A free, student-run summer camp is fostering community and support for children who have lived with a parent or caregiver with cancer.
Kesem at UCLA – one of more than 115 college chapters – hosted its two annual six-day camp sessions for children aged six to 18 in Teresita Pines, California, from June 22 to 27 and July 4 to 9. The UCLA organization celebrated its 22nd anniversary in April.
“Nobody had really understood exactly what it felt like to have a parent with cancer, or to see your parent go through chemo,” said Natalia Nava, a counselor for the camp. “To find this community where a lot of kids had gone through the same things that I had was really magical, and it made me feel a little less alone.”
Kesem at UCLA hosted about 170 campers across the two weeks, said Nava, a former camper through the University of Southern California’s chapter of Kesem.
Each counselor chooses a nickname as their camp name. At camp, Nava, a rising fourth-year international development studies and public affairs student, said she is known as “Pumpkin.”
Students involved in Kesem raise money to cover organizational fees, including for campsite rentals and camp activities, said Rosie Sunseri, a counselor known as “Ladybug.” Volunteers each have a fundraising goal of $500, the amount it costs to send one child to camp, said Andrea Rodriguez Arcila, a counselor known as “Butterfly” at camp.
Kesem has supported more than 90,000 children across all chapters since its establishment, according to its 2025 Donor Impact Report. The Kesem national organization creates a fundraising goal for each chapter, said Sunseri.
Kesem at UCLA raised $101,000 in one night at its fundraising gala – around 40% of the chapter’s yearly goal – Rodriguez Arcila, who is the coordinator for Kesem’s annual gala, added. The chapter has raised $232,433 of its 2025-26 goal of $240,000 so far.
Kesem’s fundraising activities primarily spread through word of mouth, said Jozy Parshall, a counselor called “Cupcake” at camp.
Volunteers attend weekly trainings – called “Kesem Tuesdays” – throughout the academic year to prepare counselors for common interactions with campers, including how to deal with a tantrum, Rodriguez Arcila added.
“It’s a lot of different conversations with people who have been to camp before – talking through how you would handle certain situations, talking through our own perceptions of grief and our perceptions of cancer,” said Sunseri, a UCLA alumnus who co-led the Kesem training meetings.
Kesem at UCLA has mental health professionals on-site who provide emotional support for anyone who needs it, she added.
Every day of camp is filled with activities, such as archery, gaga ball and swimming, Rodriguez Arcila said. She added that counselors end the day with a cabin chat, during which they try to get to know campers better. Campers also participate in “Empowerment,” a time when they can volunteer to share experiences weighing on them, on the second-to-last day, Sunseri said.
Nava, the year-round support lead, said Kesem at UCLA holds hour-long Zoom calls with campers throughout the year, helping them stay connected to camp while out of session.
Parshall, a former camper who started attending Kesem at UCLA at 10 years old, said she stayed with the organization for 12 years because of the impact it made on her as a child.
“It really changed my life,” Parshall, a UCLA alumnus, said. “It taught me how to grieve. It kept my dad’s memory alive when I missed him. It gave me the closest friends I’ve ever had.”
Comments are closed.