Summer Camp Staff Highlights

As the leader in summer tech camp programs, iD Tech Camps is fortunate to employ hundreds of excellent staff each summer, many who return year after year. As the leader in summer technology education, we receive thousands of applicants each year and meticulously screen, select, and train (in person) only the best directors and instructors for our tech camp, film, video game, and programming academies.

Our staff are not only instructors. They have also been mentors, counselors and friends to the 70,000+ campers that have attended our programs over the past ten years. We are proud to say that after eleven seasons, many of our instructors are previous iD Tech Campers who have come back to teach and share their passion  with new students at our tech camps.

Each season we search the globe to employ high-spirited, high-tech professionals at over 60 prestigious university locations. If you would like to learn more about our people, click here.

We invite you to meet some of our camp staff

Lydia – Summer Camp Director – For five summers, Lydia, also known as “Big Apple,” has shared her passion for education, teaching and technology by engaging thousands of kids and teens from all over the world into technology at our summer computer camp. A graduate of New York University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education and a double minor in Psychology and Africana studies, Lydia has a vast amount of leadership experience in both school year and summer programs. For more than seven years, she has worked in the education field as a teacher, summer camp counselor, mentor and academic director. Lydia is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at New York University. In addition, Lydia is presently employed as a high school English teacher at Legacy School for Integrated Studies in New York City and one day hopes to open up her own school. When not working with young people, she enjoys being on the computer, learning more about technology, reading, listening to music and spending quality time with family and friends. With Lydia at the helm, students and staff keep returning to our computer and tech camps summer after summer for more hands-on technology fun.

Carla – Summer Camp Lead Instructor – Carla has spent four stellar summer camp seasons with iD Tech Camps. Currently, she is a Title I teacher at Cleveland Lighthouse Community Charter School in downtown Cleveland. With a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Chicago in Cinema and Media Studies and a minor in Child Psychology, Carla is presently completing an MFA from Temple University in Film and Media Arts. Carla is an independent filmmaker developing her own feature length screenplay for production. Besides leading iD as one of our film camp lead instructors, she has worked with youth in many different capacities from teaching, mentoring and tutoring in video and media courses. Volunteering at a women’s shelter in New Orleans was also one of the most fulfilling experiences of her life. Carla’s enthusiasm for mentoring children is apparent in everything she does.

Mark – Summer Camp Lead Instructor – Summer camp students are excited to have Mark teach and be lead instructor at iD Tech Camps for the past four summers. A film student at San Francisco State University in California, Mark is majoring in Cinema and has juggled working for Apple as an Apple Campus Representative for the past four years. Most of all, Mark enjoys mentoring kids and teens while helping to improve their opportunity for a bright future. This film pro thoroughly enjoys creating technology projects with iMovie, and all of the iLife^® applications, Final Cut Pro^®, DVD Studio Pro^®, Motion^® and Shake^®. To complement his computer camp and film expertise, Mark has several years of dance and acting experience, and has performed in over 30 stage productions. Whatever Mark does, you’ll find him tackling it with a huge smile and “can do!” attitude.

Langston – Summer Camp Lead Instructor – For four summer camp seasons, Langston has passed his knowledge and passion for film, animation and video game creation to iD Tech Camps students as one of our top video game camp instructors. A student at New York University studying Film, Dramatic Writing and Psychology, Langston has loved creating visual worlds for others to explore for as long as he can remember. Currently he constructs these worlds through the mediums of film and animation, specifically stop-motion and pixilation. His great attitude and flexibility as a team member might be attributed to the fact that he has been a youth leader at a Zen Center. However, his philanthropy doesn’t stop there. Langston has also chaired open microphone events and dance concerts to benefit Equity Fights AIDS and Katrina victims. He has made a tremendous impact on not only iD Tech Camps students, but throughout the country.

Jamie – Summer Camp Lead Instructor – Jamie has been a valued, high energy iD Tech Camps instructor for four seasons where students are always excited to see him return year after year. A graduate of UC Irvine with a degree in Biology, Jamie has worked with both middle and high school students as a Residential Teaching Assistant for the Early Academic Outreach Program at UCI. He is currently working for the Trinity Christian Center as a webmaster and personal assistant. Jamie’s passion for making camp fun is rivaled only by his love of teaching technology.

Neal – Summer Camp Lead Instructor – Neal is no stranger to camp, having mentored iD Tech Camps students for four summer camp seasons. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a minor in Psychology, he has been sharing his passion for math and technology with students since high school where he became a tutor. Neal is currently pursuing teaching credentials in Secondary Mathematics. In his spare time outside of his fulfilling and busy tech camp summers, Neal is never one to pass up a competitive video gaming tournament.

