Caroline Hallemann, TR 2006 and former counselor, has turned the quiet reading and writing habits she honed at camp into a career in media. She is now an editor at Town & Country and the author of The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made. Caroline shares more about the role Nakanawa has played in her life and work.
For Caroline Hallemann TR 06, the path to Nakanawa began with a simple visit to Lake Aloaloa alongside her childhood friend, Lauren Riegle (Mitchell), and Lauren’s mother, Anne.
“I just loved it,” she recalls warmly. That initial spark turned into a decade-long tradition. “Every summer, Lauren and I would drive to Nakanawa together with our moms, starting with the two-week session before eventually transitioning over to the full four weeks.” Though she was the first in her immediate family to become a Nakanawa girl, she quickly discovered that camp would become one of the most formative chapters of her life.
“I not only made amazing friends, but it taught me independence and how to live and work with people different from myself,” she reflects.
During her ten summers, she fully immersed herself in camp life. She proudly repped the Amazon team, happily sang in Glee Club, and discovered a deep passion for Arts & Crafts, eventually becoming the Arts & Crafts medalist during her TR 2006 summer and going on to teach Arts & Crafts as a counselor. But camp also offered her some early lessons in perseverance.
If anyone from TR ’06 is reading this, they know it isn’t an exaggeration to say that I wasn’t the most athletic camper,” she jokes. “But that didn’t stop me from playing softball and tennis and swimming in the lake. That grit has become essential to my work ethic.
When she looks back, her most treasured memories are a beautiful mix of performance thrills and quiet, soulful traditions—from the excitement of performing the TR 06 camp dance to the peaceful magic of Valkyrie Vespers. “The Valkyrie Lullaby is still one of my favorite camp songs,” she shares. And, she admits with a smile that few things matched the collective excitement of walking into the dining hall on pizza lunch days.
But there was another, quieter camp tradition that quietly shaped her future: Rest Hour. “I might not have fully appreciated it then, but what a gift it was to take an hour every day for rest, reading, and writing. I’ve always loved books, but having that dedicated time only solidified an early passion.”
That passion beautifully foreshadowed her professional path. During her college years at Wake Forest University, she resisted her father’s practical suggestions to take business classes, trusting her instincts instead to major in English. After exploring internships across newspapers, university press publishing, and public relations, she found her true calling in digital journalism in New York City.
Today, she channels that lifelong love of words into her role as the Digital Director and Editor for Town & Country magazine, leading the editorial vision for their website.
Fulfilling a long-held dream, she is also about to become a published author. Her non-fiction book, The Kennedys and the Windsors, hits shelves this summer on June 2. The book—a dual biography of the Kennedy family and the British royals—is the culmination of years of hard work, and her favorite chapter to research feels remarkably connected to the spirit of camp.
One I loved researching follows Jacqueline Bouvier—the future Jackie Kennedy—as she covered Queen Elizabeth’s coronation for the Washington Times-Herald,” she shares. “Back then, they were two young women on the brink of exceptional lives, which reminds me a lot of Nakanawa girls and all their potential.
Today, life is a beautiful, busy balancing act. When she isn’t editing or writing books, she loves to read, watch TV, and spend time with her husband and their two-year-old son, Tommy, who keeps her on her toes.
Though she lives a fast-paced life in the media world, the bonds formed on the shores of Lake Aloaloa remain unbreakable. She returned to camp in 2019 for the unforgettable Centennial Celebration, and the old magic is very much alive this season as she prepares for her twenty year reunion. “I wish we talked more often, but we are currently planning our TR reunion for this summer, so I can’t wait to catch up with everyone,” she says.
Decades after those childhood road trips from Nashville, the lessons of grit, creativity, and community continue to guide her. For this TR 06 alumna, the spirit of Nakanawa remains a grounding force—a reminder of the potential inside every young woman, and a spark she carries into every story she tells.
Caroline’s first book, The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made, will be released on June 2 and is available through Penguin Random House and Amazon. She is looking forward to returning to Crossville this summer to celebrate her 20th Tent Row reunion with TR 2006. If you would like to mark your own Nakanawa reunion year, you can learn more and register on our Ties, Reunions, and Events page here.
