Camp Hive: Year 4

Experience Designer Aja Trice working with Camp Hive students on the sewing machines.

Camp Hive returns for its fourth year in the space, facilitated by our Assistant Director of Community Engagement, Linett Luna Tovar, and student staff Osiel Ocampo (Pomona ‘26). Camp Hive is a creativity, play, and wellness program offered to PAYS (Pomona College Academy for Youth Success) and HMC Upward Bound students. Both PAYS and HMC Upward Bound enroll high school scholars, most of whom are first-generation or from low-income backgrounds, to support them in their preparation for post-secondary educational institutions. By providing a space to engage in creative fun and decompress, Camp Hive supplements the intensive liberal arts curriculum students undertake during the summer.

Linett and Osiel are instrumental in designing, coordinating, and facilitating the program, as students engage in a wide range of activities, including a design crash course, bookmark making, scavenger hunts, sewing and embroidery, slime making, radio recording, song making, theater, and more. At its core, Camp Hive cultivates exploration and curiosity, empathy and communication, cultural empowerment, leadership, wellness, and joy.

This year, I spoke to some of the students participating to learn about the experience from their point of view. Here’s what they had to say:

The seven rising juniors who volunteered their answers to the following questions, and their favorite subject or personal hobby.

How has your experience been with Camp Hive overall? 

Ana: I’ve really liked the experience and the activities that we do here. At first, it was daunting because I was scared about what we were going to do. Not only that, I was pushed out of my comfort zone just a little bit, but either way, the Hive made it comfortable to be more explorative.

Alain: I like it so far because they really allow you to express your creativity in a different way than you usually would in high school.

Rodolfo: It’s been a great experience that’s allowed me to engage with the community around me.

What was your favorite part of Camp Hive? 

Austin: My favorite part is how open you can be and how you are encouraged to express yourself. For example, I like to sing, but there’s always someone home when I’m there, and I can’t sing too loud. But here, we did karaoke as a group, and I was able to sing my heart out.

Anonymous Student: The activities, such as the scavenger hunt and hide & seek, were highlights for me. Learning to make artist’s chop stamps and using them to make prints was a favorite for me as well.

Alexandra: Karaoke!

Chris: Karaoke! Figuring out the clues as a group in the scavenger hunt was the best part.

Thoughts on the Hive space overall?

Ana: One part I love is beneath the staircase, which is usually a storage area, just like in my home. But here, there are beanbags, and it’s a place to relax and study. I guess I thought of the idea of relaxing under a staircase before, but I’ve never seen how it could be put into action before seeing it at the Hive. So, from that, I can think about other spaces in my house and consider how to change them and make them more fun. I like this vault because it feels quieter and more intimate.

Alain: It’s so chaotic, I like it. The vault is my favorite room!

Austin: I like all the rooms because they have their own designated activities. I wish the building were bigger so there could be more offered!

Anonymous Student: The space decoration is cool and unique, with the vault transformed from an actual vault and the chairs hanging sideways off the wall. You wouldn’t see anything like it somewhere else. Things like the mistake board and the upside-down umbrellas are unique, too. 

Alexandra:  I like the vault, it’s my favorite space! I especially like how when you look around, everything is so crafty, there’s so much color and life in everything.

How do you feel impacted by Camp Hive? Do you think you’ll take anything from the experience with you moving forward? 

Ana: I know that the purpose of Camp Hive is not just to do arts and crafts, but also to spread awareness of topics that people as a group want to cover; there isn’t just one specific focus. Usually, with organisations or groups like this, they have one goal, like “Hey, let’s talk about the environment, or hey, let’s talk about spreading awareness about this one thing.” But at Camp Hive, I appreciate that it creates a space for anyone to do what they want, whether it be primarily arts and crafts, or also social justice. I can see that aspect very heavily influences not just the people who work here, but also what they offer to people. Something that I can take with me is that when I’m grown, I should try finding a space like this where my own ideas can influence and be supported, too. 

Anonymous Student: Mostly the activities I learned. Right now I’m making a piñata, and I now I know how to carve stamps and sew. It’s cool, my hoodie tore at the wrist, and one of the girls stitched it back up with what they learned here.

Alexandra: Literally, we can take the small booklets we made home, and I got everyone’s signatures like a yearbook. I explored the creative aspects, focusing on things I wanted to learn, such as sewing and music.

Chris: For me, one key takeaway is not to be afraid to try something new. You might not be good at it, but you should try it out anyway. 

Rodolfo: It showed me different ways to express myself.

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by Salina Muñoz