I was so excited, I could hear my heart thump wildly in my chest. But how could I not be? I was about to embark on yet another summer of adventure, one filled with laughter, children, best friends, and fun. I watched as the rolling hills turned into vast mountains, felt the temperature drop to a chilly degree. The sun was set high in the sky, eager for the summer that was about to start.

My heart rate skyrocketed as I turned onto the familiar stretch of highway that would lead me to my destination. How many new friends would I make this summer? Would I get to work at the Ropes Course again? How many campers will we have these next few months? What does this amazing place have in store for me this summer? All of these questions tumbled at me as the Camp Harrison Herring Ridge sign came into view...

For the past two years (and this upcoming summer, too!) I have been a camp counselor at YMCA Camp Harrison in Boomer, North Carolina. And I can honestly say that not only has it been the best job I have ever had, but it’s been the most important aspect that has shaped my life into the person I am today. Whenever I think of camp and the many beautiful people I have met through this amazing establishment, I can’t stop the smiles that come.

I have met so many people here who I couldn’t imagine my life without, and who encourage me every day to be the person I am meant to be. From my co-counselors to my leadership staff, to the bosses who encourage us unconditionally throughout the summer, I am eternally blessed for the second family I have gained. But not only am I thankful for the people I have met through my 10 years at camp (yes, a decade!), I cannot leave out how the camp in itself has shaped my view on the world.

From the high ropes course and its rock climbing walls, I learned confidence. From the crisp air of the forest to the wide peak of the mountains, I learned respect. I learned firsthand how beautiful God’s world was, and how I could help keep it that way. From hikes to the waterfall and the tips of the mountaintop trails, I learned strength.

Strength of body and strength of mind. And from the many hours spent watching kids, teaching them new things, tying their shoes, and teaching them new camp songs, I learned responsibility and faith. And from my counselors around me, I learned love. Love for myself and love for camp. A love that was so strong, so brilliant, it has kept me coming back for over 10 years now.

I knew I wanted to be one of those counselors that brought that kind of love with them. I wanted to be the positive influence in a child’s life that so many counselors before had been for me. I wanted to encourage a child do something they never thought they could do, enabling them to gain a newfound confidence they could take back home with them.

I wanted to teach campers about faith and God and each other, and have them experience new friendships that would last them throughout their lives. And every time a camper asked me to tie their shoes, or give them advice, or help them get their harnesses or life jackets for activities, I cannot tell you enough about the love and joy that overwhelmed my heart every single time.

Camp is one of those places where you can be the person you’re meant to be, even if you’re not ready to do that at school or home just yet. Camp is a family of counselors and staff that grow off of one another, that encourage each other, that place their dreams behind yours just so they can see you succeed. We are always happy for one another, and we are always gracious for one another’s friendship.

Camp teaches people to love, to strive, to make lasting memories. If ever a place teaches you altruism and compassion, it is camp. Being a counselor means putting others before yourself, in the best way possible. It means letting a kid have another cookie, even if it meant you won’t be getting any dessert that day. It means patience, even if that was explaining the rules five different times.

Being a camp counselor means sacrifice, like letting a kid go down the zip-line one last time even if it’s time for you to be off. It means self-respect, because how could you be role models to children if you weren’t a role model for yourself? Being a camp counselor means being someone others want to be, someone who can be trusted, leaned on. Every summer, for both my campers and my amazing co-counselors, I strive to be all of that and more.

Camp Harrison is a beautiful place, filled with adventure and memories that bring different people together every single season. It is a place of pure wonder and love that brings hundreds of children and staff to its borders every summer, one filled with zip lines and kayaks, hiking and swimming. We sing songs, we play games, we eat crazy meals and play in the rain. But most importantly, we love each other.

Every year I get kids who thank me for impacting them so strongly that summer. And so I hug them tightly and tell them I’ll see them next year, that it’s not me who has impacted them, but them who have impacted me.