Enkindled Spirits: Hannah Puma

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Hannah Puma’s AYF experience began when she was a small child, running around Miniwanca as her mom worked at camp for multiple summers. She couldn’t wait to be a camper herself, and she went on to graduate from NLC in 2017. Just like her mom, she has returned each summer to work as an AYF seasonal staffer ever since.

During her internship with the AYF in 2020, Puma created a multiweek series of dares to be used on Miniwanca, Merrowvista, and NLC social media. She used the recently published For Real and On Purpose and the theme of balanced living to encourage those following the AYF to exercise their four folds from home. Puma said 2020 helped her realize that her annual AYF experience allowed her to recharge her body, soul, and mind. Without it, she searched for a tangible way to connect with others and the AYF mission remotely.

Puma said she didn’t intend for so many people to interact with her more than 50 dares, but hundreds have engaged with the posts. She attributes that to the convenience of seeing it while scrolling through Instagram, an easy, fast way to remind campers and AYF alumni to take time to self-reflect and focus on what matters.

Puma said the AYF mission and its four-fold philosophy are beautifully broad, and her time at Miniwanca helped her overcome some uncertainty and confusion regarding her values and spirituality. In her daily life as a high school English teacher in a Milwaukee suburb, Puma believes attending camp developed her strengths as a leader and reinforced her love for kids and her passion for teaching.