Adeline Jones shares about an impactful experience she had at a summer camp.
From elementary through middle school, I was known as the horse girl. I grew up in a small town on the coast with a graduating class of 40 people, so if there was a birthday party, everyone was invited. At least until we got to middle school. I was often bullied and like many others, it only got worse for me over time.
My 8th grade classmates wrote in my graduation notes that “you’re happy no matter what others thought of you” which wasn’t really true… But then I went to summer camp. There, my confidence in myself, horses and nature was seen as positive. So many other teens were so uncomfortable, but I knew who I was. I ended up being the “cool kid” of the camp that week.
It was then I realized it wasn’t me, but an inability of my classmates to see anything other than the “horse girl” they grew up with and the lack of other teens for me click with. After that summer, I finally felt comfortable enough to have a conversation with my parents knowing there might be other schooling options for me.
Luckily, we lived on the county border between San Mateo and Santa Cruz. My parents helped me switch schools, and I found more of my people that were not the “norm” at Santa Cruz High School. A larger graduating class of 300 people also helped. I later found my life partner and the perfect college at California State University Monterey Bay where I became the Equestrian Club President.