Elena comes to Bethel with numerous years of experience working with people of varied ages and abilities, and she is thrilled to continue this passion of meeting people where they are at as she comes alongside each one of her learners in our 3rd-5th grade program at BCE!

Elena graduated from Calvin University in 2019 with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and Psychology. While working towards her degree, she thrived in her internships as she worked closely with children with autism, students with cognitive impairments, neurodiverse learners, and adults with dementia. 

She has spent the last 8 years at Camp Roger. The past 5 years she has taken on the role of coaching the staff in how best to care for and respond to each camper and their individual needs and behaviors. In each of these experiences, Elena’s passion for loving and serving all of God’s children continued to grow deeper. 

She has spent the past six summers pouring God’s love into the hearts of kids as a camp counselor, head counselor, and most recently, the Summer Director. One of her greatest passions is sharing God’s deep love with everyone around her! 

While looking for jobs as a certified recreational therapist, Bethel’s mission was brought to Elena. Her passion for loving and serving all of God’s children while them in their individuality seemed to align seamlessly with the mission of Bethel. It is Elena’s desire to carry out Bethel’s vision to equip our learners to thrive as individuals created by God in order to develop their gifts and passions to become lifelong learners and disciples for his glory.

In Elena’s free time, you can find her running races, biking, and coaching dive at a few local schools and clubs.