Eric Santos attended The Master’s School (TMS) for five years, from grade 8 through graduation in 2014. Having formerly attended a public middle school where there would be two to three teams of about 120 students in each grade, Eric values how close he was able to get with classmates and teachers due to the smaller, more intimate community.
Eric states, “At TMS, we would really do everything together.” He also shares, “When difficult moments arose, I had teachers and staff who not only knew me on a personal level, but truly cared and often went out of their way to support me.” He is grateful for the genuine friendships made and the continued gift of these friendships to this day.
Eric graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2018 with a Bachelors in Business Management. Looking back, he credits TMS with helping him prepare for his college experience. As a college freshman, he was complimented by his language arts professor on how well thought out and structured his papers were. Eric shares, “As someone who was always much more of a math person in school, that small moment said much about what I had learned at TMS.”
Eric currently resides in his hometown of Bristol. He is the Residential Life Coordinator at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is a non-profit organization that serves seriously ill children and their families free of charge. The core program is the residential summer camp based in Ashford, CT, which gives these children the opportunity to have a traditional camp experience while still having the proper medical care they need. Through a variety of year-round programs offered onsite, in hospitals and clinics, and right in camper homes and communities, they serve more than 20,000 seriously ill children and family members each year.
In his position as Residential Life Coordinator, Eric works on the year-round Ashford program team, working closely with parents/caregivers on how to best support their child while at camp. He also trains and oversees many of the staff and volunteers.
Eric shares his heart and passion. “This work and this organization are incredibly special to me. I first got involved at Camp in 2008 as a sibling camper. I worked here on summer staff for five years, including all my summers in college, before joining our full-time team just over one year ago. I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to continue the work for this community that supported my family and me for so many of my critical childhood and teenage years.”
In closing, Eric would also like to thank Joneen Monitto who graciously brought him to and from school for the five years he attended The Master’s School, stating, “Without her, I would never have had a realistic opportunity to be a student here and especially not for all five years.” She was a true blessing to me and my family.