Being on upper staff was always
one of those things that I thought vaguely about doing in the future if I
became an art therapist, but it somehow never crossed my mind as something I
should try to do while I was still in college. Enter Sarah, the same friend who
encouraged me to apply for GE. She texted me one day out of the blue and
informed me that she was applying for upper staff, that the applications were
due in about a week, and that I should definitely apply too. I was torn; I knew
I loved Dream Street dearly, but I had some reservations about applying, mainly
that I was worried about being rejected. Finally, after much hemming and
hawing, I thought, “Why not? What do I have to lose?” and got to work on the
application. As it turned out, I did the application twice, because I
accidentally deleted my entire first attempt. Three hours later, I FINALLY finished the application for the second time. I wasn’t really expecting to get
in because it was my first time applying, but I thought I might get constructive
criticism for next year or something. So, once I sent in the application, I put
it out of my mind.
Around the time I was expecting
to hear whether or not I got accepted, I started having computer issues as well
as mountains of homework, so, upper staff was once again the furthest thing
from my mind. However, on February 16th, I decided to check my email
when I was in the library, because I knew that the internet was down in my
room. I scrolled through and didn’t really see anything interesting at first,
until I noticed a subject line that said “Congratulations!” Then, I noticed the
email address said @dreamstreetms.org. At first, I just stared open-mouthed at
it, not fully believing what I was seeing. Finally, it clicked… I realized that
I had, in fact been chosen to be on upper staff. Normally, receiving news like
that would result in me exclaiming, or jumping up and down, or something else
equally goofy, but because I was in the library, I had to limit myself to a
whispered “OhmyGod, ohmyGod, OHMYGOD!” I got quite a few funny looks, but I
didn’t care! I WAS GOING BACK TO DREAM STREET! I made so many phone calls that
day to tell my family and friends. I was absolutely on top of the world!!! I
remember thinking that I didn’t care what went wrong that day; none of it
mattered because I chosen to go back to camp.
In the weeks that followed, I had
activities to prepare and a costume to make, as well as papers, tests, minor
health issues, doctor visits, and finally, finals. It got a little hectic
(okay…very hectic…), but totally worth it!
Knowing I was finally going back to Dream Street made it all worthwhile.
After a great deal of preparation and collaboration with my mom and my aunt
(who made my costume and helped me prepare my face-painting activity) it was
finally time to go back to camp. The night before camp, I got about four hours
of sleep because I was so nervous and excited. I couldn’t wait to see everyone
again and do arts and crafts with the campers, but at the same time I was
terrified. I wanted so badly to make a good impression as well as hold my own
with much more experienced upper staff, so that I could be invited back next
year. SPOILER ALERT: It turns out I had absolutely nothing to worry about.
Being on upper staff was one of the most wonderful and rewarding experiences
I’ve ever had. It was stressful and exhausting at times, but I wouldn’t trade
this experience for anything in the world.
The first two days were devoted
to orientation, and I found them both educational and wildly intimidating (THIS
WAS NOT, I REPEAT NOT, the fault of the other staff. I just tend to be a pretty nervous
person/perfectionist in general).
It was at orientation that I became fully aware of what was expected of me
(well…duh. That’s the point of orientation). Not only do the upper staff have
specific activities we are responsible for, we are also who the counselors come
to with questions and concerns of any kind. Being a newcomer, and a generally
nervous person, I began to worry that I wasn’t cut out for this responsibility.
I was afraid that I was going to make some egregious error and be told to go
home and/or never get invited back. Apparently, I have quite the wild
imagination, because this is NOT how things went. I’m not going to pretend that
I didn’t make mistakes, but I will say that things ran quite smoothly, and that
the art room seemed to be a pretty popular place during the week .There were a
few challenges to overcome, like homesickness on the first day of official
camp, exhaustion from lack of sleep and unusually strong side effects from my
medication (severe drowsiness and moderate dehydration), art room cleanup until
2 a.m., occasional, unexpected bouts of shyness when it was time to explain
activities, scooter problems, and stomachaches, but these were NOTHING compared
to the good times at camp. I had a fantastic time, learned so much, and made
soooooo many friends.
