More Letters to Future Counselors

Today we are continuing our series of posts in which we share Letters to Future Counselors written by former counselors during their time in the Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp Capstone.  You can read our past posts in this series here and here.  We hope you enjoy these letters, and if you'd like to come be a part of this experience, applications to become a counselor this summer are open now!  Find them on PSU's website here.

And now, we present our first letter (please note that letters may be lightly edited for clarity, and names are redacted for privacy reasons.):

Chill out.  Everybody talks about how exhausting and hard it's going to be.  It's gonna be really time-consuming and it will definitely take a lot of energy but it's only two weeks and it's so positive that I don't see how someone can burn out.  You're here because you want to learn, so learn!  Learning means you'll make mistakes, so make mistakes.  Just don't let this idea of "omg it's going to be sooo hard" get you down before it even starts.  It's not like you're working in the E.R., you're helping take care of people so they can enjoy camp for a week.  Let yourself enjoy it like they do.  Do the dances, sing the songs, wear silly costumes, whatever.  This is the only place where you won't be judged for silliness or personality quirks.  As long as you're doing your job and treating everyone with compassion and kindness, go nuts!  You're gonna do amazing out there!

~~~

And now, our second letter:

My experience here has been like a roller coaster.  Every night my group discussed our highs and lows for the day, and it was amazing to me how I could think of a low in the moment during an activity and by the time of the meeting, completely forget about it because of all of my highs.  Each activity is the best activity ever until the next one comes along to trump it.  The amount of care that goes into this camp, the love and support felt by the campers and counselors, and the progress witnessed here should not be taken for granted.  Kiwanis Camp is a pretty remarkable place full of special people who not only work here, but vacation here too.  I'm so happy I was fortunate enough to have been a part of it, and I will reflect on my experiences socially and professionally in the years to come.

~~~ 

We hope you enjoyed these letters.  Once again, if you'd like to join us this summer, apply to be a counselor here.  We hope to see you at camp!