It sounds strange to say out loud, but this is my 10th summer at Camp Starlight. I first came when I was 7 years old, having only heard about camp through my parents’ incredible stories. I was excited, i imagine, although I honestly don’t remember much. What I do remember, however, is that on the second day of camp I was being shy and hadn’t really spoken to any of the girls yet. It’s a strange situation at any age to just jump right in and live with 8 girls you’ve never met before, but at 7, it was extremely nerve-wracking. We were putting on sunscreen before activity and next to me was a girl named Julia. My mom was, and still is, just a little (a lot) neurotic about sunscreen. With that, she only packed me cream sunscreen for my body, thinking that was the more protective option. But, Julia, on the other hand, had this super cool spray. I looked to her with envy and simply said, “I wish that I had sunscreen like that.” Without hesitation, she handed it to me with a smile and let me use hers. We’ve been best friends ever since. It’s weird how that happens, how things we’re unsure about seem frightening, and new situations make us nervous. On that day, my nerves turned into something beautiful almost immediately. I found myself in a similar situation this summer. After 9 unbelievable summers here as a camper, I was extremely hesitant to become a CA. Different worries and questions came to my mind and they all just sort of fell back to, “but what if it’s different?” And so, here I am, 1 week into this summer, heading to HC duty! It is very different, but in the best way possible. I’m coming closer to being the leader I always admired, and in that there is something really special. Just like on that second day of camp when I felt so nervous, but all at once it felt like home, being a CA has been an amazing and educational experience. Along with all the other lessons this place has taught me, I now know that just because it’s new does not mean it’s bad. Change can be good, and at Starlight it always is.
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