"Sometimes you just have to take a leap...

and build your wings on the way down" has

described what college feels at times. As an incoming freshman, you have to make decisions that
will pave the way of your college career and eventually life. You see, college is all about
learning how to earn your wings and fly. It starts with the decision of which college to attend
then further develops into jumping in the community and beginning to make an impact. The
single most thing college freshman hear is "get involved." This statement is true in order to be
successful and memorable amongst your department, social group, and communities on campus.
We have all been the new kid on the block. We have to start over. We have to find new
friends. Make our way into the next chapter of our lives. Western Carolina University offers a
freshmen leadership exploration camp, the week before classes begin in the fall semester.
Personally, I can attest that this program has shaped hundreds of incoming freshman's lives and
gives them hope of starting college on a good note. Four years ago, I had the opportunity of
going to Cat Camp and I took it. The camp was four days and three nights long. I was able to
meet people, engage in refining my team works skills, learn about the potential hardships of
college life, and most importantly, how to be a leader. Cat Camp opened up my personality, it
brought me knowledge about who I was a person, and it brought me to some of my closest
friends to this day.
After being I camper, there was nothing else I wanted to be more in world than a Cat
Camp counselor. So when the time came, I applied. Next thing, I knew I was getting an email
that I was accepted. I was able to register for the training class in the spring semester and I was
officially on the team!
For the next three years, I was a counselor. I was able to interact with the nervous
freshmen. I was able to ensure that they were not alone and that this can be their second home. I
was able to answer and questions they had and to be able to encourage them to go onto the
campus with the mindset that there are endless opportunities. Each year had a different outcome
of how the campers reacted to the camp and how they interacted with each other and the
activities. Allowing for variability, is one of the best concepts to have, especially within a
leadership position.
One thing that has become a part of my life, in assuming the role of a counselor, is
servant leadership. This requires one to put the needs of others above your own. It requires one
to serve those around them. For example, I had to share a group of 8-10 campers with another
counselor. We both leaned on each other for help. We both took turns learning how to take and
give from each other as well as the campers. In the Cat Camp setting, there are moments of
vulnerability and it is crucial that we are sensitive and emphatic when the campers are sharing.
Also, it is crucial that we focus more on them, than our own personal conflicts. A servant leader
is a huge part of being a Cat Camp counselor and being engaged in a community, such as a
college campus
Franz Kafka's short story, Fellowship, says "long explanations would almost amount to
accepting him in our circle;" demonstrates how we must be inclusive of those who are different
and we must be proactive in breaking those boundaries in which society builds. So take a leap
and build your wings on the way down. Find your own path, lean on those around you, learn how
to be yourself.