The Class of 2002, my class, experienced the first freshman Burch trip at EHS. I had never been camping before, and I was very apprehensive (okay, scared out of my mind) about what it was going to be like ‘roughing it’ with kids I had only met a few weeks before.

Soon after we arrived in the Blue Ridge Mountains in N.C. and were separated into our groups, there was a huge thunder and lightning storm as we were trekking through the woods. Our guide instructed us to sit on our backpacks. I was terrified, and I cried silently until it was safe for us to move around again. I wanted to go home. After a good night’s sleep, though, I woke up with the resolve that I would not let a camping trip defeat me. Each day, I convinced myself to try every task with my best effort, even when abject terror felt like it was right at my back. During one of the days on the Burch trip, I rappelled down the side of a cliff, despite being afraid of heights. On the last night, when we each did a solo night somewhere in the woods without the support and comfort of the group, I was fine with the guide setting me up quite a bit of distance away from where our ‘base’ was. I didn’t have an ounce of fear. I knew I’d be okay.

The Burch trip became symbolic of my entire experience at EHS. I had my absolute best times as a teenager here and I could fill a book with them, but I also experienced my worst times. There were days I cried and wanted to go home. There were days that felt like I was dealing with social issues on campus too big to manage, too heavy for teenage shoulders. Still, each time I had to deal with something that scared me, much like that storm in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I resolved to be stronger. It’s a lesson I still carry with me: be scared in the moment, but eventually choose courage. EHS taught me a lot of things: how to be a leader, how to be fully involved in a community, how to stack plates…but a simple camping trip taught me how to be courageous. Getting through the Burch trip is something I still reflect on when I’m second guessing my ability to do something. In the end, I always make 14-year-old me proud by pushing through my fears. I’m never going camping again, though.