Meet Our Day Camp Team: Liza Nicol

Liza Nicol, School Age Manager at the Buehler YMCA, grew up in the Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood of Chicago, attending Chicago Park District day camps as a youth. She worked at a residential Girl Scout summer camp, where she fell in love with the camp world, while she was earning her degree in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration. She spent six years managing youth programming at suburban park districts before joining the Y. 

Q: What is your favorite part of working at the YMCA? 

A: Building relationships with the families at my center.

Q: What do you like most about the work that the Y does? 

A: I love that the Y raises money for scholarships so that all kids can participate in programming regardless of socioeconomic status.

Q: What is your favorite part about Day Camp at the Y? 

A: Getting to see kids get to be kids and have fun!

Q: What is your favorite memory from Day Camp at the Y?

A: All of the field trips we went on last summer!

Q: What are you most proud of in your career so far? 

A: Hiring my first former camper turned staff member

Q: What’s one thing people don’t know about you that they would be surprised to find out? 

A: When I was in middle school, my friend and I ran a “day camp” in my backyard. We created flyers and delivered them to families in the neighborhood, planned activities, made lunches, and had a lot of fun! Little did I know that it would become my future career.

Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be (and why)? 

A: Teleportation. Many of my friends and family live out of state, so it would be awesome to get to see them whenever I wanted without having to buy a plane ticket.

Q: What’s the last song you listened to? 

A: “Karma” by Taylor Swift.

Q: What’s one thing on your bucket list? 

A: I want to visit all of the Major League Baseball stadiums.

The YMCA of Metro Chicago believes in the power of play. We play for fun and for progress. Day Camp at the Y empowers Chicagoland youth to do mighty things — making friends, developing new skills, creating life-shaping experiences, and so much more! 

Our experienced and talented counselors and staff are committed to making sure your camper experiences a full day of play, exploration, learning, and personal growth. Here at the Y, we want to show off our Day Camp team’s amazing talents and contributions to our community — and find even more talented, community-oriented individuals who want to work at the YMCA!