Hello! We are the second-year campers of 2021 Camp Rising Sun, and we’re excited to share a bit about ourselves and this year’s Camp season. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Camp Rising Sun continues to create a memorable program for all! This year, Camp is going to be virtual again, and we will be communicating with people around the world from our own homes.

As Camp Rising Sun alums, we were selected to return as second-year campers to take additional leadership at Camp. We will be responsible for leading, or helping first year campers lead, discussions, instructions,  and projects. We will also cooperate with program facilitators to create a great camp experience for the first-year campers. We want to step up as Camp Rising Sun’s role models, and will guide the first-year campers through camp while also participating in the program alongside them.

Here are our brief introductions as second-year campers of 2020 Virtual Camp Rising Sun! We have each highlighted our hopes and expectations for this year’s session in our introductions. In explaining what we anticipate, we hope to be intentional about our goals to grow as leaders while recreating the magic of our respective CRS experiences.

Julia Park ‘20 Fort Lee, NJ, USA

Hello! My name is Julia(she/her), and I’m a first generation Korean-American. I am a 17-year-old junior at the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey, where I’m studying to pursue medicine and laboratory research. I enjoy watching movies, reading, listening to music, and finding new hobbies to delve into. Through the second year of VCRS, I hope to meet new people and gain leadership skills in a virtual setting by being a second year camper. 

Jojo Kinsella, ‘20, Colorado

Hi I’m Jojo Kinsella and I’m way beyond excited to be back as second year this year!! I can’t wait to come back into this environment and continue to learn, innovate and be immersed in these people. We are all coming from so many different walks of life and have much to teach one another. I hope I have the patience to really absorb and understand all the knowledge that will hopefully be poured into me! I’m most excited to be a facilitator and a guide for the first year campers! I can’t wait to really show them what this camp is all about and to have a good time! I could go on and on, but I’ll end it here! I’m just thankful and excited to be back!

Lucía Muñoz Barrado, ‘19, Cáceres, Spain

Hii guys! I’m Lucía (she/her) and I’m 17 years old. I’m from a small charming city in Spain, Cáceres. Right now I’m finishing my senior year at high school so I’m pretty busy but whenever I have some free time I truly enjoy painting, playing the guitar and designing clothes. Camp was such a special and unique experience for me, I learnt a lot and made wonderful friends. I’m so excited about being a 2YC and I can’t wait to meet you all!

Mawada Ahmed, ‘19, New York City, NY, USA

Hey there! My name is Mawada (she/her), I went to Camp in 2019 and I’m from New York City. I love baking, art, beautiful sunrises/sunsets turn my day (literally), and if you’re around me for a while feel free to share a joke or two, because I sure will! I’m super excited to attend Virtual Camp Rising Sun this year to help better the experience for first year campers. Camp was an eye opening experience. After attending in 2019, I realized the new perspective I had gained which made me truly appreciate and value my camp experience even more. Spending the summer with many campers and counselors from around the world helped me appreciate and better understand more about myself and my environment. I am eager to help campers adjust to the camp setting and I can’t wait to help them see their great potential as they grow, become leaders, and carry the camp legacy. 

Mizuki Saito, ‘20, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Hello everyone! I’m Miz(she/her) and I’m a rising junior. I am originally from Tokyo, Japan, but I’ve lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for 6 years now. I went to camp in 2020, so I have some experience with VCRS. I’m super excited to have an opportunity to go back to camp and guide first-year campers! In my free time, I enjoy writing poems, playing on my saxophone, and taking leadership to positively impact my community! I’m looking forward to meeting people from different backgrounds and discussing topics that interest me, as well as improving my leadership skills.

Sarah Schecter ‘19 Oakland, CA, USA

Hello! My name is Sarah Schecter (she/her), and I am from Oakland, California. I went to Camp in 2019, and am super excited to recreate my positive experiences as a second-year camper. As a playwright, community organizer, and food writer, I am looking forward to connecting and collaborating virtually with everyone in the CRS community. I’m currently getting hyped up for disjointed Zoom birthday singing in over 10 languages, exchanging stories, learning about each other’s cultures and experiences, and creating art. I am working to actively embrace the online adaptation through creativity, silliness, and vulnerability!

Tess Nealon Raskin, ‘20, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Hi everyone! I’m Tess(she/they). I applied to be a second year because I want to broaden my ideas of and experiences with people from different cultures and countries. I live in Brooklyn, New York. I love writing, reading mystery novels, and playing the bass. Most of the time, though, you can find me listening to music, exploring the city with my best friend, getting take out, and watching horror movies with my dog. I’m always ready to make new friends and gain new perspectives about the world.

Yuming Wu, ‘19, MO, USA

Hi, everybody! My name is Yuming Wu (she/her), and I am a CRS '19 second-year camper from Missouri!! I am a junior in high school, a dancer, and a guitarist, and I am very interested in intersectional feminism and social justice, as well as anatomy and physiology! I applied to become a second year because I absolutely fell in love with Camp Rising Sun and all of the wonderful things I learned from my experience, and I wanted to help share that experience with the first-years. I am looking forward to meeting everybody and to learn more about different lifestyles across the world!