This summer, I was granted the privilege to work at a summer camp in North Carolina; Camp Grier. At first, I was skeptical about what living in a camp for 10 weeks could offer. I was initially unfamiliar with camps and what they stand for so I wasn’t the most interested. Fortunately, I had many
Wabash brothers who had interned at this camp before. I thank all of them for their insight and encouragement when they saw my unsureness.
I arrived at camp the Sunday before Memorial Day. I was filled with enthusiasm and optimism as my 10-week journey was getting started. On day 1 of staff training, we were beginning our classes to get certified in first-aid response, learning to canoe on the lake, and my favorite, biking through the mountains at full speed. As I was speeding up and down the trail with my only worry being what was for dinner that day, I was hit by the most painful injury I have had to sit through, a broken clavicle. I finished our 2-week staff training with a lump on my shoulder and what should have been restricted
movement. However, I told myself I’d let my injury be a reason to do more rather than an excuse to go back home.
After the 2-week training period, we had our first week with campers. I got a glimpse of what I would do for the next 8 weeks before going into surgery. As I let my group of campers know I would be gone for the day to get surgery, they hugged me and told me they’d miss me while one kid blurted out that I would miss out on our traditional Taco Tuesday dinner. It was a reassuring moment that I was impacting young children’s lives in a positive way, and that only gave me more reasons to stay despite the discomfort; plus I really did not want to miss Taco Tuesday.
Throughout the summer, I was the caretaker of numerous amounts of kids who looked up to me while I unknowingly looked up to them. I was humbled throughout the summer by kids half my age. I was taught lessons that no adult had ever taught me. I was able to practice my patience and critical thinking skills as I had to make many decisions under stressful situations. Similarly, I became less impulsive and more understanding of the silent battles others are fighting. This made me become a better mediator for uncomfortable conversations. In addition, I got to work in an environment where we could push each other up so that we could all rise together. Communication skills were crucial to assure a safe and fun environment for the kids and all the staff.
Working a summer with kids made my career goals seem more transparent. I now am looking forward to finding different opportunities where I can connect my studies to my passion for caretaking and leading the younger generations. I owe a huge thank you to the McDougal family for taking care of me throughout my surgery process. In addition, thank you to the entire WLAIP Program for guiding me through the internship-seeking process and granting me yet another great summer experience.
