Peace, Love, & Gig 'Em: FCXII: Duke Domination

Our Camp Duke journey began several months ago. My blog has taken you through every revelation night, partner reveal, road trip, day trip, work weekend, and several other memories thus far. We have taken hundreds of pictures, driven thousands of miles, and spent countless hours with each other. We had been preparing since March for our freshman to arrive and here is the story of how Camp Duke dominated Lakeview. We met up in College Station three days before camp and worked every hour of every day. Practicing skits, writing lull signs, creating a sign-off chant, painting nails, dying hair, and so much more. Fish Camp was the only thing on our mind making sleep our last priority. The night before camp we took pictures in our tanks by Rudder Fountain and quickly made our way into Koldus. Everything was waiting for us—all of our camp shirts, fanny packs, hats, crafts, and nice things. Our co-chairs created a picture slideshow of our journey together and made it a very special night for us. As I read through all of the nice things, tears began rolling down the side of my face. It blew me away at how well each of these people truly knew me and my heart. Our camp became a family in only a matter of months and I couldn’t be more thankful for each and every one of them. After we were all sentimental, we trekked all the way across campus to the front of the Academic Building. This was the start of our all session yell practice. Although Camp Duke was fashionably late, we quickly became the camp that everyone wanted to be a part of. Swag. I think that's what they call it. They instantly knew we would be a force to be reckoned with at Lakeview. The next morning, we had our official send-off for Session B. I barely got two hours of sleep the night before because I couldn’t contain my excitement. OUR freshmen were coming!!! We arrived to Reed Arena extremely early, but there couldn’t have been more enthusiasm. Crazy people with mohawks and tutus were everywhere. We were all assigned different jobs and I was a greeter. I helped the freshmen transition from their cars to the check in tables. I had so much fun talking to each one of them and truly believe this was the greatest possible job. Once they arrived, they were sent into Reed Arena for the official welcome by John Claybrook, our student body president, and many others. We loaded into the buses and began our bus ride to the happiest place in the world, Lakeview. As a first year counselor, I felt like I was blindly entering the next four days of my life. Day One was exhausting and a bit overwhelming. A smile never left my face even though the freshmen probably thought I was crazy. Dave and I were DG: Marriage Material and our partner walk up song was Here Comes The Bride. Christopher Duke, our namesake, walked me down the aisle. It was complete with a veil and a suit. It definitely captured the essence of "Dave and Kaitlyn." After our partner walk up songs, WE FINALLY MET OUR BABIES!!! The comparison between our first DG time and our last DG time blew me away. DG: Marriage Material was absolutely perfect. We couldn't have dreamt of a better group of freshmen to have by our side. They each had a unique spirit within them and it was our privilege to welcome them to the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Family. It was such a blessing to be their DG Mama and get to know them each so well. I loved them and I'll be praying for them constantly. I hope they know that they always have a friend in me. My enthusiasm was genuine and the advice I gave them was from the bottom of my heart. Each one of them has the potential to do incredible things at this university and I am so thankful that I am able to be a part of their Aggie journey. There were ten very different freshmen in DG: Marriage Material, but somehow we all blended together perfectly. One of the neatest parts about being a counselor was watching their transition from the first day to the last day. Our DG wouldn’t have been successful if it weren’t for my amazing partner, David. Even though his mustache freaked me out, he was the perfect balance for me. We led our freshmen with ease and I saw an entire different side of him at camp. His love for Fish Camp and our DG babies inspired me. Dave is the reason I was able to make it through the first day. Together, we were Team Marriage Material and it couldn’t have worked more perfectly. On a different note... I cannot put into words how incredible our co-chairs were. Will and Britni made Camp Duke's success possible. They never stoped making me laugh and surprised me more every single day. They were approachable, understanding, and way too cool for school. I admired their leadership style; because they were first our friends and second our co-chairs. I enjoyed watching all of the freshmen fall in love with them as well. They had a vision for what they wanted their camp to look like and they actually made it happen. I think of them as the "Dream Team." Thank you for providing me with an amazing first year counselor experience. It means the world to me that you genuinely cared about all of us and all of our freshmen. They made Duke Domination possible by choosing 24 amazing counselors. These counselors have become some of my very best friends and I wouldn't have wanted to embark on this journey with anyone else. Everyone came alive at Lakeview and we were all equally passionate about serving the freshmen. They could tell just how much we loved one another and hopefully it made them feel more comfortable. Mere words aren’t enough to describe how much these friendships mean to me. I loved everything about my time spent at Lakeview and had the best four days of my life. People have told me that there is something magical about that place… and it’s true. But, I know it’s not that camp site that is magical. It is the Aggie Spirit. This summer I’ve discovered the power of that spirit and the strength of our family. It was an absolute blast when Camp Duke dominated Lakeview by winning the yell-off in Copeland. That was a moment I will never forget. It was an absolute blast dancing like crazy at Club Verde every single night. Kerry’s dance moves should go down in Fish Camp history. It was an absolute blast performing and watching countless skits for our freshmen. Man Up, Sister Act, and the Toast just to name a few. It was an absolute blast capturing the entire weeks’ worth of memories on camera. Pictures bring people so much joy. It was an absolute blast having a million conversations with all of the freshmen. Meeting new people is one of my very favorite things. I could go on all day about every single aspect about Lakeview—how much I love my fellow counselors, my co-chairs, my namesake, and all of my freshmen. The thing I loved the most about Lakeview was watching the Class of 2016 fall in love with Texas A&M. This is the place I call home. This is the place I’ve found most of my very best friends. This is the place I’ve invested my life. Watching them become integrated into the Aggie Family was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. This was my first opportunity to impact the lives of the Class of 2016 and it reminded me of my purpose at Texas A&M. This upcoming year, I will be surrounded by freshmen and I couldn’t be more excited about it!!! The beauty of Fish Camp is the fact that this isn’t the end, but simply the beginning. We genuinely want to see all of our freshmen this Fall and continue to ease their transition into college life. Fish Camp was incredible. DG: Marriage Material was perfect. Camp Duke won Lakeview. And Texas A&M is a university like no other. There is a spirit that can ne’er be told... It’s the spirit of Aggieland. We are all not only a part of the Aggie family, but now the loudest and proudest members of the Camp Duke generation. DUKE THERE IT IS.