What It’s Like to Work at Summer Camp

Coming to camp as both a camper and a counselor has changed my life for the better. This is a place where I can truly be myself, and everybody around me loves and accepts me for exactly who I am. I have learned leadership, patience, and understanding from coming to camp year after year. Being a counselor and being able to give each girl a camp experience as amazing as mine was is truly a blessing. I love being able to make a difference in young girls' lives by teaching them kindness and understanding, the same core values I learned from being a camper for 7 years. There's nothing better than being at Sierra Vista.

Camp gave me a home away from home. As an international student from Australia, homesickness can be a constant struggle, even in your early 20's! I spent most of my time at Rio Vista with the Elephants (oldest boys at camp) with the thought that I would teach them life in the real world after school, and the experiences I have gained from travelling across the world would benefit them. But across multiple terms and summers, it was the boys in my cabin that taught me about camaraderie, respect, and an appreciation that you can only experience at camp. And everyday I worked at Camp Rio Vista I wished that I was a camper myself. It was a truly special experience that I will always treasure.

My first summer as a counselor was also my first summer at Vista and it was everything I could have hoped for and more. I went to camp knowing no one and hoping that I made the right decision to step out of my comfort zone; little did I know that over the course of the summer, camp would become my comfort zone! I was welcomed into the Vista family immediately and I felt valued by every person I encountered. I left camp with irreplaceable friendships and lessons learned that I could not have found anywhere else. As a counselor, I got to witness the change in mindset and the continual growth of love for camp that was planted in me last summer continue and develop in campers who have been attending camp for years.

The camp environment provides an incomparable opportunity for growth. As a three-year camper and two-year counselor, I have experienced this growth and seen it first-hand. The independence someone gains at camp stays with them for a lifetime. They gain a better sense of self when surrounded by friends who accept them for who they are—regardless of quirks, size, race, or ability. The friends I made at camp are some of the people I know I can be my whole self with. And it is this independence, this maturity, this sense of self that has given me the confidence to be the best person I can be today.

My first summer as a counselor was also my first summer at Vista and it was everything I could have hoped for and more. I went to camp knowing no one and hoping that I made the right decision to step out of my comfort zone; little did I know that over the course of the summer, camp would become my comfort zone! I was welcomed into the Vista family immediately and I felt valued by every person I encountered. I left camp with irreplaceable friendships and lessons learned that I could not have found anywhere else. As a counselor, I got to witness the change in mindset and the continual growth of love for camp that was planted in me last summer continue and develop in campers who have been attending camp for years.

The camp environment provides an incomparable opportunity for growth. As a three-year camper and two-year counselor, I have experienced this growth and seen it first-hand. The independence someone gains at camp stays with them for a lifetime. They gain a better sense of self when surrounded by friends who accept them for who they are—regardless of quirks, size, race, or ability. The friends I made at camp are some of the people I know I can be my whole self with. And it is this independence, this maturity, this sense of self that has given me the confidence to be the best person I can be today.