I started working as an outdoor education instructor during my sophomore year. I had been very hesitant going into this job due to my prior experience working at a camp; but was I ever so wrong about going into this job hesitantly.

Walcamp is no ordinary, this camp means the world to me. I have been able to grow as an individual, by having the kids I teach, teach me the basic things that every adult forgets about when they enter college. I have been able to grow from a follower into a leader. I realize not everyone may love their jobs, but this is one of the jobs that I will never forget about.

Teaching kids is SOO rewarding.

I got to show kids that not all education is taught in a classroom, it is also about learning and applying everything they teach you in the classroom, outside the classroom. One of the most rewarding experiences is when I get kids that ask me to stay longer than I’m scheduled with that group.

My camp name made it real.

When I started at Walcamp I was told I needed to pick a camp name/nickname or one would be chosen for me. The point of having a camp name is if we have multiple students with the same name or a student with the same name as the teacher/counselor and someone gets hurt they just have to scream the camp name as loud as they can and we drop everything and get to that student. I started having kids come up with camp names during the activities I led, but couldn’t find one that actually meant something. After about my first year at Walcamp, I had received training in multiple departments and started doing the little things that made the biggest difference for other employees and became Tinkerbell. I was the person that did the little thing without even being asked to and people turning around for five minutes I would poof in and do the little things that needed to be.

I got to be the fun adult.

I got to participate in the activities I was leading but also learning the little things that I had forgot I enjoyed as a kid, like looking at the birds, going hiking, playing tag, etc. The other most fun and rewarding experience I got was when I got the kids to nag my boss about the little things in life, like “Why are the leaves green? Why are we doing a pioneer lesson instead of canoeing?”

I became more optimistic and confident.

I got to learn that I had to make things work my way and make sure I was comfortable. If I didn’t feel like I could lead a group of students by myself, I had to speak up and ask for help so I didn’t put the kids in danger or myself. I learned that everyone has a different way of learning and teaching. My boss and I have different ways of teaching I prefer to have a lesson to help guide me and my boss likes to jump feet first into the river.

I came to love nature, AGAIN.

I grew up with an outdoorsy family so we were always gardening, fishing, boating. I came to hate nature while I was in middle school because we were learning about photosynthesis, and plant reproduction and so forth. When I started working at Walcamp, I still didn’t care for nature. About a year at Walcamp I started noticing the cute outdoor animals again and how green it was, and just cannot stand being indoors when it is sunny out.

I gained another family.

I have had some awesome co-workers at Walcamp, that have supported me in some really tough situations and decisions. My direct supervisor has become a huge part of my support system this last year, there has been some really tough situations where I was struggling as a student and a Christian and just started checking in on me when I needed it the most, to make sure I remembered who I was in those difficult moments and that I had the support of my work family in what I was doing, in the long road ahead. The rest of my co-workers have been supportive in all different ways and have taught me many things about myself I didn't know about myself and many things I had to learn about them as well. Having co-workers that feel just like family makes it incredibly easy to work together and the kids that come to camp can feel that the camp has a family bond, a support network, and we don’t make it seem like work around the kids we teach. We all love what we do there even in the difficult times we have.

I gained great friends.

My co-workers have become a great support network for me. I can rely on them for support when going through hard situations. They can count on me if they need something, or need a sub-ins. I can talk with any of them about anything that is going on in my life or their life. Having co-workers that you can talk to about anything is really helpful, in getting a fresh perspective on any drama that could be going on with one of us.