This past school year was my second year being involved in Camp Kesem. I had such an amazing time at camp this year, but unfortunately I had no time to write about it! Right after camp, I went to Chicago for a professional business conference — the vibes changed so fast for me! And directly from there, I went to Paris for my study abroad courses and traveled a little bit after that!

So, back to camp now…camp this year was incredible! I definitely got more out of camp this year in terms of my personal self and goals. It’s safe to say my sophomore year had it’s ups and downs, but it all led to stronger and deeper friendships within camp for me!

Purple Unit!

All the camp counselors!

This year I felt a stronger connection with more kids, which was so rewarding! It was so fun seeing all of my campers from last year as well. Being apart of this rat-race type of life is overwhelming and exhausting, and camp is an escape from all of that. At camp, I’m surrounded by real people with real problems. I don’t have my phone to be updating my Twitter and seeing what my peers are up to on Instagram. I’m not anticipating for midterm grades that will mean nothing in my life in the long run. I’m not stressing over internship applications. I’m not even bothered by my own mediocre and trivial problems. I am just making sure every child at camp is having the best time and attempting to make an impact in their life. I’m reaching out to an overlooked demographic while also growing as an individual. One of my favorite things about camp is that one is so disconnected from the rest of the world, but so connected to inspiring individuals (counselors and campers) on a whole new level. Giving back to society, especially being so involved with Camp Kesem, is what gets me through the hardest times, and I can’t wait for camp next year!

To learn more about Camp Kesem check out my blog post from last year: https://copingwithcancer.org/2014/07/01/my-magical-week-at-camp-kesem/

To donate to Camp Kesem Davis: http://campkesem.org/ucdavis/donate-to-ucd