Personal Statement

My entire life, I grew up doing things, wanting to try everything I saw from acting school to paragliding to drawing to participating in every sport imaginable and more. My life growing up was one of doing, but my life now, is not only doing but becoming a leader of the doers. Even more so than doing the many things I've tried, I like to lead, never feeling more myself than in a role of responsibility. With each leadership experience I complete, I learn a new skill, just like I learned with every activity that I tried as a kid. Skills such as inventing the best method to teach a new skill to others, which I've learned from coaching kids in soccer and leading the Nutcracker, a local theater production. As well as skills of problem solving, which

I want to know that I’m making a difference in the lives of others. I find fulfillment in working directly with people so I can visibly see the impact I'm making on their lives, which is one of the reasons I love working with kids so much. Kids have a willingness to openly express their emotions, which allows me to immediately see what methods are best for them and learn how to adjust to each situation to make the largest impact. Because of my love for children I’ve considered pursuing a career as a pediatrician, a teacher, a therapist, a coach, as well as numerous other career paths. I hope while at UCSB I will discover a career I am passionate about pursuing. I am currently majoring in Psychology at UCSB to better understand human behavior and hopefully use the knowledge I gain here throughout my future

As a counselor, you have the most direct contact with the children of the camp, therefore having the most impact on their camp experience. As a counselor you can make such a difference in the campers experience influencing whether or not they want to come back the following summer or even follow in your footsteps and become a counselor themselves. In conjunction with having the most influence on a camper’s experience as a counselor, you also are largely affecting the quality of the camp and how it’s run (e.g. if all activities and practices are ran smoothly, raising spirit and enthusiasm, etc). As a counselor you often times become a role model for many of the camps participants. If the staff is unenthusiastic or being negative the campers will notice this and our attitude will be reflected in theirs causing the camp enjoyment to lower significantly and leading to a less successful program. As role models the staff should be positive figures by encouraging their campers, raising their spirits, and by being active and involved in activities not simply facilitating them. If the camp staff is positive and goes out of their way to make the campers feel more special, it can help the campers grow as people and become more self-confident in a variety of environments, arriving home to their parents matured and positively impacted. While I don't know exactly what I want to do in the future to make that