Seventh-grader Karlie is from a small town, but shares that being at EXPLO has opened up the world to her. In three weeks she's formed lasting friendships and gained the confidence to be herself — singing at the top of her lungs and all!

I’m a really shy person, so I was surprised that I get along so well with my roommates. When I was meeting them for the first time I was really quiet and didn’t say much, but over the past weeks I’ve gotten to know them really well, and we’ve gotten close in ways that I never thought we would. I’m only going to know these people for three weeks, so I wasn’t expecting to bond so much with them. Now I feel like I’ve known everyone at EXPLO for a lifetime. When I first arrived I wanted to go home, but now that I’ve been here for this long I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

This is my first time at a residential camp because I really don’t like to try new things. At home, I have the world’s smallest group of friends, but here I talk to someone new almost every day. You meet someone from China and you think that you’d be so different from them when in reality we’re all so alike. The people at EXPLO are so kind, and when you come to EXPLO you have a clean slate — no one knows anything about you and you can be who you want to be. I can open up to the girls in my hall more than I do with my friends back home. My friend Maya and I both live in small towns, so we understand where the other person is coming from. I think I actually have similarities with every girl on my floor, and that’s pretty amazing.

The opportunity to live with people for three weeks makes you understand the world around you. My small town is like a bubble, but here you get to see how other people live — their morning routines and such. It sort of changes you, because you get a wider view of the world. I’m excited that I’m changing and adapting, because I thought I’d always be the same shy person. I think I’ve opened up to people and I’m glad I’ve gotten to experience that. When you’re here with these new friends, you sing and you belt together, even though none of us have perfect voices, and none of us care. I’m so glad that I can be myself here, because you want to be able to present who you really are and feel comfortable doing so.