I went up to Calvin Crest in Oakhurst, to be a camp counselor for the whole week, Sept. 16. The eighth grade class takes this trip annually, under the supervision of Terry Richards.

The ride up seemed much longer than an hour and a half. My mind was filled up with a million questions, ?Will the girls like me? Are they just going to stay up all night and talk about boys the whole time? Will they even let me sleep??

I stressed over how I was going to catch up on a week of missed homework, not knowing about anything, relating to my family or friends, and no social media, or technology. The week was beginning to dawn on me.

All these type of questions were flooding my head, making the uneasy drive, even more unsettling. The other senior counselors, Emily Shakeshaft and Jenna Weimer, seemed very serene sitting in the backseat, Jenna was making friendship bracelets for the girls she was going to have in her cabin and Emily was taking a quick nap. Watching how calm they were made me even more nervous.

The girls in my cabin gave me great reassurance, and calmed all of the nerves I had prior to the beginning of the week, and put all of my worrisome questions to ease.

The week proved me wrong. I had the absolute best time, with my cabin, my fellow class-mates, and reconnecting with the junior high teachers.

My biggest worry, which was not getting enough sleep, was just a distant memory. The girls were so obedient and understanding. They were all so enthusiastic about everything, and made my job so much easier.

Near the end of the week, I thought the girls deserved a well earned, all nighter, also known as, rule breaking. We wound down from the night activities, and grabbed our mattresses, put it them all on one side of the cabin, and just had a big slumber party.

We all talked for hours, played card games, shared our testimonies and just had a good time. It was night filled with giggling, and a few tears. I could see the girls becoming closer with each other, and growing in their relationships that would last a lifetime.

Quiz show is on the last night of the week, where the students gather all of the information they have received, and test their knowledge, in a big quiz show/ dance party/ competition. The other counselors and I were having so much fun just dancing around, making ourselves look like fools.

It has been a tradition that the Thursday of the week the junior highers are at Calvin Crest, the girls and boys separate for a gender chapel. The topic of this chapel for the girls was self-respect and what to look for in a husband.

The speaker for this chapel was Pam Powell, a parent of a campus alumna Paige. She devotes her time to the young students at fresno christian. She spoke about God?s plan for these girls’ futures finishing by asking them what kind of qualities they looked for in a man.

These girls were so engaged throughout the whole sermon. “Kind! Wise! Comforting! Confident!” these and more were qualities that these young girls wanted for their future husbands.

Observing these young girls and listening to their thoughts, was the most heart-warming thing. I could not help but feel overjoyed for them. They showed self-confidence in themselves and confidence in their futures. This experience has become one the most memorable times of my high school career. I would gladly and willingly do it over again.

For more opinions, read the Oct. 8 Campus insider: Lead by example article.