Experiencing Leadership with The Ohio Association of Student Leaders camp!

 

Hello readers! I am very excited to share my first overnight camp experience. This camp was hosted by OASL (Ohio Association of Student Leaders). Back in March, I applied for this program and had to fill out an application. In April, I found out I was accepted into the program. I was super excited and had many thoughts floating at the same time like learning and practicing leadership skills, staying away from home for 5 days (my first time ever) and meeting all new people. My mom was super nervous (as usual 🙂) but my dad was extremely elated because he went to a boarding school and always wanted me to experience something similar. This was the closest he could get so he was happy. My mom and I arrived at the camp and slowly started seeing kids coming out of their cars. I saw many unfamiliar faces, which made me more nervous than I expected. As the week went by, I felt those nervous feelings disappear. Let me share my experience.

Day 1 (Sunday, 6/21): As the car pulled out of the driveway, I could feel the nervousness kicking in. The dormitory I was staying in was called Smith Hall, located on the Ohio Wesleyan Campus. My mom and I went to my dorm, and we were both surprised because the room was very small. After a few minutes, I met my roommate and her twin sister, Brooklynn and Evelyn. There is a special tradition at OASL where people tie pieces of yarn on your nametag. The purpose of this activity was to meet and introduce ourselves to as many people as possible. I could already feel the butterflies in my stomach start to loosen. Then our camp counselors taught us camp cheers and chants. At first, they sounded awkward; for example, we had to chant to the “rain god” for a sunny week. I thought it was funny.

We split into councils; I was in Council A. My counselors were Lyla and Vyom. We were led to a small study room. As a group, we talked about our goals and what we wanted to accomplish by the end of the week. We also played many games and did icebreakers. We had to present our goals in front of the whole middle-level program. On our way to dinner, we participated in a small spirit competition where we had to chant two lines, and the council with the most energy won the Spirit Sword. My council ended up winning the contest. It was finally time for dinner! I was super excited about the food, which was pretty good. I loved that the campus offered a variety of vegetarian options! After dinner, we had another council meeting. The goal was to come up with a campaign to raise at least $5. After deciding to sell small candies, everything was set. While brainstorming ideas, we learned that raising our hands was a more effective way to collaborate. Finally, as a middle level, we gathered for a closing. We sang songs and listened to short speeches by our counselors. After the closing, we had round tables where we could hang out in a counselor’s room on our floor, chat, and enjoy snacks. My roommate and I were in the same roundtable! We ate pretzels with frosting—an unusual combo, but it tasted very good. After a long day, it was finally time to sleep.

Day 2 (Monday, 6/22): I woke up to staff shouting to wake us up. I forced myself out of the most uncomfortable bed ever. I kept waking up every hour during the night. After getting ready, I headed to my first breakfast! Once again, there was a variety of food. After breakfast, we walked to the campus theater. The staff talked about the upcoming masquerade party and folk dancing. Afterward, I played Uno with my new friends. Then, we were assigned to random groups for team-building activities with ropes. For example, we had to strategize to see how quickly we could spin the rope around. After some time, it was lunch. We also had a council meeting where we shared our struggles and achievements with each other. Then, it was dorm quiet time—a time to relax without making noise. I ate snacks and watched movies in my room. Dinner was at 5:30, which I didn’t like because I usually eat around 6:30-7:00 pm. Then, we changed for the masquerade party. I wore my Sitch onesie. It was another chance to hang out and play games. After the party, I changed into more comfortable clothes for folk dancing. It sounded weird at first, but it wasn’t so bad. As a middle level, we found partners to dance with—my roommate was mine. I’m not the best dancer, but the steps were easy to learn after a few practice rounds. I felt very happy while dancing. We ended the night with our usual closing, singing songs and giving short speeches. Before sleeping, we had round tables—so much fun! After an exciting first day, it was time to rest.

