Jonathan Silva ’24 — First, I want to start by thanking Alumni Mr. Bill Butcher, Mr. Kaplan, and WLAIP for this amazing opportunity. Thanks to Mr. Bill Butcher, Wabash connected with Camp Grier (the institution I work for) in North Carolina. Mr. Kaplan and the amazing career service team helped me secure this internship by advising and guiding me through the process. Also, WLAIP helped me prepare mentally by showing me how to get rid of any imposter syndrome left in me and teaching me new ways to develop as a person. Finally, WLAIP was the first place where I heard about Camp Grier, and they helped me financially get all the way here. Thank you so much, WLAIP!
Like I mentioned before, I work at a summer camp named Camp Grier in Old Fort, North Carolina. I work here as a camp counselor. With other peers of my age, I supervised and managed activities for campers while maintaining the health and safety during COVID times. The campers’ ages varied as young as 2nd grade to rising 12th graders. A typical day for me includes waking up at 7:30 am, taking the kid’s temperatures, taking them to breakfast, doing activities from 9:00 am-12:00 pm, getting lunch, doing activities from 1:00 pm-6:00 pm, getting dinner, and finally doing activities from 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm. Activities range from going to the pool, canoeing in the lake, going to the camp’s farm, and visiting amazing natural places, like the fire tower (a place where you hike for a mile, but get to see all the mountains we have nearby).
While this job might look exhausting, the rewards are impossible to describe. This job has taught me so much about resilience, discipline, self-control, and patience. Also, it constantly shows me the beauty of the world and the beauty of humans (something that is hard to find in this time of division). For example, in my first week I had the youngest campers. While it was sometimes tiring and hard to keep functioning with a smile, their smiles and energy always kept me going. Hearing them call me “Mr. Jonathan” was something that made me laugh and feel so happy. I saw how they grew and developed as kids. Once, one of these young campers wanted to go back home and was crying. The next day, he went to the lake, went to the canoes, and had a fantastic time. After this, he told me: “Mr. Jonathan I had so much fun, I do miss home, but I am liking here a lot.” This was something amazing to experience.
Now, I am at the end of my third week. I transitioned from taking care of the youngest to the oldest by having teens from 10th -12th graders in a two-week group. This week has taught me a lot about resilience since I had almost no breaks at all. However, the kids have inspired and motivated me to keep pushing. Having conversations with them including what they want to do when they get older, what their ideologies are, and what their spiritual life looks like has helped me see new perspectives and grow spiritually. Seeing my camper, Anastasia, climb a rock in a mountain inspires me to have no fears. Seeing my other campers, Grace, and Avery, being awesome friends, teaches me to cultivate healthy and productive relationships with others. Seeing my camper, Emma, make silly faces reminds me never to forget to smile. Finally, spending time with the boy campers, Will, Omar, Chase, and Grayson, remind me of my old self. A responsible young man who loved adventures, loved to have fun and was willing to live every day like it was his last. When I came to camp, I thought that I would teach the campers life lessons and guide them. While I still do that, I have realized that the campers are some excellent teachers as well.
