As winter chills plummet into the frigid thirties and clouds mask the sky with gray, one can’t help but fantasize about the warm, sunny days of summer break, slowly but surely approaching once again.
Summer offers the opportunity to relax, rejuvenate, travel and do things just for the sake of enjoyment. But such activities are not confined to a traditional poolside summer of mindlessness, and for some Whitman students, summer holds the opportunity to explore and lead.
Through 80 years in upstate New York, Camp Rising Sun has served as a free, international leadership program for teenagers from over 25 countries and 10 U.S. states.
According to the program’s website each summer, “60 young men and 60 young women practice leadership skills in a supportive community of peers and counselors.”
In the past two years, two juniors have been chosen for the highly selective seven-week program, and the camp is seeking more applications from the Whitman area; only two females and two males are selected from the entire DMV region.
Juniors Jessica Diarta and Michael Choi have been the most recent alumnus of the program.
“Pretty much everyday somebody new gets to run the camp—it’s usually a camper. A camper becomes a sachen, or a student leader… they get to choose the schedule, everything. It’s a very empowering process,” Diarra said.
Diarra took her leadership opportunity to schedule a much-needed spa day after a vigorous hike from a prior sachen.
While there are counselors to supervise for safety reasons, the camp allows rising leaders to take responsibility for their peers and community while participating in typical fun summer activities.
Alumni of the program include folk singer Pete Seeger, members of the UN and well-respected Hollywood director Darren Aronofsky.
Applicants must be between 15 and 16 years old at the start of camp, but a few highly mature 14-year-olds are allowed each year. The application consists of six short answer questions as well as an essay. Once that is submitted, regional representatives conduct interviews that, according to Diarra, are a little intense.
Previously the genders were separated by session, but this year they will be intermixed through events, Diarra said.
Campers are taught to take initiative and are encouraged to plan and build whatever projects they want, completely funded by camp. But it’s also a place where young representatives from around the globe make strong connections with a lasting impact.
“I realized that there’s this love and bond for each other, we call each other sisters and brothers. It’s this sense of family from people who were strangers two or three weeks ago,” Diarra said.
For more informations and application matierials visit http://www.lajf.org/
Applications are due February 1, 2016
