Because Camp Highlander was founded nearly 50 years ago, we have a vast community of alumni. Each month, we’ll spotlight one outstanding former camper or staff member who attributes some of their post-camp success to their experiences and lessons learned while at camp.
Camp Highlander has always felt like a second home for many of our alumni. But only a few of our alumni are able to call Camp Highlander their home away from home for nearly two decades. Rhiannon (Stanton) Miller is one of them.
Miller started her Camp Highlander journey in 1984 at the age of six, and attended camp as a camper and counselor for a total of 17 years. A Florida native, Miller grew up in south Florida and first heard about Highlander through friends that attended the Ft. Lauderdale-based Pine Crest School (who formerly owned Camp Highlander).
“[Camp Highlander] truly is a place that will forever be my second home,” said Miller. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about camp, especially as summer approaches. As an only child, I looked so forward to arriving at camp and having nine sisters for nine weeks … I value the friendships I made on that mountain more than anything!”
As a camper, Miller’s favorite camp activities included pottery, horses, camp overnights, white water rafting, square dances, campfire, the Monte Carlo evening program and Color War. “I was a White Knight and always will be! The ultimate Color War was when I was a staff member and was General of the White Knights. We won that year! Those memories will never be erased.”
Miller (second from right) and her White Knight teammates show off their pride as part of Color War.
Miller spent several years as a counselor. For a few years, she was a counselor for the oldest girls in Cabin 1. Miller enjoyed the opportunity to help her teenage campers become phenomenal CH counselors. As a counselor in Cabin 5, Miller helped her campers earn the distinction of Honor Cabin. “Those girls were unforgettable and I am still in touch with most of them!”
Miller attributes Camp Highlander to making her the woman she is today. “I learned self-confidence and self-respect. I learned how to get dirty and be without air conditioning and electronic luxuries. I learned how to respect people and how to love everyone without judgment. I learned survival skills and how to build a proper fire in the woods. I learned how to respect nature and appreciate its beauty. The life lessons I learned at camp cannot be measured.”
Miller, now a mother of three daughters, is excited to begin the Highlander journey once again. “I married my high school sweetheart, and we are over-the-moon excited to be sending our nine-year-old daughter to Camp Highlander this summer!” Said Miller of her daughters, “I cannot wait to have all three of them [at Camp Highlander] together. That special mountain will always have a piece of my heart and I am forever grateful for that! “
Our Alumni Spotlight focuses on Camp Highlander alumni who have utilized skills learned at camp to excel in their adult life. If you — or someone you know — has gone on to achieve goals and can attribute some of that success to experiences at camp, please email your contact information and a brief summary to .