Hey there, Summer Campers!
We often talk about celebrities who were once summer campers like yourselves here on the Everything Summer Camp Blog. Here's our celebrity for today—I’m talking about Mei Mei herself—Kate Hudson—who attended Four Winds Westward Ho Boys and Girls Summer Camp when she was younger.
Kate spent her summer days soaking in the sunny fun on Orcas Island in Washington State’s San Juan Islands. The island provides a hundred acres of shady woods, open fields, and gorgeous waterfront—lending the perfect environment for an awesome variety of activities and programs to develop skills and confidence in their campers.
Born to the Academy Award-winning actress Goldie Hawn and comedian/actor/musician Bill Hudson, Kate didn’t grow up with the easiest family life—her parents divorced when she was just one year old. She was raised chiefly by her mother in Los Angeles. In fact, her mother once made a brief appearance while Kate and her brother were attending summer camp. The campers were gathered by the lake for an assembly when a sea plane flew overhead with Goldie leaning out and waving at them!
After completing her elementary and high school education, Kate started at Crossroads, a college preparatory school in Santa Monica. She graduated in 1997 and, though she was accepted into New York University, she opted to follow in her mother’s footsteps and pursue a career in acting instead of trying for her undergraduate degree.
She had already made a television appearance on the show ‘Party of Five’ and thought she had a chance to make it big. By the very next year she appeared in two films and by 2000, she starred as Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s coming-of-age motion picture ‘Almost Famous’.
Much more recently, Kate voiced the character Mei Mei in the 2016 Dreamworks feature Kung Fu Panda 3 as well as television appearances such as ‘Glee’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’.
Despite hardships she faced in her youth, Kate enjoyed her time at summer camp and talks about what a beautiful setting it was. She rose to the heights of success with a great acting career. No matter what hardships you face in your life, you’re sure to have successes as well and some of them could be at summer camp. Be sure to check out Four Winds in Washington if it sounds like the right camp for you and, as always, thanks for reading.
- John