Essay 2: Journey of the Heart

When I was growing up, my summers were spent at day camp. As a camper, I was in a group with other young people my age led by a counselor who was typically in high school or college and a junior counselor who was typically in junior high/middle school. They engaged us in arts and crafts, archery, canoeing, and horse-related activities. They were cool. They knew my name and were excited for me as I tried new things. I wanted to be just like them.

When I was entering seventh grade, I had my first opportunity to be a counselor-in-training (CIT). This was a two-week program where middleschool students could learn the leadership skills needed to be a volunteer junior counselor. After going through the training, I was devastated when I was declined. It meant repeating CIT training the next summer, which I did. I returned the next year as a CIT a bit more mature and confident, met my future best friends, and was invited to return as a junior counselor. I absolutely loved everything about working at camp. I loved it so much that I returned the following seven summers as a junior counselor, working my way up to senior counselor and eventually assistant director and then lead horse barn director.