The echoes of campers laughing and the sunlight shimmering on Lake Aloaloa carry more than
nostalgia for Mariela Moscoso, TR 90. Those echoes carry the voices of three generations of
women whose lives were shaped by the same summer magic.
Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mariela’s journey to Nakanawa began long before she
was born. “My mother passed on the tradition to me,” she recalls warmly. “And she inherited it
from my grandmother. I’m a third-generation Amazon. That connection makes our bond to
camp even more special.”
Mariela spent “six unforgettable summers” at Nakanawa. “I loved tennis, horseback riding, and
arts and crafts,” she says, smiling at the memory of her hand-made lap desk and her first cross-
stitch project. “And Casey’s leadership and Jeep’s fabulous sense of humor made everything
magical for me.”
The memories she treasures most are soulful. “Singing under the stars by the campfire, the thrill
of riding horses in open fields, and the excitement of getting the yearbook with everyone’s
addresses. Those small, perfect moments shaped me.”
Mariela’s path led her to The Catholic University of America, where she earned a BA in
Archaeology and a Minor in Art History, followed by a Masters in Arts Education from NYU.
Her professional life has been an extension of what Nakanawa taught her — leadership,
creativity, and service.
She has spent years uplifting young voices through the arts and engagement in cultural diversity
as Executive Director of YEAH! (Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities), as a
youth advocate at Monroe Harding, and as a champion for Latino communities with HOLA
Indiana. “My love for developing storytelling, culture, and community was fostered at camp,”
she reflects. “Art builds confidence, empathy, and connection, the same values I learned at
Nakanawa.”
After fifteen years in New York City, Mariela moved to Franklin, Tennessee, in 2017 and now
calls Spring Hill home. There, she and her husband are raising their two children, a son in high
school and a daughter preparing for her fourth summer at camp, plus two cats who, as Mariela
jokes, “rule the household.”
Returning to camp as an adult felt like stepping back into a cherished photograph for Mariela. “I
was not able to attend camp as a counselor, but after we moved back to the area, I was overjoyed
to stop by and show my family where I spent so many summers; and my favorite return to camp
was dropping our daughter off for her first summer.”
Even years later, Mariela keeps in touch with camp friends through reunion chats and old photo
swaps. “We may not see each other often, but the bond is still there,” she says. “Those
friendships and the lessons behind them last a lifetime.”
Between her work, her family, and her love of tennis and gardening, Mariela continues to live
out the spirit of Nakanawa. “Camp taught me to find joy in community and confidence in my
voice,” she says. “Now I try to pass that same spark to every young person I meet.”
For Mariela, the magic of Nakanawa isn’t just a childhood memory, it’s a legacy, stitched
carefully into every story she tells, every lesson she teaches, and every song she sings beneath
the stars.
