A Message From Joy Lin
Hi everyone! Thank you for your consideration in donating to my UniCamp campaign.
If you didn’t already know, volunteering as a UniCamp counselor (living a double life as “Belladonna”) and rock climbing have been major turning points in my life that I’m glad my 18 year old self decided to take three years ago as a transfer into UCLA.
My involvement in UniCamp has allowed me to grow as a leader between multiple roles, including my workstudy job, and eventually led me to my current job as a high school college adviser. In fact, some of the students I work with on a daily basis were campers from my first session of UniCamp three years ago! It’s quite surreal to be sitting in front of my shy tenth grade student, walking him through the college application process, when three years ago he was my 13 year old camper who laughed at immature jokes with the rest of our cabin. I distinctly remember thinking to myself after my first summer with UniCamp, “If I could survive a full week around a group of middle school boys, I have the patience to survive anything.” And what do you know, I now work with adolescents for a living, and quite enjoy it. Even the crazy stupid annoying moments.
Now that I think about it, UniCamp also inadvertently introduced me to rock climbing. A friend I had made through the org that summer invited me to go outdoor rock climbing in September of 2019. There I met his friend, Chris, a UCLA transfer in his last year, who would invite us indoor bouldering on campus every week. Rock climbing is fun and all but I was also motivated to go because Chris is funny and cute, and I absolutely had a crush on him lol. We got pretty close, he even agreed to take my grad photos with me! Anyway, I was routinely, and voluntarily, active for what felt like the first time in my life. I’ve had an on-again-off-again relationship with climbing due to COVID, but it’s been an ongoing, empowering relationship as of mid-April, when I committed myself to a membership at my local climbing gym. It’s cliché, but I can attest that exercise does wonders for the mind and body. Improving as a climber has helped me reshape my previously negative beliefs towards my physical abilities and limitations. As my strength and technique improve, so does my confidence and mood. I’m so excited to show the ropes (lol) to younger adults this summer…assuming I am able to reach my fundraising goal of $1400!
If you’ve read this far, thank you. I hope that my words were able to convey how life shaping this organization has been for me, and why I want to continue giving back this summer. Im happy to share anything else you’d like to know! If I can make even a fraction of impact on a camper that they’ve made on me, I’d be a happy camper (heh). While this goal is quite abstract—and the outcome measurable in multiple ways—what’s definitive is my fundraising goal, which will help subsidize the cost of camp so that we are accessible and affordable for our target population. I’m overcoming my fear of asking for help, to ask you: are you willing to donate?
ALL of the proceeds go towards bringing 14-17 year old campers from the Greater LA area up the mountains for a week of summer camp. Our week includes a one-day climbing excursion to Holcomb, where I get to teach them Core Lessons in Mind and Body through rock climbing. Your contribution will allow me to run activities that encourage socioemotional growth, mentor older campers as they approach adulthood, all while teaching them how to belay one another so we can all safely climb towards the stars! Whether you can contribute $5 or $500, I deeply appreciate you taking me closer to reaching my fundraising goal.
