Theater camp isn't all fancy clothes and Broadway shows. You must have the fortitude to brave the sunny soccer fields, the swiftness to play every camper at card games like Spit, and the good fortune of signing up before the camp is filled by early May. As an alum of the program, I am humbled to have tested these trials in a time when counselors confiscated Gameboys, not smartphones. Throughout high school and college, I had the privilege of returning as a counselor. Without a doubt, summers at theater camp were nourishing for the heart, the soul, and the vocal chords.

Many counselors in any day camp will agree that it's the kids that make the camp. Theater camp, along with the other camps in my New Jersey hometown, has always been a diverse group. Kids come from neighboring towns and range in age from eight to fifteen. Every child comes in with their own habits and interests and leaves with new hobbies and potential that they would not have considered before. Playing battleship with the shier kids on the first day and watching them all become best of friends by the last day is amazing. Seeing the originality shine in the campers while they rehearse for their end-of-summer musical is endearing. I have these kids to thank for many summers full of laughter, theater games, and build of character.

The camp would not be the same without the nurturing dynamic we set as counselors. I've met incredibly talented people who dedicate their summers to educating children on the theater arts. These people are teachers, dance instructors, play and musical directors, and professional light and sound operators among other full-time occupations. Some of us were college students majoring in anything from business to communications to sciences. We all found a deep passion for the arts. For me, nothing could beat passing on that motivation to kids in my community.

So it's no wonder I hit a wall of nostalgia for theater camp this past August. While I cherish my experience in biomedical engineering research this summer, I definitely learned that I flourish while working alongside groups of people who are wholeheartedly dedicated to their craft. I enjoy passing on the torch to campers and forming single-file lines to enter the Broadway shows or water parks. These are times I will always treasure moving forward in my career.

You can take the girl out of theater, but you can never take theater out of the girl.