During my sophomore year in high school, I went to visit my Aunt Terry and Uncle Majid during the summer. They registered me for summer camp at George Mason University where I took classes to learn about computer projects, and did other fun activities.

Towards the beginning, I was a little nervous because it was my first time at a university, but still very excited since it was also something fun to experience. The moment I arrived at GMU, I started to smile because standing on a college campus filled my soul with delight and by the conclusion of the program; my brain would be packed with new knowledge.

The first week that I spent there was awesome. I met the camp counselors, CITS, and other campers. After spending time playing fun games, eating at the café and working on fun digital projects that would be presented at the end of the week, I stayed at one of the dormitories on campus, which further added to the overall experience. Though it took some time adjusting with the schedule, I found this summer camp program to be a great opportunity to express my creativity, gain more computer skills, and have a fun time.

There were some crazy moments during my time at summer camp, such as building a weird Rube Goldberg device like the ones featured on Myth Busters, but there was never a day where I felt bored or wanted to leave.

When I presented the first project (a funny Dr. Phil podcast) with my team, I was proud of the final result after helping my team with selecting photos, editing, and voice recording, because everyone laughed and cheered at the creativity and effort, and this increased my confidence during my second week of camp.

During my last week, I played different games with the other campers like Rock Band and Halo 3. We also helped to construct another Rube Goldberg machine using wooden blocks and other objects. Then we showed the project (a Team Fortress machinima). Even though, I had one line in the video, I appreciate the work everyone contributed to it.

My passion towards design, further developed after I learned how to make computer projects. It felt good spending time away from social media to gain knowledge, skills, and make new friends. I realized that college life appeared to be less terrifying as I thought it would, and I became interested in attending a university to pursue my Associate's and then Bachelor's Degree in graphic design. Gaining a growth mindset while still in high school put me on the path towards success. I just needed to meet the right people and make smart decisions to reach my goals.

My Aunt Terry and Uncle Majid took me to Virginia Beach for my birthday the week after my last day of camp. I'm thankful that they allowed me to stay at their house during the weekend. They were proud of everything that I had accomplished and glad that I had a fun time at the summer camp. It felt great going to a university for the first time, and enjoying the experience.

Even though, I went on to finishing my high school education, attended a community college, and then eventually completed my Bachelor's Degree at Stony Brook University (which I think is an amazing college), I will always remember the two weeks that I spent at George Mason University. The place that opened up my creative mind, gave me an insight towards the subject that eventually became my area of study, and changed my life forever.