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.
Many folks have grown up at Camp Highlander, but few can rival the time that Meredith Newmon Blanco spent on the mountain. Blanco was a fixture at camp, spending 24 consecutive summers experiencing everything CH had to offer – and helping thousands of campers have the time of their lives.
Blanco attended or worked at Camp Highlander from 1980-2004. Her experience at camp included nearly every available role; she was a camper, Counselor in Training, Junior Counselor, Senior Counselor, Head Female Counselor, she worked in the front office and was the Director of Girls Camp. She attributes Highlander for helping her gain valuable life skills that she uses today. “Camp positively impacted my life by showing me how to interact with all types of people. I learned to be a good friend and I made and have maintained great friendships.” Blanco continued, “[Camp Highlander] taught me how to share everything … especially space and hot water! It taught me humility, bravery, tolerance, how to be supportive and how to make decisions without my parents there.”
Color War ranks high on Blanco’s list as a camp favorite. “Color War taught me very valuable lessons that I use today in my everyday life. As a competitor, I learned that I could do anything that I set my mind to do. I learned to win with humility and lose with grace. I learned the painful lesson that when I did win, there was usually someone that I cared about who lost, and winning was suddenly not all that glamorous.”
After several years of competing with her team, Blanco served as a Green Giant, a Color War referee. “In our meetings, I learned from Gaynell [Tinsley] how to coach and support and watch children exceed their own limits. I try really hard to do that with my boys now.”
These days, Blanco is married to her husband, Bobby, and has four sons, Jake, Griffin, Carson and Nick. She works in telecommunication sales in the Washington, D.C. metro market and runs The Nicholas Blanco Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money for – and awareness of – pediatric brain and spinal cord injury. The foundation is named after her son who suffered a severe injury when he was younger.
“Camp taught me to learn from my mistakes, accept responsibility for myself and to try new things even if I was not going to master them. I think the most important lesson that Camp Highlander taught me was to trust myself and to try every day to be a good, kind and giving person in everything I try to do.”
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 .