My name is Lou "Howlin' Hippo" Seaman. I am originally from Michigan and spent the first half of my life there. I graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelors degree in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. While working on my degree, I was also a full-time Program Director for YMCA Camp Eberhart, the camp where I grew up.
Soon after graduating, I relocated to Orlando, Florida to work for the Walt Disney Company. I had a lot of great experiences working for Disney. Everything from animal education to bus transportation. Part of my Y Guides name comes from my time at animal kingdom teaching people about Hippos and other African animals while I was a safari guide. After working for Disney for almost a decade, I had an awesome opportunity to get back to my camping roots and run YMCA Camp Wewa as Co-Director with my wife, Sarah. We led Camp Wewa for 3 summers together. One summer, the counselors gave me the nickname "The Hippo" because I was surprisingly fast on land and in the water. The fact that I am always hungry and looking for a snack probably had nothing to do with the nickname. After three summers, we decided to relocate to the Raleigh area and try something new. I was fortunate enough to get a job working for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA as their Senior Youth Director.
I just recently became a father of two sweet identical twin girls. So as my life changed, I thought so should my career. I am excited to join the Y Guides team and get to know all the Captains and Crews.
Sincerely,