This I Believe

I believe that the experiences that are created at summer camp hold a magic
that is near impossible to replicate. It is hard to understand what Im talking about
if you havent had a camp experience of your own, but immediately relatable for
those who have. There has been no stronger influence in my life than the camp I
have been spending my summers at for the past nine years. It has been the most
stable, and reliable force I have encountered, and shaped me in a way that is
beyond measure. As a fourteen year old whose sister was headed off to college
just as her parents marriage began to unravel, having this stable family of women
and the guarantee that no matter what happened during the off-season, camp
would always be there, gave me something to hold on to when everything else
turned to turmoil. This has been a theme in my life for each of the nine years that
have been tied to camp.
When I began high school and became isolated from many of my friends, the
connections I made with my cabin mates from the summer gave me a foundation
of intimate relationships that lasted throughout the year. That year I quit soccer,
stopped talking, and made myself sick with worry each day at school. Looking
back I worry what else would have come with these things had it not been for
Mina, my counselor at camp that summer. As staff, counselors are not allowed to
contact campers outside camp. But during that first year we had become like
sisters, and she took the risk of giving me her email address so that I could talk to
her if there was anything I needed. After sending her a thank you email as soon as
I got home, a three-year long correspondence of daily emails ensued. We would
type up a little paragraph about our day, congratulate each other on successes,
offer our love and support where it was needed, and most importantly, laugh
together. These emails got me through my rough year, and my bond with Mina
taught me the beauty and truth in what a close friendship really is.
I spent my fourth year at camp as a staff member, in the first employed
position I ever had. Not only did camp teach me the technicalities of having a job
and how to professionally interact with coworkers and parents, but it taught me
how to reflect upon areas in which I should seek growth and confidently claim the
areas in which I was strong. Being responsible and advocating for my cabin of

campers made doing the same for myself quickly turn into second nature. I grew
up a lot that summer, and I began to find a passion for working with people and
helping them grow too.
With this came even more self-reflection on what made me happiest in life
and who I wanted to be. It was this summer that I decided to live freely within one
of my identities that I had been shamefully pushing to the back of my mind for
years. Given that my camp is an all-girls residential camp where people are
celebrated for being themselves, coming out was as easy as walking out of my
cabin each day. I started dating one of my coworkers, and naturally our private
lives were quickly known by everyone on staff. There were no hurtful words,
questions, or side-glances. It was just accepted as it was; two of everyones
friends loving spending time together and finding a shared happiness.
But just as with most other things at camp, our safety bubble of acceptance
popped quite quickly. The summer ended, and I realized I could either keep it as
that, or find a way to let my summer bleed into all the other parts of my life.
I came out to my sister during the fall after that year, and then to two of my
closest friends and my parents in the winter. All reactions were positive and full of
love, and I was grateful to be able to take full ownership over who I was.
Eventually, hiding things from everyone else just seemed like a pointless waste of
effort so I told my extended family, changed my relationship status online, and
brought my girlfriend to prom. To do this all confidently and firmly, I had to pull from
the experiences and foundation I had built at camp. I knew that I had to fully take
ownership over each piece of my life, from the way I dress, who I spend time with,
my beliefs, what I choose to talk about, to how I choose to look at each task and
day ahead. Had I not learned that this was possible and important to do at camp, I
would not have been able to let this lead me throughout the rest of my life.
Just as camp had impacted my transition to high school, it had such a
significant role in my transition to college. I chose to attend the University of New
Hampshire largely because I had fallen in love with New Hampshire from going to
camp there for years. I felt comfortable on campus as soon as I visited, and
trusted that feeling. Magic had happened in New Hampshire before, and I hoped it
would happen again with college. Camp led me to UNH, to choosing my
undergraduate degree in Recreation Management and Policy and Youth

Development, and to becoming an RA. Friends I had made at camp brought me

into the world of Residential Life, and seeing the similarities between my role as a
camp counselor and the role of an RA, I could not turn away.
Until I began working in Residential Life, camp had been a completely
unique experience to me. Camp creates this bubble of safety and acceptance for
those who go; one that is both separated from the outside world and permeates
through the outside world. It is the only environment that I have experienced so far
where the goal is to simply have fun, make friends, and learn about yourself. With
this last piece comes growth, independence, confidence, and a strong central core
of values. At school, kids are expected to learn and grow academically. On the
sports field, they are expected to excel athletically. Whether it be in the concert
hall, art studio, practice room, or whatever location, young people are expected to
learn and grow by adapting to the standards set by that disciple. There is no where
else where young people are given intentional focus on developing just as they
are. Just as kicking a ball or playing a note takes practice, being kind, responsible,
honest, and fair takes practice before it is mastered. Confidence and
independence must be learned and fostered. There is no setting where this is all
given intentional focus like it is at camp.
But recently, through working with Residential Life and learning about the
goals and missions of this department, I am optimistic that this magic I see in
camp is happening in other places. Not everyone has the opportunity to go to
camp, to be touched in so many ways as I have been and seen in my campers.
But with the opportunity I have in front of me now, I believe it can be replicated,
and spread even further. Magic is created when people are celebrated for coming
just as they are and supported by friendships that are true. This is what I believe.