The Happy Version of Myself

No one is one person. No one is only one version of themselves, there are certain sides of you that only show in certain situations. You’re nervous, you’re brave, you’re outgoing, you’re introverted, you’re the best version of yourself, or you’re the worst. Sometimes, there are sides of yourself you never discover. Some people never find the happiest version of themselves, some people never find the version of themselves they want to remain, but as I grow up and reflect back, I realize that I have. I have found the most genuine, the most daring, the most outgoing, the most happy, the most kind version of myself at Wyo. Who’s been a special place to me long before I ever drove up that entrance road, I knew all the words to “Wyonegonic Boom” before I ever sat in the Cobb. My mom sang and told stories about Wyo when I was younger, and they stuck with me. When I was nine, I went to Wyo for the first time, and in more ways than one, I never left.

Since I can remember, I’ve been exposed to this mold I’m supposed to fit into, mostly at school. I’m supposed to be quiet, I’m supposed to be content, I’m never supposed to question the way things are. At Wyonegonic, that mold is abolished. We’re encouraged to be loud and excited, we’re supposed to reach outside of our comfort zone, we’re taught to question the world around us. We’re cheered on as we attempt things we never thought we could do, and even if you’re terrible at it, someone will be rooting for you. Dressing like a crazy person on Wyoween, and wearing tutus and enough red white and blue to cover ten flags on the 4th of July is commonplace. Only getting out of bed when someone asks, “Was that the breakfast bell?” and then rushing to get ready and get up the hill to breakfast in no makeup and with messy hair is the norm. Through this different life, I’ve found the most strange, most weird, most hilarious, most incredible friends, friends I wouldn’t give up for the world, at camp. Friends who, one day, I hope to be counselors with, friends who I can’t imagine ever not having. Despite thousands of miles, they’re only a phone call away, and I cry with them when they’re sad, and they cheer for me when I’m happy. My age group of girls has grown closer and closer as we get older and older, and they’ve helped cement my experience at Wyo as one of the most special things I’ll ever experience.

As I prepare to return to Wyonegonic for my seventh and final summer as a camper, I think about the time I’ve spent living on the shores of Moose Pond, all the times I’ve laughed until I cried with my cabin mates, all the plays I’ve sang in, all the EP’s I’ve participated in, all the exploding chicken I’ve eaten, and every green and white outfit I’ve ever put on. I wonder what kind of person I’d be without Wyo, and I can’t. From who I once was, to who I’ve become at camp, I can’t imagine how different I’d be without Wyo’s influence on my entire self. From the little girl who begged to go to camp, to the proud young woman I’ve become, I can credit so much of my best qualities to Wyonegonic. Wyo taught me to stand up for myself and my ideas, to never be afraid to let your “freak flag” fly. The Wyo girl in me will exist forever, I’ve learned lessons that’ll last a lifetime from the amazing women who have been my counselors, and the girls I’ve lived with, who I’ll never forget. Pictures hang in my room right across from my bed, so when I wake up every morning, I remember how they looked when they hung on my window at camp, how they’d always fly off their pins whenever a heavy gust of wind swept across the shores. I remember how I felt when each photo was taken, and it makes me smile. The person I am when I put on that forest green sweatshirt I’ve worn for nearly seven years, the person I am at camp is the person that I wish I was every single day of my life. I want to be as genuine as I am at camp every single day. Someday, I want my daughter to find the friendship and joy that I found at Wyonegonic, and I hope she loves it the way I do. As I write this, all I can think about is how excited I am to go back to Wyo and see my best friends again.

Merrill – A Wyo Camper

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