Gemma Laurence

As someone who loves the outdoors and deeply values intentional community, Chewonki offered me a home: somewhere where I had the freedom to be myself, pursue my passions, push myself outside of my comfort zone, and make friends that would last a lifetime. I even started writing music at Maine Coast Semester as part of my human ecology project! I wrote a song protesting the Portland-Montreal pipeline, which would then make it onto local news and spark a passion for storytelling through music.

After working at Camp Chewonki as the music counselor for two summers and graduating from Middlebury College with a B.A. in English Literature, I moved to New York to pursue my music career, start a band, sign a record deal, perform on the Tonight Show, and tour the US, all the while learning the ropes of the industry by working in music PR agencies. After five years on the road and in the big city, something about the coast of Maine and the Chewonki community called me. I packed my bags and moved back home, and I haven’t looked back since. Chewonki changed my life, and I couldn’t be more excited to be spreading its mission with others.