that as well