I am a huge camp enthusiast. I loved everything about the 10 summers I spent at camp. The music, the traditions, the activities, and especially the friendships. I learned a lot about myself over the summers, but I never realized quite how much until I moved into school.

At camp, I learned how to be comfortable in my own skin. It was the first place I was totally on my own. I was expected to clean up after myself, help out with the cabin chores, and do my part to keep the camp put together and clean. While there are obvious reasons on how this helped me to acclimate to college life, camp taught me much more than just how to make my bed and be without my parents.

At camp, we have color wars. We play games that value both athleticism and intelligence. Being apart of the team, my strengths were valued and used to our advantage. One of my favorite games is called lip-syncs. The team is split into 10 groups where they have to make up a dance and lip-sync to the lyrics.

My first summer I was super shy. I would never be the girl leading the group, and only became comfortable when I knew people well, but I had always loved to dance. I was given a solo and the cheers and support that I received from the people around me helped me to feel confident.

I found that through this game and all the cheering, support, and friendships that I built, I came home that summer a different person. More summers passed, and I would be that girl who was the first one on the stage, and the loudest girl cheering in the room.

I took this newfound confidence to school with me. I was comfortable meeting new people and confident enough in myself to be on my own. I knew how to form meaningful friendships, and of course new how to keep my room clean. I definitely thank camp for turning me into the person I am today.