Michele Solimeno is the associate director of recruitment and GirlSummer (our all-girls summer camp) at Emma Willard School and joined the team in the fall of 2021. Before coming to Emma, Michele worked as an assistant director of admissions at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York for five years. We asked Michele four questions about her role at Emma Willard.
#1 — What brought you to Emma Willard School?
My husband moved back to the area for work after attending the University at Albany for his undergraduate degree. We wanted to start our life together and settle down in upstate New York, so what better location than the Capital Region? I had been working in Admissions on the college side for over six years and wanted to continue to work in that field. I saw a posting for my current position on LinkedIn and, after watching a few videos online and doing some research, I immediately knew this was the school I wanted to work at!
Michelle Solimeno with Morgan Del Brocco and Mari Webb welcome students during opening days for 2022-2023!
#2 — What is a typical day-in-the-life at Emma like for you?
Each season at my Admissions job is ever changing with the recruitment cycle: travel season, reading season, decision time, etc, but the time of year I really look forward to is GirlSummer.
My days tend to start a little bit earlier to prepare for camp and for campers arrivals in the morning but the days fly by! I assist our Director of GirlSummer, Morgan Del Brocco, with drop off and pick up of campers daily and with day-to-day camp operations. I am an additional set of hands for support throughout the camp day to our Director and I love being present during class changes on the Senior Triangle where the campers are so excited to attend their next class! Also, our office for the summer is stationed in the "Glass Office" in the Mott Gymnasium and the change of scenery is nice, too.
Michele and Morgan get ready for GirlSummer!
#3 — What is one thing about working on the admissions team at Emma that would surprise people?
How much planning goes into running a day camp like GirlSummer! I grew up watching the movie Babysitter Club and saw how easily they were able to get a camp up and running, but boy was I mistaken. Here at GirlSummer, preparing for camp takes months and months of planning and preparation to execute it effectively and efficiently.
It would surprise people to know how many factors we think about in running the camp; finding space on campus, onboarding camp staff, deciding the elective offerings, ordering supplies, connecting with other teams on campus who assist with the day-to-day operations of camp, and so on! It is truly a team effort and takes a village, but seeing the smiles on the campers faces each day makes it all worth it.
Michele at an admissions event in fall 2022.
#4 — What is your favorite space, place, or tradition on the Emma campus?
The Admissions Suite lounge. It has a sense of home and warmth, and the Emma Willard admissions office meets with prospective families in the lounge, and we have our staff meetings in there but it is also just a gathering space for all. The couches are super comfortable as well so its nice to hang out in there for a quick break.
Next year, Michele will assume the role of Director of GirlSummer as Morgan Del Brocco transitions to become a full-time dance instructor at Emma Willard. Congratulations to Michele and Morgan on their new roles and thank you for running such a fantastic GirlSummer program!
Find more interesting stories about Emma Willard School on our Newsroom page.