Personal Narrative: The Indian-American Summer Camp

Being entrusted to direct a summer camp for twenty-eight counselors and ninety campers has taught me to become a more versatile and confident leader. The Indian-American summer camp, from planning to production, is entirely student-run. The camp is very close to my heart as I previously was a camper. The camp allowed me to build friendships with my peers and my counselors, whom I looked up to as role models. It provided a support system for me as I was able to connect with people who could relate to me. I was incredibly humbled and driven to preserve the camp's legacy.

I was chosen for this responsibility due to my performance as a counselor the year before and my experience founding a smaller scale day camp for the kids in my neighborhood.
The camp was also nonprofit, with its donations going towards helping the community build and expand its facilities. Thus, I had to make sure to budget the money invested into the camp properly while also making sure that the camp was able to be successfully engaging on a low-budget. I was able to manage the budget and financial logistics by staying organized and prioritizing deadlines for each step of the process. I also reached out to my supervising senior directors for advice and support. In regards to the actual running of the camp itself, I had to select a group of counselors that would work well together and engage the campers. I approached the process of selecting the team by balancing personalities and assigning counselors to positions which brought out their strengths. In the process of training the counselors, I learned how and when it is necessary to delegate tasks as I was one person and they would be the ones more directly leading the campers in turn. Finally, I had to come up with an agenda which was would be practical and safe for the campers while also being fun and memorable. By getting insights into other perspectives and exploring my creativity, I was able to become a more effective
The struggles are what tested my commitment to the task and in times of stress, it was my love and compassion for the camp family that allowed me to keep trying my best. I can honestly say that serving as the director was one of the most rewarding experiences as I was able to see months of planning come to life and see the happiness in the campers. I am a current senior supervising director and am thrilled to pass this unique experience down to future directors, with the hopes that they will be able to carry and expand the legacy on for many more