Sophomore Arunim Agarwal reflects on summer job as camp counselor

Taken by Melissa Ding

Taken by Melissa Ding

While some students fill their summers with SAT prep or expensive academic summer camps, sophomore Arunim Agarwal did something a lot of freshmen wouldn’t think to do. He worked as a summer camp counselor for younger children in hopes of inspiring and assisting them while also making money.

Before applying for the camp counselor position, Agarwal had been a counselor-in-training and received community service hours. He credited this as the reason for his ability to get the job in the first place and emphasized the importance of taking those smaller steps and forming relationships that one can then use to get an actual job in the future.

The main focus of his job was on little kids, who can be difficult to work with due to their energy and passion for almost anything they do. Agarwal recounted days at camp where he felt unsure of how to keep the whole group on track or how to control the kids. But that didn’t stop him from ensuring that they had a good time. “I still do like to be friends with eight-year-olds,” he said. “There were a lot of loud and energetic eight-year-olds there, but I did my best to find them something fun to do.”

Agarwal was motivated to take on this new challenge as he knew it would fit into his summer plan and would allow him to do more during his break. “I had some free time over the summer since I was taking Living Skills,” Agarwal said. “So a summer job seemed like a perfect fit for the rest of my time.”

The job also allowed the counselors to develop strong interpersonal relationships with the younger kids, connecting with each of them on an individual level. Agarwal had no trouble recounting memories of times when the children made him laugh or smile. Together, they went on hikes, played games and spent time creating a fun atmosphere.

Ultimately, Agarwal wouldn’t change his experience for the world. As for future job-seekers, he believes their dedication to any job will result in their own satisfaction. “Be really open to new experiences and try to have as much fun as you can,” he said. “Go in every day being happy and you’ll leave being happy too.”