From Camper to Director: A Full-Circle Journey at the Y

That little girl in the photograph—grinning by the lake at Cedar Ridge outdoor summer camp—grew up to run the programs she once loved. Christina Faulkenburg has been part of Northeast Family YMCA for most of her life, and today, as Youth Development Director, she's doing what she was shaped to do: pouring into kids the same way others poured into her.

Christina's family moved to Louisville in 1995, and the YMCA became their anchor. Over the years, she learned to swim through swim lessons, was part of the swim team, attended summer camps and after school programs, played soccer, and even celebrated her 11th birthday with a pool party in the Northeast Y pool. 

"My family moved to Louisville in 1995 and the YMCA was our first home for many things." — Christina Faulkenburg, Youth Development Director

Her professional journey at the Y started in 2005, when she began lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons at Northeast. Life took its turns—college, starting a family—but the Y kept calling her back. In 2016, she returned for a second job, again as a lifeguard and swim instructor, eventually expanding into healthy living and summer day camps. By spring 2021, she was back full time, and she's never looked back.

That photo she's holding? It was taken when Christina was eight years old, at the lake during Cedar Ridge's outdoor summer camp. The Northeast Family Y partnered with Cedar Ridge to bus campers out to the property each day, giving kids from the city a real outdoor experience. From 2019 to 2024, Christina got to experience that same magic all over again, this time as a parent watching her own children make memories at the same lake.

"Being the Youth Development Director has given me the opportunity to pour into our young the same way others have poured into me. I get to pay it forward." — Christina Faulkenburg

For Christina, the YMCA isn't just where she works—it's where she was built. The values she internalized as a child still walk the hallways with her, and every day she goes home with her cup full.

"I am a huge advocate that our future will be brighter as long as we continue to invest in our youth," she says. "They are the next generation of leaders."

Christina's story is a reminder of what a career at the Y can become: not just a paycheck, but a full-circle life. 

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