Jeremy Shaba’s love of horses came at an early age. He says he caught “the horse bug” the first time he set foot in the barn at YMCA Camp Nissokone in Oscoda.
“It became apparent how much I loved being at Nissokone and riding when I would find myself dreaming of my home away from home, the people, and the horses during the months in between summers,” he says.
Nissokone has almost always been a part of his life. His camp history dates back to 1993, when he was 4 and attended family camp. He went to sleepaway camp at age 8 and continued every summer until he became a counselor at 16. He remained a counselor for three summers and then was promoted to ranch director for two summers.
During one summer at sleepaway camp, the ranch director gave Jeremy a project horse to work on named Beau. It was a new horse that the camp had just gotten but it wasn’t quite steady enough for campers who had never ridden before.
“For three summers, I rode him and worked on making him a better horse. Every summer I came back, I was so excited to see him and continue growing together,” he says.
Jeremy eventually bought Beau and brought him home, where they continued growing together and going on wild adventures.
Today Jeremy advises the ranch program at Camp Nissokone and attempts to make it back to camp whenever he can.
“Nissokone has had a major impact on my life. It has shaped who I am as an individual, taught me how to be a leader, how to deal with conflict resolution, and how to work in a team,” Jeremy says.
It has also carved his career path. Jeremy graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College this spring and has taken a job as an equine veterinarian in Lexington, Kentucky. His studies have brought him on externships all over the United States and around the world, with recent trips to Northern Ireland and Dubai.
He credits Camp Nissokone on his blog, where he writes about all of his adventures as a veterinary student. “After my time at Nissokone, I knew that horses would somehow always be a part of my life,” he says.
And for those who have never been to summer camp, Jeremy offers his advice:
“You will never understand what it is like, and I will never be able to adequately explain the magnitude of its effect. For those who ever felt bullied or felt like they didn’t fit in, that all goes away at summer camp. You can be whoever you want to be and you are not judged at all. All of your cabin mates will bring new ideas and perspectives to your group dynamic. It’s the diverse group of people coming together and forming a tight knit group that makes camp at Nissokone so special.
Drive up the driveway to camp and roll down your windows. Take a deep breath and realize that you have just entered one of the most beautiful places on earth. The smell of camp is something that I have dreams about. The white pines hanging tall over the driveway as you pass by. The breeze of the lake blows through your hair and provides a much needed cool down on a hot summer day. You close your eyes and instantly all of your senses become heightened. The smell of the trees, the breeze off the lake blowing through the leaves, and the sun shining down on your skin. It’s utopia.
That’s what camp does for me and I think it can do the same for you. I know that leaving your family and friends for one to two weeks can be very scary, especially when you are going someplace brand new. The hardest part of the journey will be getting on the bus. Once you do that, you will never look back. I promise! Prepare to make memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.”