Jennifer Friday

I am currently a junior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I am a recently declared finance major studying at the Isenberg School of Management. During the school year when I am not in class or doing school work I spend my time working on campus, hanging out with friends, working out, and participating in Beta Alpha Psi events.

However, I spend my time completely differently during the summer months. Since I was five, my summers have consisted of me attending and now working at a local camp. At the young age of 13 I became a CIT (counselor in training) and have progressed all the way to head counselor and lifeguard. This position holds a lot of responsibility where I have to take care of 15 children. I have to enforce rules and regulations and make sure they are in a safe environment. But its not all rules! We have lots of fun all summer long. It is a place where everyone can be silly and crazy and just be themselves.

The past five years I have been a lifeguard where I teach children ages 5 to 12 swim lessons. Teaching kids how to swim has become something I am very passionate about. My favorite part about the summers is seeing kids swim skills progress throughout camp. In the beginning of the summer many kids are scared of the water and by the end they are jumping in the deep end all by themselves. It is a great feeling and accomplishment to know that you were apart of that process and have helped them overcome their fear.

Not only am I these kids swimming instructor, but their role models. They look up to me and aspire to be a counselor when they're older. How do I know this? Because I was one of those campers who thought to myself “My counselor is awesome, I want to be just like them when I’m older”. Being able to teach kids is such a rewarding experience and I cannot picture myself spending my time anywhere else during the summer.