Camp does wonderful things for our Staff as well! Check out this college essay from a Meadowbrook Counselor. It was good enough to get her accepted Early Decision at her first choice college as an education major! Enjoy.
If life is like a book filled with many chapters, this situation was a single page in one of my several camp chapters. Meadowbrook Country Day Camp is my favorite chapter. For three summers, I have worked there as a group counselor and a bus counselor. The experience has helped me gain self-confidence and helped me identify strengths that allowed me to discover my interest in early childhood education. Before Meadowbrook, I had previous camp adventures. All of those prior experiences, positive and negative, helped prepare me for my summer at Meadowbrook.
As a young teen I spent a few summers at sleep-away camp. Many of the girls had been there for a few summers and had already formed their cliques, which made it hard to make friends and to fit in. At sports I would be chosen last and often felt excluded from activities. This left me feeling uncertain about myself, wondering why I wasn’t easily welcomed into their group. Based on those summers, working at a camp may seem a bit ludicrous. However, I knew that in spite of everything, I was determined to try again and help make summer a fun time for others.
The first few days at Meadowbrook were a little disorienting, but I managed to figure it out with help from others. Many staff members besides me were new, which made it easy to make friends. I found friends who had opinions and input that I valued. Returning staff members helped me adjust to my new camp, from showing me around the grounds to giving me advice on day-to-day trouble shooting. My co-counselors and I were able to work together to maximize the fun for our campers and for ourselves. I learned that by persevering and trying new experiences, past chapters are merely stepping stones to build on.
On my bus were campers that ranged from age four to age twelve, and it was hard to find a game that pleased them all. Children need constant entertainment and engagement in activities. They get bored easily, and I did not receive a manual during orientation with instructions on how to address each and every situation that can arise. Instead of playing the suggested games exactly as the directions instructed, I manipulated them or created new games so everyone was able to participate and have fun. One of the favorites was counselor charades, because the campers were able to pick an action or character and the other staff members and I made complete fools of ourselves. From acting out the role of Dory from Pixar’s Finding Nemo to singing with the other staff as the Backstreet Boys, we always had a blast. Music was always playing and cheers were always being sung. Our bus was exploding with so much spirit that we won the Bus Spirit Award.
The impact Meadowbrook and Roz and Jed Buck, owners and directors of the camp, have had on me will positively affect me for the rest of my life. This experience has allowed me to identify and focus on my strengths and interests. I have learned how to work with others and how to be patient and encouraging. Now, I am able to trust myself and my decisions. I have become more creative and imaginative in my problem solving methods and in my leadership skills. Working as a group counselor with four-year olds and as a bus counselor has helped me learn how to think on my feet. My experience taught me how to help campers have the best time, and for me I have nothing except, in the words of Roz and Jed, “positive, indelible summer memories”. In addition to these memories, Meadowbrook has helped me overcome my insecurities and has increased my confidence so I am ready to move on to the next chapter in my book of life.
