Personality Factory

by Ella Zoller, 14 years old -- an essay written for boarding school applications about "an experience that changed your life." 

Camp Waukeela for Girls changed my life forever.  Being at sleep away camp for a month out in the woods exposed me to new activities, people, various illnesses and helped me overcome many fears.  Camp also showed me new things about myself that I didn't really know before, and was the journey of self-discovery that I really needed to shape who I am today.

When I first arrived at Camp Waukeela, I was 11 years old and totally new to the whole experience of just diving into things.  My first year helped me overcome my extreme homesickness and fear of insects.  It just so happened that the cabin that I was assigned to was the only ant/spider/tick infested cabin in the "alley."  I had a top bunk, and every night there were spiders hanging over my head, and ants sneaking past me on my shelves, digging little burrows into my clean, folded clothes.  Every year I have been at camp, my homesickness level has gone down at least halfway, and I am very proud of that.  

Being in a new state - my first year I came from Utah - was an extremely unusual feeling because the people were so different.  All the girls seemed louder, pushier, meaner and wanted to control everything -- until I got to know them. Now some of these assertive and outgoing girls have become my best friends.  Camp has made me more confident in myself, and made me love being independent.  Waukeela also made me more curious, and eager to try new things. In my second year at camp, I tried riflery for the first time in my life.  This year, my third year, I was selected to be on the riflery team with only two others in my age group. Riflery is now my favorite sport, and if I hadn't taken that extra step and just tried it, then I would have never discovered how exhilarating and fun a new thing can be. 

Camp also assisted me in learning how to make friends with girls.  Being at an all girls camp helped me see how girls actually are when there is no pressure to be perfect around boys. There is not as much anxiety and strain. Grils aren't fake.  They adore being who they are, not who they wish they were.  

One year, a girl named Jennifer was one of my cabin mates. Jennifer lives in France, and she taught me how to speak French the "real way."  Meeting and spending time with her showed me how different people are, and how cool those differences can be. She also helped me improve my French a great deal!

All of these experiences helped shape the girl I am today.  Now, I'm not afraid of bugs, I am more outgoing, confident about who I am, and able to stand my ground.  I was able to join in activities with people I didn't know and who weren't my friends - and I ended up making friends I never would have met otherwise.  I discovered various new intersts such as riflery, swimming, drama, music and kayaking.  Camp was like a personality factory, where you go in one person, and come out a completely different one, changed for the better.  Now I know how one small decision, like going to camp, can have an enormous impact on a life.