USC Troy Camp
Troy Camp summer camp site in the San Bernardino Mountains, 3607 Trousdale Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92401
About
USC Troy Camp is a USC student-run philanthropy that offers activities such as hiking, horseback riding, swimming, arts & crafts, campfires, Color Team Olympics, cooked holiday feasts, and visits to museums in Expo Park. The program also includes PE, Dance, Theatre, Art, Science, Creative Writing, Music, leadership activities, group discussions, community service activities, and workshops on college applications, interview skills, public speaking, and social media. Since 1948, more than 4,000 campers have taken part in its week-long camp and yearlong programming.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: A week-long camp, a 10-day summer camp (historical reference), hourlong Specialized Programming sessions, every-other-week Leaders in Training meetings, biweekly TC Leads workshops, and weekly after-school programming on-campus at USC
• Price: All programs are free for students, and the week of camp and all other programs have always been completely free
Founded in 1948 by USC student Otis Healy as a 10-day summer camp for underprivileged boys in South Los Angeles, USC Troy Camp has run every year since then and is entering its 77th year of programming. It is a non-denominational nonprofit, run entirely by 144 student volunteers at the University of Southern California, and is one of the university’s oldest and largest philanthropy organizations, as well as the largest student-run philanthropy on campus. The program offers a week-long camp in the San Bernardino Mountains for 200 elementary school students, monthly events for returning campers at various places around Los Angeles, and yearlong programming with monthly reunions and outings such as Disneyland, the LA Zoo, Color Team Olympics, holiday feasts, and museum visits.
USC Troy Camp provides long-term mentorship for kids throughout South Los Angeles and works with 20 local schools, with campers selected from these schools. Throughout the school year, it builds relationships with local elementary, middle, and high school students through 15 after-school programs, including Specialized Programming on-campus at USC for former 3rd or 4th grade campers that focuses on extracurricular subjects and often ends with a showcase for friends and family at the end of the semester. Leaders in Training is a program for middle school students that includes community service activities and focuses on easing the transition into high school and helping students establish healthy study habits and leadership skills, while TC Leads is an after-school program for high school students that builds on leadership skills gained in Leaders in Training through biweekly workshops on college applications, interview skills, public speaking, social media, and other topics.
Counselors at USC Troy Camp are knowledgeable about the process of moving into higher education. The leadership team includes student directors such as Mariah “Gatekeep” Nava and Joel “Chop Chop” Morales as Co-Executive Directors, along with directors overseeing areas like camp programming, camper recruitment, communication, counselor affairs, finance and donor relations, fundraising, school programming, and yearlong programming. Advisors include current USC faculty and staff such as Dr. Celso “Abuelo” Delgado, Jr., Robert “Sensei” Hernandez, Gabriel Valenzuela, Adlai “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” Wertman, and Christina Mireles Martin, as well as Taylor “Panda Express” Serafin as a financial consultant.
USC Troy Camp is supported by partners including The University of Southern California, USC Alumni Association, Troy Camp Alumni Association, Trojan Family Weekend, The Ettinger Family, Otis Healy, The Welborn Family, USC Athletics, and Indra & Company, and it also runs fundraising events such as Pass the Can. Over its history, the program reports 57,461 s'mores made. Testimonials from USC students describe Troy Camp as an organization that offers camp, programs, and a sense of community among counselors and campers.
Last updated March 27, 2026.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Schedule: A week-long camp, a 10-day summer camp (historical reference), hourlong Specialized Programming sessions, every-other-week Leaders in Training meetings, biweekly TC Leads workshops, and weekly after-school programming on-campus at USC
• Price: All programs are free for students, and the week of camp and all other programs have always been completely free
Founded in 1948 by USC student Otis Healy as a 10-day summer camp for underprivileged boys in South Los Angeles, USC Troy Camp has run every year since then and is entering its 77th year of programming. It is a non-denominational nonprofit, run entirely by 144 student volunteers at the University of Southern California, and is one of the university’s oldest and largest philanthropy organizations, as well as the largest student-run philanthropy on campus. The program offers a week-long camp in the San Bernardino Mountains for 200 elementary school students, monthly events for returning campers at various places around Los Angeles, and yearlong programming with monthly reunions and outings such as Disneyland, the LA Zoo, Color Team Olympics, holiday feasts, and museum visits.
USC Troy Camp provides long-term mentorship for kids throughout South Los Angeles and works with 20 local schools, with campers selected from these schools. Throughout the school year, it builds relationships with local elementary, middle, and high school students through 15 after-school programs, including Specialized Programming on-campus at USC for former 3rd or 4th grade campers that focuses on extracurricular subjects and often ends with a showcase for friends and family at the end of the semester. Leaders in Training is a program for middle school students that includes community service activities and focuses on easing the transition into high school and helping students establish healthy study habits and leadership skills, while TC Leads is an after-school program for high school students that builds on leadership skills gained in Leaders in Training through biweekly workshops on college applications, interview skills, public speaking, social media, and other topics.
Counselors at USC Troy Camp are knowledgeable about the process of moving into higher education. The leadership team includes student directors such as Mariah “Gatekeep” Nava and Joel “Chop Chop” Morales as Co-Executive Directors, along with directors overseeing areas like camp programming, camper recruitment, communication, counselor affairs, finance and donor relations, fundraising, school programming, and yearlong programming. Advisors include current USC faculty and staff such as Dr. Celso “Abuelo” Delgado, Jr., Robert “Sensei” Hernandez, Gabriel Valenzuela, Adlai “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” Wertman, and Christina Mireles Martin, as well as Taylor “Panda Express” Serafin as a financial consultant.
USC Troy Camp is supported by partners including The University of Southern California, USC Alumni Association, Troy Camp Alumni Association, Trojan Family Weekend, The Ettinger Family, Otis Healy, The Welborn Family, USC Athletics, and Indra & Company, and it also runs fundraising events such as Pass the Can. Over its history, the program reports 57,461 s'mores made. Testimonials from USC students describe Troy Camp as an organization that offers camp, programs, and a sense of community among counselors and campers.
Last updated March 27, 2026.
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