Six years ago, I made the decision to go back to Playmakers Performing Arts Camp.

I grew up going to Playmakers, but tried a few different camps along the way. I was afraid that it might be strange coming back after being absent for a few years, but I was wrong. As counselor after counselor ran up to me to say hi and give me a hug, I knew that I had made the right choice to return to camp. That’s one thing I love about camp: it's a warm and welcoming environment. I only knew one other girl my age, someone I had briefly met before, someone that would end up becoming one of my best friends. That’s another thing I love about camp, its ability to create the closest of friends in such a short period of time.

That summer at Playmakers Camp is important, because it made me realize that I wanted to be a camp counselor. After participating in Movilim, the staff-in-training program, I had a clear understanding of how to be a camp counselor. I also now knew how to effectively interact with younger children.

What I thought was just another summer ended up turning into the way I spent my summers for years to come.

Playmakers Camp is special; it makes you feel like you can do anything that you put your mind to, that nothing is impossible. You try new things. You face fears that you once had. You work with some of the greatest people, which then turn into some of the greatest friends you’ll ever have. At the end of the summer, you leave with a new found confidence. Playmakers isn’t just a camp, it’s a comfortable and happy place, a place that so many consider home.

The summer after Movilim, I returned back to Playmakers Camp as a counselor. I just couldn’t stay away; I absolutely loved interacting and working with campers. Summer after summer, year after year, I became really close with so many different kids. Being a camp counselor is beyond rewarding; you create so many bonds with different campers, each one impacting you in one way or another. So many campers have left a mark on me and have taught me so much about being an effective camp counselor. More importantly, my campers have taught me a lot about myself.

Here’s the best part of the story.

Going into my freshman year of college, I was a psychology major with the hope of becoming “the world’s next best lawyer.” Why, though? I would ask myself, and I could never answer it. I didn’t think I knew what I wanted to do when I “grew up.” But, deep down, I did.

Second semester of freshman year, I took an intro education class. Immediately, I felt like I was back at camp; in class, we learned how to be teachers, and effective ones at that. Through guided reading and in-class activities, we obtained the tools and skills needed in order to be a great teacher. My favorite part of class, though, was service learning. Each week, I worked with a local 4^th grade class. Just like camp, I instantly became close with my students and created a special bond with them. Just like camp, my students impacted my life.

And just like that, the light bulb went off in my head. I switched my major to early childhood education with the hope of becoming the “world’s best teacher.”

At camp, we encourage our campers to be their best self. We teach them, we help them, we care for them. We realize just how smart, creative, and generally incredible they are. Our campers reinforce the fact that we truly have the best job in the world. There really is no better feeling than hearing from a child’s parent(s) that “Brookie Bear” has impacted their child’s life. My campers have impacted my life.

This is my first summer away from camp in a long time. A lot has changed since last summer, and a lot will be changing for me soon. Along with all of these changes, I decided to try something new. Even though I’m gone for now, I am so thankful to have taken away so much from camp.

Without Playmakers, I never would’ve found my “thing.” I’ve learned from the best, and have become someone who is meant to work with children. I want to help children and encourage them to be the best they possibly can be. I want to impact their lives the way they’ve impacted mine.

Playmakers Performing Arts Camp has morphed me into someone I am so proud to be, and am so looking forward to impacting my future students’ lives the way that Playmakers has impacted mine.