My decision to come to Jacobs Camp this summer was an easy one – I love working with kids, and I have spent many weekends here with my friends in NFTY (The North American Federation of Temple Youth). Even though I had become familiar with the location itself, I knew that I would be one of the few staff members who had never been to camp as a camper before, which made me very nervous. I wasn’t sure what to expect and how I would fit into the Jacobs community. Other staff members would be familiar with the schedule and general flow of camp, and I would have absolutely no idea what I was doing. All of these worries culminated with my arrival at Jacobs. I would have never expected for every single one of my fears to be addressed during staff orientation. The upper staff and leadership team were kind and open to sharing all of their knowledge with me. One week later, I was feeling much better about things; however, I was still anxious about the work dynamic between more experienced counselors and myself. 

Then camp opened. The second that the first campers entered the gates, I could feel butterflies in my stomach! I was so excited to finally have my own camp experience and form my own camp identity. Working as an Olim counselor was the best decision for me. All of my campers were spending their first summers at camp, something that I could easily connect to. Even though we were at completely different points in our lives, we had this one thing in common: our first time at camp. All of our daily camp activities became shared experiences: the tower swing, the aqua climb, the campout, and more. It was something that made my campers and I even closer, and something that made me really excited for the rest of the summer.

I can now say that I have my own camp identity. I have my own experiences and knowledge that I can share with other new counselors in the future. I may have missed out on all of my years as a camper, but I am grateful for the time that I do get to spend here. As the saying goes, “better late than never!”

Marlee Michaels

General Counselor