Meet Duchess, Camp Counselor

Duchess at Grubb Grove Horse Farm

Brittany Russell, better known by her camp name Duchess during the summertime, is spending the season with Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast as camp counselor. Although she has spent many summers at Girl Scout camp, this is the first year that she has worked as a counselor, and so far she has really enjoyed learning how to be a great leader from her fellow counselors.

Duchess spent the first week of camp with girls who attended the Chesapeake horseback riding program. She and two fellow counselors stayed in The Lodge, a program building adjacent to the Council’s regional program center, A Place for Girls, and led 17 girls through a week of day camp at Grubb Grove Horse Farm.

Duchess with campers at Darden

“I actually attended the horseback riding camp at Camp Darden while I was growing up, so it is neat to experience a similar camp as a counselor,” Duchess said.

Duchess then moved on to Camp Darden, where she continued her equestrian adventures as a counselor for girls who attended the horse sessions hosted in partnership with nearby Ballyshannon Equestrian Center. Her time at Darden included the dedication of the new archery range at the camp on VIP Day, during which local community leaders toured the camp and enjoyed a lunch with campers. During the visit, Duchess had the chance to chat with Ashley McLeod, a member of the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast board of directors, during lunch.

Following two weeks at Darden and the holiday weekend, Duchess was off to Camp Skimino for four before heading back to A Place for Girls to help run Camp Outback at the program center for the last four weeks of summer camp.

A graduate of the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach, Duchess is currently a student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in political science and Middle East studies. In her free time, she works as the director at the college radio station.

There's still time to register for summer camp! Check out this summer's sessions and register here.