When I grow up

Over the weekend, my nephew asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Odd question considering I thought I was already grown up. Next he asked me why I worked at Camp Fire. I've never really taken the time to explain to my nephew what I really do, so this was my answer to both of his questions.
I was four years old the first time I remember my dad asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I quickly replied that I wanted to be an artist and showed him my latest masterpiece. That afternoon he took me to the store and bought me a new set of crayons, markers, colored pencils and easel (the entire set up).
A few years later, I still wanted to be an artist but I wanted something more. I didn’t know what until one morning at school, as I was looking though a National Geographic, I decided I wanted to be a photographer. I was ready to go home and tell my dad, so I faked sick. Sure enough he came to see what was wrong. I told him the truth that I wasn’t sick but that I needed to tell him that I wanted to be a photographer. First, he made me go back to class but that afternoon he took me to buy a Polaroid One-Step Camera.
I spent the weekend taking pictures of everything and anything, just like any other nine year old would have done. He had to go back to the store to get more of the special film three times, but my dad didn’t care about the costs he wanted me to know that he believed in me.
When I was fifteen my dad passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm, so I started writing to think about something else. One day I realized that I actually liked writing, so I never really stopped.
And as life continued, I put everything I liked together. And one turn into another I ended up at West Texas A&M University and thought that my best option would be a mass communications degree.
I’m still the girl with the crayons, the camera, and plenty of words - just a little more digitized. I get to do everything I wanted to be when I grew up. But the best part is that every day I get to work with people that inspire kids to be what they want to be when they grow up.
Camp Fire USA builds caring, confident youth and future leaders.