Paper Topic

After a long time of thinking, I determined that my paper topic would be the "mile swim" at Camp Longhorn. I had just finished fourth grade, and I was scared but excited about going to this camp for the first time. Some of my friends later told me that everyone had to swim a mile, and my mom did not think that was true. I have a strong fear of water, but I had heard nothing from the camp about the mile swim, so I decided to forget about what my friends had told me. Needless to say, I ended up swimming the mile in the lake. After I completed swimming the mile I felt surprised, and I felt a sense of success. I learned that we all have more strength and perseverance than we think. This is also when I began to believe in the theory that "everything happens for a reason." I almost decided not to go to camp when I had heard about the mile swim, I am so happy that I went and got through it. I learned lot from those two weeks away, and I cannot imagine if I had not gone. I went back to the camp for four years and swam the mile every time.

I chose this as my topic because it made me stronger and made me realize that if I put my mind to something, no matter how afraid I am, I can get through it. I have questions about how I felt before and after the swim, and as I write this personal essay I want to mentally go back to my childhood and remember everything I felt. This experience made me more of a determined person, and I want to discover everything that it taught me.