When I clicked ‘accept’ in the Naval Academy online portal a little over a year ago, I knew that my life was going to be changed forever. And voluntarily so, as I was choosing a new way of life, a new path, a new journey, for myself.

In choosing the Academy, everyone gives up a portion of their old selves to make room for a new (and improved) one.

Whether the “sacrifice” made be in the form of old habit, past experience, alternative opportunity, the story is different for everyone.

For me, this sacrifice comes in the form of leaving behind the place that made me who I am, only to enter one that would continue to shape me into who I wanted to be.

When I reported to the Naval Academy on June 30 of 2016, this new place picked up exactly where the old one left off.

That old place is none other than Camp Seafarer for Girls.

Located in Arapahoe, North Carolina, Camp Seafarer is known for its position along the “crystal coast” where the Neuse River meets the mouth of the Pamlico Sound.

Camp Seafarer is an all-female sleepaway camp that draws in girls from around the globe (no kidding) every year for spans ranging from one week to months at a time. I won’t spend the entirety of this article explaining its rich history, but it deserves to be noted: ( http://www.seagull-seafarer.org/about )

I have spent the past ten summers of my life making the drive from central North Carolina (where I am from) to this remote spot east of New Bern, this summer being no exception.

The difference, however, was that this summer the family Ford Expedition was not packed to the gills with Lands End duffel bags and Walmart mattress toppers. This year the car was driven by two teenage girls, one of whom was making a trip to the place she would never return to the same way again. This girl, of course, was me.

I started going to Seafarer as a one-week camper when I was eight, an age that many girls started attended the two or four-week sessions. My parents were unsure as to how I would react to being away for a week, so they decided to start small (call me a “late bloomer”).

Fast forward two years, I was returning to camp for my third consecutive summer, this time for a two-week session. Jump ahead six more years, and I was unpacking my things in a cabin, for the ninth year in a row, this time, instead, as a counselor working at camp for two months (safe to say, my parents made the right decision in sending me for the first time so many years before).

As a counselor, girls ranging from seniors in high school to seniors in college spend months in an open-air cabin serving as mentors and role models for young campers, a role which many of them once filled. In charge of operating the many programs that Seafarer offers for campers to experience, counselors specialize and train in activities such as sailing, powerboating, high ropes, archery, swimming, golf, the list goes on. Despite the main job of a counselor being the safety of campers, counselors are tasked with instilling and demonstrating moral values such as character, responsibility, respect, honesty and courage.

From an uncertain eight-year-old unable to let go of mommy’s hand to a confident counselor that would find herself “taking over” the same way another counselor once did, Seafarer transformed me in mind, body and spirit over the summers I spent there. Returning every year to both familiar faces and unfamiliar ones, I was sure to make friends that would last a lifetime.

Memories shared at Seafarer are ones of sunburns, Crazy Creeks, runaway Sunfish, Chocotacos, Taylor Swift and racing around the mess hall, all of which came flooding back as my sister Mary Margaret and I drove through the gates this summer.

Arriving at the back end of the staff training period, the only people on the grounds were newly trained counselors and administrative staff.

I walked into Taylor Lodge, an air-conditioned gathering hall on site, in hopes of seeing some old friends before departing the next morning. The staff meeting was scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. Sure enough, the bubbly crew of camp counselors I was once part of came pouring through the doors, right on time. Immediately greeted by former co-counselors and old friends, I was asked several times “what cabin are you in?”, assuming that I had arrived late to staff training and had just arrived for a summer of work. Unfortunately, as this was not the case, I tried my best to explain the “last hoorah” nature of my visit to camp.

When the meeting started, the 100+ excited young women that had just come through the door turned their eyes to the front of the room. Two, incredibly grounded and experienced women held their undivided attention; Elayne Steinman and Lynn Moss. As Associate Director, Elayne has worked for years developing the strong staff that make the “Seafarer magic” happen every year for young campers and counselors alike. Lynn retired this past summer after holding the position of Executive Director for over ten years, impacting the lives of thousands over the course of her 30+ year career with Seafarer (they don’t call her “Moss the Boss” for nothing!).

Both of these women have changed my life, in ways that cannot be explained through testament or tangible demonstration; I owe so much of who I am today to their efforts.

As the pair stood before the 2016 Camp Seafarer summer staff, they motioned for me to join them. Beginning to feel the tears come, I knew exactly what they were going to say.

Elayne spoke first, followed by Lynn. Both of them touched on the years I had spent at camp, how I had “changed the environment” and been “such a positive role model”. When they finished, the tears in my eyes had taken to my cheeks, and I was handed the microphone. After taking a few moments to gather myself, I looked out over the crowd of amazing women (and a few men!) to sat before me. Many of them I had grown up and experienced the magic of camp with, others I had never met before. The common tie was in the love of this place. No matter if they had been serving Seafarer since the earliest days, or had just arrived on site today. Each and every individual that sat before me was undoubtedly dedicated to the mission that Camp Seafarer upholds; changing the lives of young girls and turning them into better, more confident versions of themselves.

“Thank you for being here.” I sniffled. A few of my close friends in the audience laughed, knowing that I was not a usually emotional person. I laughed too.

“You guys don’t know the impact you have,” I continued. “All of what Elayne and Lynn just said, I owe everything I have back to the people and lessons of this place. Please keep coming back and continuing to be that difference. You never know how far it will go.”

((Although I do not remember my exact words from that evening, I hope that (through the tears) they came out as close to that as possible))

Two short weeks later, I found myself in line at the Academy’s Alumni Hall. Missing a solid foot of hair, I nervously waited to begin the new journey.

Looking back, I truly do owe my pre-plebe development to my upbringing, particularly summers spent at Seafarer. Without the support of friends, staff like Elayne and Lynn, and countless others, I would not be (even close to) where I am today.

Thank you, Camp Seafarer.

Although I may never return as a camper, counselor or even staff member, please know that I will never, ever, leave you behind.

In the Seafarer spirit,

Ps. Don't worry, this girl will hold down the house for the next few years.

"The views expressed, [in this article] reflect personal opinions of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Naval Academy, the United States navy, any federal agency, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.”