Dear Girl Scout Camp,

I first came to you in first grade, but saw you for the last time when I was 19. I came to you as a camper scared of the journey ahead and left as a counselor prepared to leave. As I look back on growing up, you were a major part of it.

Thank you for the times you forced me to speak. Before you, the words I said to myself in my head never touched your fresh air. Before you, I learned to be “normal” because to be weird was to be mocked. You showed me that normal was only a setting on a washing machine. Thank you for forcing my voice and weird out of me. Thanks to you, my head's a little less crowded. You forced me into situations that challenged me, forced me to speak up and taught me my voice mattered.

Thank you for the opportunity to learn what nature had to give. Thanks to you, I learned what plants were edible versus the ones that could give me rashes. You showed me trees that towered over me, lakes that shined in the sun and paths that lead to secret hideaways. You showed me nature uninterrupted by cars, buildings and cell phones. Thank you for giving me the nature that gave me my memories.

Thank you for giving me 12 years of memories with some people that changed my life. Without my troop, I wouldn't be the person I am today. A troop is more than just a number, but a steady reminder of what friendship should be. My troop never camped together, but I brought the number with me. When I showed up to camp, I was my troop number.

Thank you for giving me role models that taught me how to be strong. The counselors’ crazy antics were entertaining, but the real moments with them mattered more. You gave me counselors that handled a trivial tent disagreement well—an activity that had a bigger lesson—and lead by example. I’m grateful for the times counselors disciplined and cheered me on. I’m grateful for the times that the counselors heard the beginning whispers of friendship late at night, but chose to ignore it. Thank you for giving me so much, but getting so little credit.

A special thanks to a home away from home, filled with adventures I’ve never seen or would have experienced. Girl Scout camp is a shaping force hidden underneath loud songs and games. It sets you apart from those who haven’t felt the feeling of fast friendship and dancing like nobody's watching. Thank you for your settings, lessons and impacts that reached far beyond childhood.