First Year at Camp: 2011 (Started as a camper)

Bit About Me: My first year at camp was in 2011. At just 13 years old, I was a brand new camper and had never before gone away to a camp – let alone a sleep-away camp. I knew few people with diabetes, barely the amount that I could count on one hand, and none of which were same-age peers living with T1D. I took a chance that summer to spend a week away from home amongst a community that I had never met before – and despite all of my doubts and nerves – I don’t regret a thing. If I had the chance, I would go back and do it all over again! 

In 2014, I became a CIT and started my journey of becoming a counselor. By 2016, I was a counselor and had worked with our youngest campers (ages 8, 9, and 10) for the previous two years. Just two more years later in 2018, I became the head counselor and program director for our then newly-titled “Leadership-In-Training” program. I have been with the program ever since and whole-hearted enjoy every year that I am able to connect with our young adults and their families.

Memory: My favorite memory originates from my first year at camp back in 2013. I believe it was a Thursday night following our big camp dance. Our cabin, along with a small group of campers from the other conjoining cabins, made our way up to the top part of the campground where we overlooked the rest of the community below. We entered a large grassy field and walked out into its center. It was there that we were met by an older gentleman and a telescope. He introduced himself and gave no hints as to what we were to expect when we looked through the telescope. The anticipation was high that evening as we all laughed, played, and danced in the field for what felt like hours as he peered through his telescope into the night sky. None of us knew what he was looking for, but we knew that whatever it was had to be special and hard to find. Before long, we were all lined up to take our turn to look through the telescope.