Lee students spend their summer serving at camps
Students at Lee University have kept youthful dreams alive, spending their summer vacation serving as camp counselors. Although young adults themselves, these counselors can be a big influence—even within just a week away at camp.
Stephanie Little, a sophomore elementary education major, spent her summer working at Camp All American, located in Georgia. Little worked as a group leader, taking care of a group of girls each day throughout the week. Little said her time as a group leader was very exciting.
Stephanie Little and her campers. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Little.
“I really enjoyed getting to know [the girls], and building relationships with them was my favorite part,” said Little.
Although group leaders were expected to give the same amount of attention to each of their campers, Little sometimes found this difficult as she had to find a connection with each of them in a different way.
Sophomore public relations major Angelia Bennett talked about the unexpected things that camp can sometimes bring. As an administrative assistant at Camp Centrifuge, Bennett had a lot of job responsibilities—sometimes sleeping as little as one hour per night.
Despite the exhausting days, Bennett admitted that she would not trade her experience at Camp Centrifuge for anything, and she has already submitted her application for next summer.
“You could say I found the love of my life, who was also a camp counselor named Jackson—and now we’re dating,” said Bennett.
Camp counselors are taught to deal with real issues that campers face. Grace Wassef, a sophomore business management major, felt well equipped by the staff at Lake Ann—the camp she served at. Wassef said the camp leaders placed an emphasis on ensuring that each person was seen and heard.
“We were trained [to handle problems],” she said.
Wassef even helped campers cope with the homesickness and mental health challenges that often arise when being away from home.
Each of these camp counselors retold funny memories that happened throughout the course of the summer. Wassef recalled how her experience at “the bog” really connected her to her campers.
Grace Wasseff in “the bog” at Lake Ann Camp. Photo courtsey of Grace Wasseff.
“We went to the bog, which is... the exact opposite of a swamp. And the counselors have to act like it’s just the best thing ever... it was really funny to jump into this pool of mud,” said Wassef. “I hated it, but I had to put on this happy face, and my campers were just looking at me, like, disgusted. That whole week was really funny because the campers had huge personalities,” said Wassef.
Those interested in spending their summer reliving their childhood have the unique opportunity to pursue a job as a camp counselor, influence a younger generation and have some fun while doing it.
