Artifacts

For one of my scholars events, I chose to go moonlight canoeing on the Olentangy River. This event was meant to be a team building activity run by the outdoor recreation center on campus. We canoed across downtown Columbus as the sunset and the full moon came out. I’ve lived in Columbus for my entire life, and I have never appreciated the beauty of downtown like I did that night. I was able to look at the city that I will call my home for the next four years from a lens that few are able to see it from. This activity was also a challenge out of my comfort zone, I had never canoed in the dark and I was apprehensive at first. However, I worked together with my friend in my boat and we successfully used teamwork to canoe ourselves across the river.

This is a picture of me with my campers from the summer of 2017. I worked at a camp in Massachusetts called Camp Ramah in New England. I lived in a bunk for seven weeks with fourteen seven year old girls who were experiencing being away from home for the first time. This experience taught me leadership skills that I now use in everyday life. I spent each day teaching swim lessons to children of all ages where I learned how to plan engaging activities, teach about safety, and tailor to each child’s individual needs. I had the opportunity to teach campers with metal and physical disabilities where I was able to form deep relationships with these campers and teach them vital safety skills while allowing them to enjoy their time at camp. I also was in charge of making sure each child was healthy, both mentally and emotionally each day, I learned lessons in empathy and skills in listening actively in order to be engaged in each camper’s day.