Through volunteering as a counselor at Camp Kesem I developed many skills essential to my success as a leader.  To be more specific, I learned how to deal with situations on my own when given little guidance, critically listen and evaluate a situation before responding, and how to link responsibility with fun.  There were several times at camp where I was faced with a situation which was not mentioned during trainings.  Considering I was with the campers all hours of the day, I had to learn to make my own decisions based upon what I felt was best for their safety and experience at camp.  I also learned to carefully listen to their stories before formulating my response.  Since many of the children at camp wanted to share a story about the battle their parent was having with cancer, I had to be sure to take in everything they were saying before responding.  This was not always easy, but I developed a critical thinking skill which allowed me to formulate deep responses rather than merely saying the first thing which came to mind.  Another skill I developed was how to link fun with responsibility.  Although this is not necessarily a defined leadership skill, I think it is crucial to being a good leader because more people will want to listen and follow your lead if they are enjoying themselves in the process.  Overall, Camp Kesem helped me develop my leadership skills in a way no other program has been able to do before.  I realize there is still time for growth in these areas, but because of my volunteer work, I believe I made a huge step towards becoming a better leader.