As a camper, I found Alford Lake magical. I was constantly being challenged to be the best possible me; people believed in me in a way unique to camp and I had time to just play and laugh and love. Everything as a camper felt like it was cast with an extra ray of sunshine. What I did not understand as a camper is that so much of that magic is created by the community of counselors at ALC. This is what I love most about being a counselor. I love taking the magic that ALC instilled in me as a camper and making camp magical for campers. The look of pride on campers’ faces when they have swum across the lake, the joy in campers as they make their first camp friendships (and when they are reunited with their old ones), reading our tent book before bed, watching their faces in awe when they see an extraordinary sunset or their first shooting star, and when they realize that they, too, are powerful, strong, and beautiful. To be able to make such magic happen with the tight knit group of counselors, many of whom have become my best friends, is a privilege like none other. ALC has made me who I am without me even realizing it. As a counselor, I find Alford Lake magical.