I started packing for college a week before move-in day freshman year. Despite only going 45 minutes away from home to Colby College, I was beyond excited for the adventure college promised, and determined to be as prepared as possible. I had suitcases of clothes, bins of decor, a mini fridge— it was definitely a little embarrassing how much I overpacked. However, despite my parents suggesting I pack a little lighter, there were a few non-negotiable items that I just had to have with me for college: my RYLA water bottle, hoodie, and candle.
At every final campfire, the RYLA candle is lit. It’s a time-honored tradition, and never fails to bring tears to my eyes. It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to a new crop of campers, but it’s even more thrilling knowing that another year of camp has come and passed, welcoming more inspiring personalities to the RYLA community, and sending more leaders off into their respective corners of the world. The RYLA candle symbolizes sharing the flame that RYLA lights inside every one of us, candle to candle, starting with one initial spark. Just as Julia Carney writes in her poem “Little Things,” “Little drops of water,/Make the mighty ocean,” one spark from a flame can grow into a much larger fire. In the most direct way, sharing your spark means taking your learning from camp and bringing it home to your community and your rotary club. In a much larger sense, sharing the RYLA spark means carrying the energy of RYLA and the teachings of rotary with you wherever you go, lighting a fire in everyone you meet.
The RYLA spark is on my mind often as I navigate my sophomore year of college: applying for internships, studying for exams, and living through a pandemic. In the midst of all of that, it’s more important than ever that I check in with myself often, and remind myself of what I learn every year at camp. My fellow staff members have been an amazing resource for this– every so often, the staff members from my year will chat, and even though it’s been months, even years since we’ve all been together, it’s like no time has passed. When I text our group chat, I share my spark, and our combined RYLA flame is alive once more.
At Colby, I’ve found extremely rewarding opportunities to get involved with civic engagement and put what I’ve learned at RYLA into practice. One that really stands out is Colby Cares About Kids. As a member of Colby Cares About Kids (CCAK), every week I visit a local school in the greater Waterville area and see my fourth grade mentee. As someone who feels most fulfilled when building relationships with others, it has been so rewarding to get to know my mentee over the course of the last year and feel like I have a positive impact on her life, just as she does on mine. Whether we’re just sitting and talking or playing on the playground, CCAK has been one of my favorite extracurriculars at Colby, and it reminds me so much of RYLA. A huge focus of RYLA is bringing your leadership skills from camp back home to your community. CCAK allows me to be a leader in my relatively new community of Waterville, sharing my RYLA spark and leadership skills in a new place.
To me, RYLA means inspiration and community. When I see my fellow RYLA community members, I am instantly reminded of all the good times I’ve had at Camp Hinds— the image of the RYLA candle burning bright at the forefront of my mind. The candle, lit from a single flame, reminds me that, at RYLA, we are all part of a community, the same fire alive in all of us. But when we go home, we share our unique, individual sparks with our separate communities. RYLA has taught me that leadership isn’t a one-size-fits all– the leaders I interact with at RYLA bring a multitude of wonderful qualities to any situation, and that’s something I’ve always appreciated about being a part of this community. When I’m on campus, I can see those same unique qualities of leadership in my peers, see the same potential– the same spark– that I see in my community at RYLA. Whether I’m at camp, on campus, or anywhere in the world, there’s always a little bit of RYLA with me.
Katie Callahan is from Bowdoin, Maine. She attended RYLA in June of 2018, was sponsored by Brunswick Rotary Club, and graduated from Mt. Ararat High School in 2020. She is currently a Sophomore at Colby College, and will graduate in the spring of 2024. Katie is now an active servant leader in her community through CCAK, RYLA, and so much more. Oh, and she’s a rock-star figure skater.