Alumni Spotlight: Erin Flaherty

“How a place that never changes, changed my life.” That is the title of the essay Erin Flaherty submitted when it was time to apply for college. Even then, Erin understood that camp was timeless—a place where traditions remained steady, even as each summer brought new lessons and friendships that shaped her life.

Erin, or ErFlair, as she was better known, began her camp experience in 2001 as a camper. As both a swimmer and an avid horseback rider, she spent much of her time in those days trekking back and forth between the waterfront and stables, making friends in many circles. In 2007, Erin fondly remembers choosing to be a “super senior” in order to experience Mohawk’s first round of senior Cape Cod trips. Starting in 2008, Erin made a home for herself in Oscadees as a Junior Counselor. She later worked her way up through being a counselor and the Oscadee Unit Leader. In fact, if you ever find yourself in the Oscadee cabins, or the unit leader “shed,” you may very well be looking at some of the shelves Erin and her dad installed themselves over the years!

As a camper, Erin admired a couple of staff members who are still prominent board members and active alumni today. Namely, she credits Tierney Steele with being the first “icon” of her time, for always being so authentically in the camp spirit. Maeve Molloy would later inspire her as a counselor, as Erin would strive to create the same tight-knit culture Maeve did during her days in Cabin 20.

Many of Erin’s favorite memories come from her years on staff; specifically her time as Oscadee Unit Leader. That year, four of the five of us (myself included) had convinced Patrick that 20-year-olds could indeed take on the responsibility of a unit. Our incredibly close group spent many lunches cackling on the porch with Patrick, eating Erin’s favorite - Elmer’s grilled cheese sandwiches with tomatoes…which she still tries to recreate to this day.

After her time as a camper and staff member, Erin went on to study Communications and Cognitive Psychology. Her studies specifically focused on how eye tracking affects the way the human brain processes information. Since then, she’s used her degree to work for a diverse set of businesses, all the way from Cadbury to healthcare companies. In fact, our chat took place while Erin attended the International Epilepsy Congress in Portugal. As the Director of Neuroscience Communications, one of her many roles is to write about clinical trials in epilepsy and sleep disorders. She currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey with her wife, Rebecca.

Of all the lessons Erin learned at camp, the ones revolving around relationship building and having a global mindset stick out to her the most. As many of us would likely agree, Erin found meeting people from around the world at such a young age to be invaluable. Not only did Erin benefit from being exposed to different cultures and perspectives as a kiddo, but she continues to enjoy multiple international friendships to this day.

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting Erin in person, you can often find her at the yearly alumni reunions. She is also hoping to attend Women’s Wellness Weekend this year! If you see her there, be sure to say hello!