My Mentor Reflection

I still remember the first step I took on the gravel road, wide-eyed and wary. Of the entirety of my 12 years on this earth, I was going to be away from my friends and family for the first time. When I told my friends I was going away to Camp Speers for a week they all had similar reactions, usually along the lines of “You mean that place we visited in 6th grade with the powdered eggs?” Most confused on why I would choose to spend a week of my summer getting eaten by mosquitos and away from the comfort of dramatic TV shows and a computer mouse. These concerns clouded my mind as I walked through the door of Cabin 9, only to be cleared away by the warm greeting of my new cabin-mates and counselor. As the week went on, I learned a variety of
The 4 weeks being when I decided to take their Counselor in Training program. This program let me grow as a leader and human being as I trudged through 4 weeks of hiking, team building, lifeguard training, and in-cabin experiences with campers. Along-side the other CIT’s and with the help of my amazing counselors, or as we called them, “Mom” and “Dad”, I became comfortable with my ability as a counselor and comfortable with myself in general. Getting past the rigorous life-guard training, finishing a 20 mile (well, 25 mile since my counselors got us just a little bit lost), and being able to handle a cabin full of hyper-active 8 year olds, proved to me that I can do most things if I really put my heart into it. I ended the program with an evaluation my mom would be proud to stick on the fridge, and later was one of the 4 CIT girls (out of 12) to be invited back as a
I wasn’t there anymore to have fun, be care-free, and learn; I was there to teach, and take care of my campers. This change not only affected my role at camp, but at my home too. The sudden realization that I was now old enough to be taking care of 10 children, with their parents full trust in me, hit me. I was no longer a child, moving through life without a care in the world...I was an adult. I may have only been 16 at the time I realized this, but the responsibilities that had been put on my shoulders made me realize that the role of being an adult doesn't just start when you turn 18. Ever since I left that CIT program, something in me was different. I was working harder at school, and I was working harder in general. Within a year, I went from learning from the counselor I would call “Mom” to being called mom by my