The school year was winding down. Everyone was preparing for finals and I was wondering what I'd do for my summer break. Someone came to my church to recruit teens to work as counselors at a summer camp. The camp mission was to provide a positive camp experience for disadvantaged youth who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend camp. Initially the idea appealed to me. Later I began to understand the high-level of commitment required and how much time and effort it would take to work at the camp. I began to wonder if I really wanted to spend my summer vacation working as a camp counselor. My free time during summer break would be occupied and I wouldn't have as much time to spend with my friends. I also found that I had to wake up early since the staff had to report an hour earlier than the campers and the camp was nearly an hour away. On the other hand I knew I would have the chance to make a difference in the lives of many kids and have fun at the same time. Working at camp would give me the opportunity to meet new people and gain experience in working with and mentoring children. Developing these skills would be helpful with my goal to become a child psychiatrist. I decided to interview and I was hired. Although I missed my old friends, while working at camp I was able to make new friends with other camp counselors. I'm glad that I chose to work at camp. It was a rewarding experience and personally very gratifying. I've been told by some campers that I made a difference in their lives. The experience was invaluable because this life-laboratory gave me the opportunity to work with children of various ages, personalities, and backgrounds. This experience taught me how to relate to and guide a variety of different children. I acquired some of the skills needed in order to be successful in the future as a child psychiatrist.
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