2021 UTSoC President Abby Clark talks about her camping experience - which was nothing short of amazing.
“You have to go to camp,” one of my high school friends tells me on starting uni. “It’s where you’ll meet all your friends.” I was sceptical. How could one weekend away create bonds strong enough to last years?
Fast forward a few years later, and I know she was right. But camp gave me so much more than just friends: it fundamentally changed my uni experience.
To explain the change that this one weekend brought about, you have to know a little bit about my first year self: I was quiet, fairly restrained, and very anxious. I knew that some things were worth the emotional stress, but I skipped out on a lot of social events. And an event with no one I knew and no way out? As if. Camp was my kryptonite.
But after taking a gap year, most of my friends had started uni and been on a first year camp. Their encouragement pushed me to take the leap and buy a ticket.
I remember showing up at UTS with my bag and my pillow, chatting to people as we waited to leave. Already I was being let in on some UTS gossip, and I couldn’t believe how much it changed my perspective. I had insider knowledge, but more than that, I felt like I was in.
That feeling only grew as the weekend went on. From trivia and the party to our amazing race, we were embracing hilarity and absurdity in every moment in the way that you only can when you go through something intensely unique together. Camp took a look at our tutorial icebreakers and said, “Nice try. Watch and see how it’s done.”
All of this culminated in the trip back, where everyone connected on social media as we sat, totally drained, on the way back to Sydney. I was bone tired and in need of a good night’s sleep, but content. The weekend was over and I had truly conquered my fear of camp.
Looking back, I can see the trajectory that camp put me on. Instead of feeling confused and solitary at uni, I felt like I had people to turn to, knowledge to access. The UTS campus was no longer a sprawl of mismatched buildings, but a place I felt I belonged.
Save for some Sliding Doors moment, I can’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t gone on camp. My best guess is that I would have figured it out eventually. I think I would have felt the same belonging that I do now, but it would have been much harder to get there. I doubt I would have applied to be a UTSoC junior executive, and I wouldn’t have become president. I wouldn’t have found such quick confidence in myself and my abilities. I wouldn’t be where I am now.
It’s truly astonishing how one decision changed so much for me. I said it changed my entire uni experience, but it also gave me the opportunity to flourish. I’ve left that fretful first year in the past (where she belongs, although she sometimes torments me in my memories).
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- This article was written by Abby Clark, 2021 UTSoC President and Bachelor of Communication (Public Communication) and (Digital and Social Media) student.