When Dmitry Shack was 13 years old, he already knew what he wanted to do when he got older: become a Summer Camp counselor for the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project. He had participated in the program as a child, and he remembered how much fun he’d had with the teenage counselors who made every day special.
He was ready to help create those same experiences for a new generation of Zuni children, but he had a problem. ZYEP’s counselors had to be at least 16 years old, which meant Dmitry would have to wait three years before he could apply.
Each summer, he watched social media announcements introducing the new counselors. And he imagined the day when he would appear in the same photographs.
“I was like, oh, one day that’s gonna be me,” he recalls.
Today, Dmitry is a 17-year-old senior at Zuni High School, and he recently completed his second season as a Summer Camp counselor. He says the experience has been everything he hoped it would be, although the journey from camper to youth leader brought some challenges as well.
For example, on the first day of camp in summer 2025, Dmitry quickly discovered that connecting with his 15 campers and managing a learning environment were two very different things.
“I was so scared,” he says with a laugh. “Oh my gosh, I had no idea how to lay down rules or how to set expectations for these kids.”
He knew how to connect with the children, asking about their mornings and whether they were excited for the day’s activities. Establishing boundaries and keeping the group together proved to be more difficult. Feeling overwhelmed, he turned to ZYEP staff members for guidance.
Former Youth Development Coordinator Kiara “Kiki” Zunie and staff members Zachary James and Rani Yamutewa helped him understand that he didn’t need to know everything on his first day. They told him he would have plenty of opportunities to learn, and he needed to give himself grace — as well as room to grow.
This encouragement made a difference. Dmitry says he began setting clearer expectations, using his voice more confidently and balancing kindness with the responsibilities of leadership.
Training exercises and conversations with fellow counselors also helped him navigate unfamiliar situations. By the end of that first summer, he realized he was more capable than he’d believed.
“After we did our debriefing with all the counselors, I realized I know what I’m doing,” Dmitry says. “I’m not totally lost. I can do it.”
When Dmitry returned this year for his second summer as a camp counselor, he brought a new level of confidence to his work. This time, he says he was better prepared for the demands of leading a group of children, and he could focus more fully on the moments that had inspired him to become a counselor in the first place.
“My favorite thing was seeing them enjoy an activity and, you know, just being kids and laughing out loud,” he says of his campers, ages 7-9. “That’s what I loved as a kid. It’s fun seeing them engage. I think that’s what I like seeing the most.”
The relationships have continued beyond camp. Dmitry regularly encounters former campers around the Pueblo of Zuni, and they greet him enthusiastically, sometimes with hugs. He says, as someone who once looked up to his own counselors, it has been rewarding to become that familiar, trusted person in a younger child’s life.
He also says he appreciates the way ZYEP helps children connect with Zuni culture. During Summer Camp, he watched young campers eagerly learn about traditional beliefs, practices and responsibilities, noting that instructor Willard Zunie was a big hit.
“The kids are interested in learning about our culture and religion,” he says. “I’m so thankful to see that, because not all kids get that at home. I’m thankful that our culture will have a future.
“I really like this work,” he continues. “It keeps ZYEP going. It’s a good program. It brings people together, and it has so many opportunities for the younger generation. If I didn’t want to be a registered nurse, I’d come back and work here in a heartbeat!”
His experiences at ZYEP also have helped Dmitry grow in unexpected ways. He acknowledges that relationships with fellow counselors initially were challenging, but he recognized that some of his frustrations reflected how he felt about himself.
Through conversations and shared experiences, he began approaching those relationships differently. He made changes in his personal life, becoming more active, spending more time with friends and family, and reconnecting with his faith and culture.
He says those lifestyle changes influenced the way he approached his responsibilities at Summer Camp. He wanted the children in his care to have the same positive experiences he remembered, and he understood that his own attitude and well-being could help make that possible.
By the second summer, he could see how far he’d come.
“I feel like I’ve gained more confidence as a whole, and I’ve learned to use my voice,” he explains. “I have higher self-esteem. I feel like I’m not a loner all the time now. I have people who care about me.”
Dmitry will graduate from Zuni High School in May 2027, and he says he’s looking forward to the next chapter in his life. He recently was accepted to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, where he plans to pursue nursing.
His older sister is a nurse, and although her career helped inspire him, Dmitry says he made the decision to enter the profession on his own. He’s particularly interested in pediatrics, which would allow him to continue working with children.
And he is committed to giving back to his community.
“Working here at the Indian Health Service is one of my biggest goals,” Dmitry says. “I would not mind living here for the rest of my life.”
In the meantime, he has a busy schedule. A dedicated distance runner, he has participated in cross-country for much of his high school career, and he competes in the 800-meter, 1-mile and 2-mile events in track.
He’s also involved in the National Honor Society, HOSA Future Health Professionals, Podcast Club, SEL Ambassadors Club, Jobs for America’s Graduates and student council. It’s a lot, but Dmitry says he finds fun in all of it.
Dmitry also says he would welcome the opportunity to spend one more summer as a ZYEP counselor before leaving for college. He hopes to stay connected with the organization, which has made such a difference in his own life as well as the lives of so many others.
“There’s just so much about ZYEP, I can’t even put it into a sentence,” he says with a laugh. “You know? There’s so much I need to say!”