A camper and student at a recent 5C Kesem event
By Tess Miller ’27
For students looking to give back, Camp Kesem at The Claremont Colleges is a club that’s not to be missed. Now a nationwide nonprofit, Kesem is an organization run by college students to support children impacted by a parent or guardian’s cancer diagnosis. At The Claremont Colleges, all Kesem volunteers get involved in day-long programs to bring the joy and fun of summer camp to children in need.
Scripps sophomore Tullia Dillingham ’27, one of the volunteer coordinators at Kesem, notes that Kesem programming is designed to preserve childhood joy through and beyond a parent’s cancer diagnosis and provide childcare support to parents who are seeking treatment. For one of the 5C Kesem directors, Natalia Huizar ’25, the group’s goals are clear.
“The most important principles of Kesem are creating a welcoming, safe community for all and actively reaching out to underserved communities,” she says. “These values guide everything we do and ensure that every child impacted by a parent’s cancer feels seen, supported, and included.”
Along with Huizar and Dillingham, fellow student volunteers from the 5Cs have been innovating Kesem programming to better meet their campers’ needs.
“In Claremont, we’re trying something new,” says Huizar, a senior majoring in biology. “We’re offering campers shorter programs that capture the spirit of week-long camps in a single day.”
5C Camp Kesem’s May science-centered activity
In May, Kesem collaborated with Michelle’s Place, a cancer resource center in Temecula, California for a science-themed event. Kids from Kesem and Michelle’s Place attended the event, bringing them together from all over Southern California for a day filled with fun activities—one of many that the Kesem directors and volunteers plan throughout the year.
Scripps and the other Claremont Colleges have enduring ties to Camp Kesem, with the consortium’s chapter supplying volunteers for years. Beyond the benefits for campers, Kesem also gives 5C students who have been through similar situations a chance to pay it forward. For Huizar and Dillingham, that connection is deeply personal.
“I grew up as a Kesem camper, so it’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Being surrounded by other kids who understood what I was going through created such a special, supportive community,” Huizar says, whose family has navigated the challenges of a cancer diagnosis. “When I came to Scripps, the only club I knew I wanted to join was Kesem. I wanted to give back to the community that meant so much to me growing up.”
Scripps and 5C Camp Kesem volunteers plan activities and fundraise throughout the year
“I was very excited when I found out that The Claremont Colleges had a Kesem chapter,” Dillingham adds. “My family has been affected by cancer through my mom and my brother, so I understand how vital it is to have a community of people who understand the impact cancer can have on a whole family. Kesem satisfied my long-term hope of getting involved in an organization that is so important to my own family.”
Huizar, Dillingham, and their fellow Camp Kesem volunteers are also growing as mission-driven philanthropists. From April 28 to May 2, 2025, Kesem hosted Through and Beyond Week of Giving, a fundraising effort to secure $500 for future Kesem programming. Club members stationed outside of Scripps’ Malott Dining Commons, selling boba tea and Kesem T-shirts to reach their goal.
Huizar hopes others will get involved, emphasizing that Camp Kesem’s purpose is bigger than fundraising from a distance. She adds, “We get to see the impact firsthand by working directly with the kids we support.”
Camp Kesem is a club open to any student at The Claremont Colleges. To join or learn about other ways to support their important work, please visit Kesem’s website.