Why working in diplomacy camp is the best way to spend your summer

When someone hears about my experience working at a leadership and diplomacy “conference” for high school students, they immediately think “camp counselor, long hours, annoying students.”

And while some of what they are saying is the truth, they really couldn’t be further from it. Every job has its negatives and its positives—especially jobs for freshmen in college. You’re not going to get the paid internship of your dreams, so all things considered my time as an “advisor” for this “conference” really wasn’t all that bad.

The first obvious negative is the long, exhausting days. That is something that people associate with camp counselors that is completely accurate. My days would on average start around 8am and go until 10pm, with some starting earlier and some ending later. Every so often I would get a break while the students were in a lecture, but most of the time, I was sitting in the back of the lecture trying not to fall asleep. When these wonderful breaks would occur, there still wasn’t enough time for a substantial nap given the walk to and from your dorm—yes, I had to live in a dorm, and a bad one that was much grosser than my own freshman dorm.

But most of the time, even though I was more exhausted and sleep deprived than I had ever been, I was having a lot of fun. I got to spend time with people around my age with my interests, get to know students and see them flourish, and go to some really cool places. Because I was working for an International Diplomacy camp, some of the field trips included the Holocaust Museum, the United Nations, and the Embassy of Saudi Arabia. So, technically speaking, I can say that I’ve been to Saudi Arabia.

International Diplomacy was the program I worked for, but there were numerous others all confined to the same campus. This essentially meant that tons of college-aged students could get to know each other, which was one of the best parts of the job. My International Diplomacy staff didn’t have as much interest in the other staffs because we were all obsessed with each other. We spent every moment together – even when we didn’t have to – and that dynamic is one that I’ve missed every day since. When you’re spending 14-hour days, every day, with people, you get to know them on the most personal level possible extremely quickly. It’s something that may not always work, but for us, it did.

That being said, when you’re spending so much time with people, there will be head-butting. Before working at this conference, I never cried – I was a well-composed stone. And during, I cried almost every day, many times because of my staff. It’s natural that when you have such intense feelings for people, your feelings will get hurt more easily. It’s just a part of it and a part that I gladly accepted because the flip side was friendships that I cherished immensely.

The conference lasted 11 days, which is a long time. When you’re spending your 14-hour days with students, you get to know them. And not just the 20 or so in your group, you get to know all 70. This sticks out in my mind as the best and worst part of my summer job. The pain of watching these students leave breaks the hearts of every staff member, every single time. You become their mentors in a way, and after 11 days, it’s over and you have to ready yourself for the next group of students to mentor. This is also the best part of the job because I got to clearly see students change and develop in front of my eyes. I saw students coming out of their shells, making friends, becoming more mature and it was incredible. Not only is seeing 70 transformations powerful, but being a part of them – even the smallest part – is even more powerful.

My summer job working at a leadership and diplomacy camp was amazing. Everything bad about it had a counterpart that was equally good, if not better. I’m very happy I spent the time here I did, and I hope circumstances lead me to one day go back. I really do miss it.