As I become more excited every day to begin my new summer job as a Residential Proctor at Project Contemporary Competitiveness Advanced Studies Program (PCC) in less than a month, I cannot help but look back and reflect on my experience as a student in this summer camp. It honestly changed my life.

I attended the camp in 2013 and 2014, and these summers helped shape me into the person I am today.

PCC is a six week summer camp held at Stonehill College where students from junior high and high school grade levels have the opportunity to live on a college campus, take classes in areas they are interested in, and meet new people. It is one of those programs where you do not truly understand how life changing it is until you experience it, but I will try to relay some of the magic.

When most students hear the phrase “Advanced Studies Program," they are instantly turned away at the thought of spending their summer doing school-related things, the last thing most kids want to do during their coveted months of freedom and relaxation. These people do not know how special attending PCC really is, and how it is so much more beyond an advanced studies program.

For starters, the classes you can choose from at PCC are not your ordinary school courses. You can take advantage of opportunities such as learning how to fly a plane (and actually doing it), performing in a band, dance, or improv show, painting, learning to work with children, or learning about television production. This is a first opportunity for students to start seeing the exciting future they can have in college.

Although this program is not exactly the experiences you will have in college, it is certaintly a good start. Students get to live in real college dorms with a roommate, hallmates, and a shared bathroom, as well as eat in the dining halls. Beyond the living situations, going to a camp such as PCC shows students how to make friends from different locations and backgrounds, an important part of succeeding in college.

Another extraordinary part of being a student at PCC is the proctor staff. Residential proctors each lead their own hall of students, help in classes, and plan activities for recreational time as well as hall events. These individuals are an essential part of the program’s success and ability — they connect with and mentor the students in a way that you would not expect or even understand if you have not experienced this connection for yourself.

If I had not attended PCC, I would not have become a leader, would not have had such a smooth transition into college life, and would not have met some of the amazing people that I call friends and mentors to this day, even four years after my time at the program. PCC became a home to me and so many others, and I am humbled to be able to give back to a program that gave so much to me.