Alumni Testimonials

Camp Rising Sun makes an incredible impact on our program participants that deepens through the course of their lifetime. Read here what our campers, alumni, and staff are grateful for about Camp.

Staff

“Camp is a bubble to be expanded. I think of Camp’s mission and realize that, as a college student, I have the same one, which is to carry on and spread the ideas and ideologies of the environment that brings us safety and room to thrive.”  Mai-Anh ‘18

“Coming to work at CRS two summers in a row was an amazing experience and a huge learning curve for me. Not only have I learned so much about myself, but I also was so happy to offer my time and skills and just be there for campers whilst growing as a person and young professional.” –Sonia '10, '16, '17

"The experience that I have working at Camp Rising Sun is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. It allowed me to learn, share, teach and work with people from different states from the US, not only that but also people from all over the world, and gave [me and fellow staff members] the chance to learn about each other's' differences, culture and backgrounds. Working at a summer camp helped me grow and improve on the personal and professional level and equipped me with a lot of skills that are very important in any working environment in all fields. " –Karim '12, '16, '17 ‘18

Alumni

“Thanks to Camp Rising Sun, my world view changed forever in 1993 and 1994. Today, it is an important source of my personal outlook, my professional work and a daily inspiration.” - Christina ‘93, ‘94, ‘99, ‘05, ‘06, ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, ‘10, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15

“Camp Rising Sun has been a decisive moment in my life. The summer of 2012 and 2013 have had such great impact on me, that I can not image how my life would have turned out without this experience. CRS has showed me that you can make a change. During my summers I got the confidence and belief that it is good to have big ambitious dreams and fight for them. CRS taught me to use my strengths to improve my community. Back then when I applied it was because I would love to have a great summer. Now a few years later I can see how much value it has for not only the participants but also for the rest of the world. I can not express how thankful I am for this opportunity. I am determined to carry on the values of camp and spread them within my university, organizations and my overall community. I wish that all future campers an amazing summer and hope they can look back at this experience, like I do now.” Elise ‘12,‘13

Campers

“[Camp Rising Sun is] an amazing place for growth and maturity. A place I can now truly call home.” - Monica ‘15, ‘16

“Camp taught me that leadership comes in all shapes, forms, and sizes. Everyone leads in different ways.” - Cristian ‘15 & ‘16

“Now, I know that I need to take initiative and lead others.  Also, I learned a lot about other cultures and styles of life. For example, one of my favorite instructions was about Afghanistan and Tajikistan.  I learned so much about the countries’ cultures, histories, daily life, food, dances, and so much more, when before that I could barely point them out on a map. Just general discussions on the common cereal in different countries and what fast food restaurants are popular where really broadened my knowledge of the world around me.  Besides all this, I learned a lot about myself. I was never really the person to open up and spill my emotions to another person. At camp, all my friends were always there if I needed a shoulder to lean on, so I opened up more than I ever have. Camp, overall, gave the skills and encouragement I needed to improve myself, help my community, and become a sachem”. - Remy ‘17