I learned so much from the upper
and professional staff! Miracle, having been on upper staff before, was so
patient with me even though I probably asked her a billion questions about how
to be a good member of the upper staff. Natalie, like Miracle, was patient with
me even though I pestered her with questions every single day. No matter how
busy she was, she took the time to make sure any of my questions and/or
concerns were taken care of. Steve kept me laughing the whole week, even when I
was stressed out. Jocelyn was always there for me because we were in the same
cabin. She gave me advice, helped me with things I struggle with, like putting
my sheets on my bed, as well as navigating around the camp. I am particularly grateful that she (and various others) helped me
navigate around the camp. I seem to have a mental block against the layout of
the camp; I couldn’t find the art room without assistance until the second to
last day! Jonathon inspired me with his
positive attitude. His positivity seemed to make him particularly popular with
the campers. The professional staff showed me how to be friendly, helpful, and
entertaining no matter how busy and stressed I may be. Last, but definitely not
least, Kim and Mike did an incredible job as director and assistant director! They
gave me tons of advice, support, and encouragement that helped me get through
the week. They were very understanding when exhaustion set in midway through
camp and let me leave some of our late-night staff meetings early. They were
kind, flexible, and always made me feel comfortable asking for help. They
taught me that, while independence is great, there will be times that I need to
ask for help and that’s really okay. I absolutely despise asking for help, but
their kindness made it much easier for me to ask. I am so grateful that they
chose me to be a part of the Dream Street upper staff. It was such a blessing!
I had two activities that I and
whoever else happened to be working with me on a given day would teach the
campers. One was a Buzz Lightyear inspired telescope, and the other was a Hamm
the Pig mask. The kids really seemed to enjoy the activities, but I think I had
almost, if not as much, fun as they did.
After giving instructions, I got to circulate around the room, chat with
campers and counselors, and offer to help if needed. These campers are some of
the sweetest, funniest, and most inspiring people I’ve ever met. Each child
taught me so much. I won’t mention them by name in here, but there were a few
kids who I will forever be grateful for the lessons they taught me. I may have
taught them how to do a few art activities, but they taught me so much more. There
was a little girl who never said much, but giggled and smiled constantly. She
also explored every inch of the art room, preferring to roam or look around
rather than make telescopes. She reminded me to have a positive attitude no
matter how stressed I may be, and to never stop exploring and learning. There
are always new things to see and learn and experience. I met several future
comedians who always kept me entertained. I met a young woman with fantastic
artistic ability and conversational skills. I’ve seen this particular camper at
Dream Street before, but never sat down and got to know her. Spending time with
her in the art room made me wish I had gotten to know her sooner. She was very
intelligent and confident, and seemed older than her age. One boy did something
very unexpected and cool; he changed my Hamm the Pig mask into a T-rex mask. I
thought it was great that he did something so different and creative. He took
my project and made it into something better. Working with these kids was such a blessing! I loved every minute of it. Being with these kids, teaching them, and learning from them has convinced me that art therapy is my true calling!
I’ve known since I was little
that I was interested in art therapy, but there were always those nagging
doubts that maybe I should pick a safer career, something more well-known and
with a higher salary. Working at camp finally destroyed my doubts! I now know
without a doubt, God is calling me to be an art therapist. Art therapy is truly
my passion, and it’s because of Dream Street that I was able to fully realize this.
I’ve always loved kids, always loved art, known I want to work with children
who have disabilities and I known I wanted to make a difference with the career
I choose. My favorite
aspects of working at Dream Street were seeing the smiles on the kids’
faces, talking and interacting with them
on an individual basis whenever possible, and seeing what kind of creative and
unique spins they would put on the projects I taught them. Doing things like this on a
daily basis would be the best job ever! I don’t think it would even feel like
work. Thank you to everyone at Dream Street for making this the most rewarding
and wonderful week I’ve ever experienced. God bless!
