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Writer's pictureElla Napton

How Did I Get Here?

Well, hello, my dear people. It has been quite the hot sec since I last updated you with a story about the pitfalls of living as a 20 year old trying to navigate college, becoming an adult, and just functioning on a basic level.

Well, this blog post will remedy all of the pressing questions I am sure you have been wondering, many that fall under the umbrella category: "Ella, what have you been up to this summer?"

Well, well, well, let me tell you:

1. I finished my sophomore year of college at Gustavus Adolphus College!!

On May 24 (ish) I moved myself out of my sophomore year dorm at GAC and finished my last, and only, final of the spring semester: German. I then jumped in my overly hot car (I think it was over 100 degrees when I finally got everything in place and was able to leave) and drove home to Rochester for a nice little 4 day break before starting my summer job.


my sophomore yr dorm

2. I got certified in coaching

Not everyone in my life knows this little tidbit, so I might as well share it: I'm a coaching minor! I actually just declared it (I think?) and took the coaching introduction course and through that got some fancy and official sounding certification that I can't remember the actual name of. But, that's beyond the point: I'm a certified coach, y'all!

3. I began my second summer at Good Earth Village (& took on a new role)

As many of you are probably aware, Good Earth Village (or just "camp" in my everyday vocabulary) is my happy place. Last summer was my first summer on staff and I served as a cabin counselor for the whole summer, and I applied for that same position (seeing as I absolutely loved it last summer) this summer, but was met with a happy surprise when I got to camp: I would be leading some programs. Aka I would be creating programming for one of the on-site programs--Settlers, the youngest program that comes for 3 days and 2 nights--and any day camps they needed me for. So far I have led 2 day camps--1 in Lake City and I am currently in Shakopee--and I have led 2 weeks of on-site programming with the Settlers program. And I have absolutely loved every single second in both of those programs (tbh, I was a little hesitant about Settlers seeing as I'm not a huge little kid person, but it turns out I like them more than I thought).


canoeing w my pals Aaron and Michelle during staff training

4. I decided to stop writing for the Odyssey

Well, decided is a loose term. Over the past few months there have been less and less people writing for the Gustavus branch of the Odyssey and it was decided by the higher-ups that it would be best to essentially "shut down" the Gustavus part of the Odyssey. Seeing as I was actually a fairly successful Odyssey writer I was given the option to continue writing independently, but I felt as though my interest in the platform had dwindled after 2 years and I opted out. So I will be sharing more of my content and #thoughts through this blog!

5. I read some cool books

I love reading and this summer I finally got to read some of the books that have been sitting in my "To Be Read" pile for what seems like a million years. I have read "The Four Ms. Bradwells" by Meg Waite Clayton and "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink to name just a couple. I am currently, kind of struggling, reading "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" for the first time. I'm hoping the pacing of the story speeds up soon, because as a camp counselor just about anything can put me to sleep.

6. I made some new and very neat friends

One of the best parts of working at a summer camp is creating an amazing and accepting community of counselors and leadership. And this summer at GEV was no different. Every single person on the staff has made a positive impact on me this summer and I will forever be thankful for the connections I have made.


a very high-quality pic of the 2018 summer staff

7. I became the Parent Coordinator for the largest Student Organization at Gustavus--Big Partner, Little Partner

I applied for the Parent Coordinator position for BPLP on a whim in the middle of a class one day not expecting it to get anywhere seeing as it's the biggest student org on campus, but one morning when I was procrastinating getting out of bed by reading my emails I found out I had gotten a "callback" interview. And apparently I did okay because I got the job! I will be stepping into this role soon and will handle communication/hard discussions between Big Partners and their Little Partners parents.

8. My creativity was sparked once again!

This has been the most exciting part of the summer. At the end of spring semester I could barely get myself to pick up a book for fun or journal or do anything even minutely creativity related. But the second I got to camp and put my phone down (#justcamptings) it came flowing back. And I will be forever grateful, because I have lots of ideas for this coming school year and the growth of my writing, blogging, and other creative endeavors!


at hok si la park in lake city during one of my day camps

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