Jarad – Summer Camp Instructor – For the past two years, thousands of summer technology campers know and like Jarad, otherwise known as “Tex.” With a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television and Film from UT Austin and thirteen years of theater experience, this Texas native is known for incorporating fun into his teaching style. It is not uncommon to see Jarad impersonating animals to make kids laugh. He is the current “walk like a duck” champion! Living in Houston, Austin, Seattle, Portland and Prague while working off and on in film and television, Jarad has been blessed with culturally diverse experiences and a love of diverse foods and music. Currently he has a new screenplay in pre-production, but he looks forward to returning to iD Tech Camps and sharing his passion for technology with kids and teens.

Ben – Summer Camp Director – Ben has spent three inspiring years engaging students at iD Tech Camps, creating an enthusiastic and fun learning environment where summer campers thrive. Combining his love of technology and extensive background in conflict resolution and team building activities, Ben received his BA in Visual Media and Cinema Studies from American University. Currently Ben is pursuing his Master’s Degree in technology in education from Lesley University in Massachusetts. He is also serving as a technology specialist and vocational coordinator for elementary and secondary school students. Ben uses mixed media on a daily basis to enrich the education of his students and campers.

Stephen – Summer Camp Instructor – This avid gamer and former iD Tech Camps student has been an outstanding tech camp instructor for two years sharing his knowledge and zest for technology. An art student from New York, Stephen is currently attending the DigiPen Institute of Technology where he is working towards a BFA in Production Animation. Stephen is big on giving back. Stephen was a member of his high school Science Olympiad Team which placed third in the state and after graduating he later returned to help coach. Though Stephen has played in numerous video game tournaments, he has still found the time to follow his dream of entering his own video games in two national gaming competitions with aspirations of becoming a professional game designer. He is thrilled that he can share his ambitions with iD Tech Camps students, especially since his passion began when he was a camper himself.

Brittany – Summer Camp Instructor – A graduate of Converse College where she spent time researching the Google PageRank System, Brittany’s in-depth knowledge of programming has enabled her to become a versatile iD Tech Camps instructor, teaching Programming, Robotics, and Video Game Creation. She loves highlighting the strengths of each of her students throughout the summer camp weeks. Currently Brittany attends graduate school to pursue a Masters Degree in Computer Science.

Chris – Summer Camp Instructor – Chris has instructed at iD Tech Camp for three summers, having loved iD Tech Camps as a camper himself. He is currently pursuing a dual degree in Physics and Philosophy at the University of Scranton. Chris was inspired by his travels to Costa Rica and Nicaragua to be a change-maker and has a passion for social activism and service to his community. Chris is also certified as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and enjoys rock-climbing, sailing, kayaking, chess, writing poetry, playing video games and of course participating in iD Tech Camps gaming tournaments!

Cody – Summer Camp Instructor – iD Tech Camps students are challenged and inspired during Cody’s summer camp courses of Programming, Robotics and Game Modding. A Masters student at Kansas State University, Cody has received two Bachelor of Science degrees, one in Mathematics and the other in Computer Science from Bloomsburg University. He has a passion for both subjects. Cody has spent time researching the mathematics behind many origami principles as well as topics in digital signal processing. Whether it be C++ or JAVA, Maya^® or 3ds max^®, Cody loves to share the vast knowledge he has gained throughout the years working at our summer computer camps.

Karlene – Summer Camp Assistant Director – Working as a Programming and Robotics instructor, the camp’s Technical Advisor and Assistant Camp Director, Karlene has spent three summers inspiring campers at iD Tech Camps. A graduate from Manchester College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a minor in Math and Coaching, Karlene is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Computer Science. iD Tech Camps is the perfect environment for Karlene to pursue her passion for technology and her interest in working with and mentoring kids. A master of everything she takes on, Karlene is a valuable resource to campers and summer camp staff with her incredible technical knowledge.

Shane – Summer Camp Lead Instructor – Shane was Director of an after school art program where he taught daily classes for kids and teen ages five to eighteen. A talented illustrator, painter and designer, Shane excels at rendering exterior structures, landscapes, fantastic environments and creatures, as well as science fiction environments and original characters. His professional design experience includes the creation of several small businesses including a start-up magazine as designer, arts editor and editorial illustrator; a production company where he designed promotional materials and managed events, and working for a new media company. Having completed training in Brain-Gym, CDA classes, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Shane is attuned to the diverse learning styles of children.

Laura – Summer Camp Instructor – For two years Laura has shared her technical experience with Web Design, Flash^® Animation and Photoshop^® with iD Tech Camps students. A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Laura has a BFA in Graphic Design, an AAS in Illustration and a minor in Music. Laura was President for the RIT AIGA (American Institute of the Graphic Arts) student group, a peer mentor in a classroom setting for RIT’s First Year Enrichment course and an integral part of the RIT New Student Orientation Staff, but that’s not all. Laura has also participated in the RIT Women’s Club Rugby Team and has worked for the school’s sound and lighting production crew her entire career at RIT. In her free time, Laura enjoys dancing and music of all sorts including concerts, playing her accordion, and especially swing dancing.