During the time I had at ETC, I made new memories and even learned lifelong skills. I had the opportunity to go white water rafting on the American River, where I had to step up and guide an entire raft by myself. Taking leadership and being able to project my voice is a skill that I was able to practice during the trip, and will be something that I will continue to work on. Later on, we all went back down near Sausalito to kayak. Though we were not able to kayak to Angel Island, we still had the chance to practice our kayaking skills though very rough water. Next we went to Angel Island; I was intrigued and amazed by the history of the island and the wonderful views that the island had to offer. The disability awareness was something that was a huge factor on the trip and that allowed me to view life through another person's perspective. Learning about their day-to-day struggle opened my eyes to not judge someone by their first impression. If you are willing to know someone for who they truly are, then there will be trust that goes along with that. It takes time to gain trust, but in this group, trust was something that came naturally to all of us. This trust made us all share our true personality and made it easier to know everyone on a deeper level. After this trip, I feel blessed to have experienced it and to have learned so much along the way!

I am very excited and am looking forward to attending the program! Many people do not have the opportunity to do the things that this program has to offer, for instance, high water rafting. I would have never imagined myself having the opportunity to do this considering that many people do not do these types of challenging things. I would also have never imagined myself putting myself in situation that has so much risk. However, pushing myself to commit to a challenge is something that I hope to continue working on during the program. I am very blessed and excited to be participating in YOUTH Lead All Abilities Adventure Camp!