When Emma Pittman graduates to be a teacher she hopes to return to work in her hometown of Williams Lake.
Emma, 21, is studying at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops toward her teaching degree, but has already been a substitute teacher.
"From kindergarten to Grade 12, I've been subbing," she said. "It's funny because I've been teaching with my old teachers. I never thought I'd ever do that."
Having the opportunity to meet new students is one of the things she enjoys most about working in a classroom.
"I walk around town and in the grocery store, and kids who I have only met once for one day recognize me and call me Ms. Pittman. I love them recognizing me and liking me as a teacher."
Her hope as a teacher in the future is to have a positive impact on her students, she said.
Born and raised in Williams Lake, her parents are Nicole and Gerard Pittman.
Nicole works for the school district and Gerard works in forestry.
Her older sister, Camilla, is a nurse in Kamloops.
Growin up Emma attended Cataline Elementary, Columneetza and Williams Lake Secondary schools and played sports such as softball, soccer and hockey.
"I played soccer and hockey since I was four-years-old until I was 18. I am still playing soccer in Williams Lake in the the ladies league."
Emma has wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember.
To pursue that career, and give her more experience working with children, she applied to work for the city's Boitanio Day Camp and is back this summer for her second year.
She also attended the same camp when she was young for two or three years with her sister.
"It hasn't changed much," she said, smiling. "We do our camper of the day in the afternoon and we have Mr. Crabby in Boitanio Park, which all the kids love and know."
Mr. Crabby is a crab apple tree in the park, she explained.
"I remember it from my childhood."
During the day camp, the children will hang around Mr. Crabby. Often the tree is used as a boundary for the play area or for the game of capture the flag.
There is a theme for each week of the camp.
For the week of July 22 to July 29 the theme was holidays.
They had Christmas Day and a Halloween Day where the participants dressed in costumes, had a dance party and went trick-or-treating to all the offices in the Cariboo Memorial Complex.
The week of July 29 to Aug. 2 was mythical creatures week.
"It's the little themes the kids really appreciate," Emma said.
Aside from the Boitanio Day Camp, which is for children ages five to 12, the city also hosts an adventure camp for children ages seven to 12.
They do more adventurous stuff, she said, noting last year the adventure camp children went paddle boarding and biking on Fox Mountain.
"I love Williams Lake, the outdoors and I love the kids," she said. "It is homey. You don't get that in a big city. I'll definitely come back."
