A decade out of Purdue, alumnus Kyle Olson is returning to his passion as executive director and founder of Camp Moraine, a summer day camp in Beverly, Massachusetts, catering to kids from 4 to 13 years old.
While Olson is quick to credit his alma mater for helping him reach the goal, the East Coast native almost didn’t attend Purdue. “Like many people when they’re in high school, I was a little lost when it came to knowing where I wanted to go to college,” he says. “Purdue was an afterthought. I only applied because my guidance counselor encouraged me to, but when I visited campus, I fell in love.”
Beyond an active college life, some of Olson’s favorite memories of Purdue actually came when he wasn’t in West Lafayette. “I had the opportunity to study abroad in Italy and South Africa for my junior year,” he says. “It made me more confident and comfortable when dealing with ambiguity and was very influential on the trajectory of my life.”
Upon graduating with a degree in economics in 2014, Olson began his career with recruiting firm Insight Global as an account manager before joining State Street in 2015 as a compensation analyst. “Neither of the jobs seemed right for me, so I decided to take a hiatus, return to Italy, and earn an MBA abroad from the University of Iowa,” he says.
Olson’s next career stop came at consulting firm Grant Thornton LLP in 2019, where he served as a senior associate in strategy and transformation for nearly four years. “I was able to take several leaves of absence to return to my old sleepaway camp as assistant director,” he says. “That led to the opportunity to start my own summer camp.”
At the time, a friend of Olson’s worked for a school with a 15-acre campus that sat empty during the summer months, so the infrastructure for a camp was already there. And the nonprofit owner gave him the freedom to build it as he saw fit. “Growing up, I always went to camp. And I was a camp counselor during summers in high school and college,” he says. “Running a camp was always in the back of my mind, so the timing was right.”
For Olsen, fellowship was the most influential factor in making the jump. “Camp was the place that gave me a lot of the skills and capabilities I’m most proud of. It gave me a sense of community and a sense of belonging that I’ve never been able to find elsewhere,” he says. “Camp put me on a mission that I’ve lived for a long time, that I really believe in, and that I think is really important for a lot of kids.
“I’m using the full suite of what I’ve learned through my undergrad, my MBA, and my professional career, all of which played a pivotal role in giving me the skills and competencies to be where I’m at today.”
Like any entrepreneurial endeavor, starting a summer camp is like launching a business. “I’m the sole person on the ground,” Olsen says. “I do all the marketing, all the operations and all the accounting. I also hire the staff and recruit the campers. I’m using the full suite of what I’ve learned through my undergrad, my MBA and my professional career, all of which played a pivotal role in giving me the skills and competencies to be where I’m at today.”
Olsen admits his attendance expectations for the first summer were a bit lofty, but he feels the camp is poised for growth. “The number one driver of camp enrollment is word of mouth, which we don’t have yet, so we’re just trying to create a strong foundation and build on it in coming years,” he says.
Meanwhile, Olsen feels blessed that he’s able to pursue his passion. “It’s not always been an easy road,” he says. “I’ve had a few bumps and there’s still a long way to go, but I’m happy where I am and can’t thank Purdue enough for putting me on the right path.”
