"I had just been made redundant in my role and I was at that point in my life where I was curious to see the world. Camp America seemed like the perfect option as my cousin had been 5 years earlier.

Colour War was definately my favourite memory, where the whole camp split into two teams and competed in a series of activities, challenges and mini competitions to win bragging rights as the ultimate champions of the Colour War. I was chosen to be the General of my team which was a huge honour and forced me to gain rapid leadership skills in order to lead my team to victory.

It was different than what I expected because I didn't expect to make such intense connections with my fellow counsellors and campers. These people knew me better than I knew myself and it was really awesome to share my camp experience with such amazing individuals. Camp changed my mindset and how I viewed myself. This majorly shaped my future as I was able to think wider and aim higher to strive for my goals in life and lead me on the path to success.

I had a bunk of 10 sixteen year old girls. To say they were a handful would be the understatement of the summer! But throughout the summer I was able to understand all of them more and realise why they acted out the way they did. I took the time to really get to know these girls and I still talk to each of them today, 7 years on. 

Camp friends are different as you form these intense bonds so rapidly that you go from strangers to best friends almost overnight. You spend so much time together that you are quickly brought up to speed on every aspect of their lives. With other friends, it is a slow process and far less intense. I still consider my camp friends to be some of the closest people to me. They are also people who you will never not be friends with, no matter how long it is between seeing each other - camp friends are friends for life!!

A group of us from camp travelled around for 30 days after camp. We would book flights/train/bus to a destination and accommodation for a few days and then vote where to go next. It was very exciting. I got to see New York, Maryland, Philadelphia, Orlando, Miami, Ann Arbor in Michigan, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. It was an epic adventure shared with some amazing people.

Camp America allowed me to challenge my way of thinking and my goals in both my life and my career. This influenced my career path by wanting to contribute to my community in any way possible. My career goal is to be an Authorised Financial Adviser in New Zealand. I want to do this role because I would love to help NZ families understand the importance of insurance and how it can be there for them in the time of need. I also get to be a part of some amazing opportunities like presenting at Primary Schools and planning local community events in partnership with local charities.

Outside of work I also joined Rotary, New Zealand Surf Lifesaving and I also volunteer for NZ Coastguard. All of this was shaped by my camp experiences where I developed the drive and passion to assist others in my community".