Tell us your story.

What unique opportunities or challenges have you experienced throughout

your high school career that have shaped who you are today? (500-750 words) 650

Elbows deep in a soapy pan caked with burnt mac and cheese, I held a clump of steel
wool in one hand and the sink sprayer in the other. I groaned in exasperation as I worked, the
steel wool rubbing my skin raw as I scrubbed a huge pan meant to feed at least 100 people. Laity
Lodge Youth Camp in Leakey, Texas had been a place I called home for many summers, but
working in the kitchen was foreign territory. The first week doing dishes I found myself being
selfish and easily irritated by the lack of work ethic in the girls around me. It wasn’t until I was
able to hear the other girls’ “life stories” that my heart was softened to their situations outside of
the canyon.
Growing up, I was no stranger to the phrase “treat others the way you want to be treated,”
as kindness was the most important character trait emphasized by my parents. Working at my
summer camp for an entire month, 12 hours a day, with fifteen other teenage girls, the concept of
being selfless and compassionate towards the girls around me was becoming a lost cause. Each
day brought with it new challenges, whether it was unclogging a drain or promoting good
attitudes in the kitchen. Typically, I am not easily angered. In fact, my friends have always
complimented me on my patience. But that particular day in the kitchen, I was at my wit’s end. I
thought to myself, “I am being completely selfless giving up so much time to serve the Lodge,
but I don’t have enough love left in me!”
Our work crew bosses, possibly picking up on the tension, decided we would begin
sharing our testimonies each night. Cooper, the bossy control freak whom I could not stand, went
first. After hearing her story about coming out as bisexual while growing up with two pastors as
parents, I found myself better understanding her personality traits, and my anger towards her
eased. Caroline, although constantly seeking attention, became a quick friend of mine. We
listened to her life story of her mom repeatedly telling her she needed to lose weight, and how
she favored Caroline’s siblings over her. Ansley was a goofball and easy to get along with, but
quite reserved in her feelings. In her life story, she explained she had been sexually assaulted
early this year, and came to work at camp as an escape. Getting to know Stephanie was a
challenge since she was perpetually distracted by the boys at camp. She gave her life story last,
and described being severely bullied by girls all through middle school, only finding comfort in
her male relationships. I shared my own story about struggling with body image and not feeling
truly loved by friends at home. We were all able to see aspects of ourselves in each other’s
testimonies.
I came to camp in Leakey, Texas with certain expectations of the people around me, and
was humbled by how wrong I was. I found it much easier to understand and love people once we
were able to trust one another; it felt better to have knowledge of their pasts and what had shaped
each of them. That trust elicited confidence in each other which translated to a better working
environment in the kitchen.
 Working such a difficult job with people I hardly knew, it would’ve been easy to just
“push through” and get the job done without taking advantage of the relationships I could
encounter. Through these new friendships, we were able to more deeply bond and perform better
as a unified team.
On the last night, our bosses gave each of us an “Ebenezer stone” with a word written on
it that had special significance. Mine was “compassionate.” Beginning with indifference and
frustration and then ending with a softened heart, this word was the best recognition I could have
received.