As a freshman driving up to Lot 100, I immediately wanted to turn around and drive all the way home, never looking back. I had no idea what I was getting myself into with these strangers in tutus, face paint, and sticks with painted dolls on the top of them. Reluctantly, I got out of the car and was then guided into Reed Arena where I joined other freshmen who looked just as uncomfortable as I did. Next thing I know, the counselors in my color are trying to get us to yell this random chant that was four pages long and trying to get us hyped up when I thought this camp was just to teach me about A&M's traditions and feel more prepared for college. More of these strange events happened throughout the course of my four day adventure with fish camp and little did I know, by day 4, my entire perspective had changed on not just Fish Camp, but Texas A&M in general. This camp was created to help freshmen step out of their comfort zone while also learning about the traditions and resources at Texas A&M. This Fish Camp had brought me over 100 new friends to start my freshman year with and to this day, many of them remain my closest friends. When I got off the bus at Reed on that last day, really wanting to understand what all of the inside jokes meant, I knew I would be applying to be a Fish Camp counselor.
Throughout my entire freshman year, my Fish Camp was constantly there for me in my organizations and in my daily life.I am so thankful to say that two of my best friends were placed in my path because of our time together in Camp Mumford. The people I've met through this organization have taught me a lot about myself, the potential I have, and have shown me the greater things in life that need to be enjoyed. During and after camp, I witnessed counselors effecting the lives of the other freshmen in my camp and how close the counselors stayed with each other, solidifying my decision to apply.
When I got my acceptance email in March, I truthfully had no idea what to expect in the coming months. To my surprise, there was so much work that goes on behind the scenes to make camp happen as smoothly as possible. To even more of my surprise, I was able to create a family with the counselors in my camp and today, could not imagine my life without them.
During our long work weekends, counselor trainings, and all other preparations for camp, it doesn't seem as though anything could be worth this amount of time and energy... until you see all of the freshmen in your camp enjoying themselves, making friends, and coming out of their shell during your time at camp, the very reason most of us applied to be counselors in the first place. Fish Camp strives to create an environment you can find your happiness, confidence, and realize you are accepted just the way you are. Personally, I have never felt more accepted than I do within the Fish Camp family. Now, I understand why we scream the long yells until we lose our voices, why we willingly dye our hair and pierce our faces, how all of the inside jokes bring us together, and how Fish Camp creates families. You'll hear a lot of counselors say that Lakeview is the happiest place on earth rather than Disney World because we have poured our heart and souls into creating the best freshmen experience we could while also having a blast doing it.
Leaving camp my freshman year, I thought I understood the saying, "From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. From the inside looking out, you can't explain it," but it wasn't until I left Lakeview as a counselor that I truly realized I could not explain the joy and love being a part of Fish Camp brought me. Being a counselor in Camp Burton this year has taught me so much about myself, given me a new confidence to take on the world with, and most importantly, given me a family to love and create memories with.
"We lose ourselves in the things we love. We find ourselves there, too."