Day 3 (Tuesday, 6/23): I woke up to my counselor’s “gentle” wake-up call. We walked to breakfast for another delicious meal—I still don’t understand why they had cookies for breakfast! We started our day with energizers—camp cheers and small games, which were super fun! Then, we did more collaboration and skill-building activities. Later, we went to a large hall for Impact Day, which involved the high school group. I was in a group with some friends and we discussed qualities of a leader. We agreed that empathy and integrity are key traits. Then, we made packed lunches for a homeless shelter in Columbus—a really meaningful experience. After lunch, we had a council meeting to prepare a dance for an upcoming activity, which was the Macarena. Later, we headed to the beach party—most of us, including me, doubted we’d actually go to a beach, but it turned out to be true! We were outside our dorm with water guns and shaving cream. After the party, I ran to take a shower because shaving cream got in my eye and was burning badly. Then, we had dorm quiet time. Dinner followed, and I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful sunset. We spent about an hour practicing our acts for Funfest, where I participated in two acts: dancing the Macarena with my council and doing a skit with the girls on my floor. Finally, we closed the night with songs and speeches. Since we went overtime with Funfest, we skipped round tables. 

Day 4 (Wednesday, 6/24): I woke up again to my counselors’ loud wake-up call. I was finally used to the hard mattress—so comfy in the morning! After breakfast, we did some light stretching; it felt great to move. We then sang camp chants and songs. I realized that my time at camp was very short, so I enjoyed every moment. Later, we played some peer-made games—charades was a favorite. Then, as a middle level, we went to the theater for a session called Catharsis, a reflective activity. We wrote letters to our future selves about our goals and how far we’ve come. I wrote to my 7th-grade science teacher and cross-country coach. After this deep reflection, it was time for lunch—my last one. We returned to the hall where Impact Day was held for a session called TTMAB (To The Moon And Back). We reflected on what a crew is, inspired by Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch’s quote about teamwork, dedication, and sacrifice. It was very powerful. Then, we had a council meeting to plan our song and speeches for the final presentation. I was responsible for helping my peers write and read their speeches. We chose “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars. Later, we enjoyed our final dorm quiet time—living the college lifestyle! I’ll be in college very soon. We walked to our last dinner, and afterward, we delivered our speeches and songs. My council went first; I read my letter to my counselor, Lyla, proudly and happily. I also received a certificate for participating in the OASL summer workshop. Finally, we had the color celebration—my first time participating in the Color Festival. I had so much fun and plan to join again next year! I ran to take a shower because I looked like a rainbow with all the colors on my body. I looked forward to eating Jeni’s ice cream—my favorite. I chose Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Brambleberry Crisp; both flavors were delightful and made me feel at home. That reminded me I only had half a day left at this amazing camp. We ended with our final outdoor closing, lighting candles in the dark to symbolize light in darkness—beautiful! To finish the night, we had our last roundtables.

Day 5 (Thursday, 6/25): It was my final morning hearing my counselors’ energetic screams to wake us up. I enjoyed it one last time. It was a humid day, and we walked to our last meal. The breakfast was great, though not as good as those at home. After breakfast, we returned to our dorms to pack. With only 30 minutes, I finished packing everything, restoring the room to how it was when I first arrived. Then, we had our final council meeting. We wrote positive notes to each other—I received many, which made me very happy. Later, I realized those words created big smiles on my face. Our council received notebooks with our names; I glued all the notes I received inside mine as a memory book. We also learned strategies to apply what we learned at camp back home. The final camp closing was emotional—more than any other day. I felt the empowering lyrics and reflected on the speeches. We took pictures with our councils. Finally, it was time to leave. I was excited and sad at the same time. I had soaked in all the great moments, missed some people, but learned a lot, gained confidence, and built character. I packed my belongings, said my goodbyes, and left the campus where all the magic happened!

In conclusion, I am very thankful for this experience and would love to attend this workshop/camp again! Before I thought leadership was about 1 person making all the decisions and now I believe leadership is about building connections, collaborations and moving forward together. I had so many learnings that were deeply embedded in my daily activities at the camp and I see myself growing into a different person with a new perspective now. I believe a world full of positive leaders can make a difference! I aspire to be one. Big shout out to the OASL team!

“Serve, connect, and inspire”.