I applied to Camp CEO because I was approached via email by a Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana staff member, who told me about it being a leadership program. I had never done anything through Girl Scouts, besides what I did with my troop, so breaking away from that was something I was skeptical about.

I expected the camp to be loaded with a lot of Girl Scout stereotypes, such as making friendship bracelets and canoeing (both of which we did), but what I didn’t realize is that I would include making lifelong connections and friends.

We talked about real life experiences with the most intriguing and successful women. The women who led and spoke during our time together persevered through gender stereotypes, and broke through glass ceilings to get where they are today.

We went through exercises that would help us in diverse professional settings, along with conversational skills that could help us close a deal or confront issues in the workplace. This camp was lead and organized so that you could ask real-life questions to real-life adults who have gone through the same experiences that we will one day go through. This fact alone makes the whole camp unique, seeing as how mere high school students don’t often get to have heart-to-heart conversations with CEOs of companies.

Camp CEO is important so you can get to know yourself on a business level. It also urges you to think about what you want to do for the rest of your life, and sheds light on all the different opportunities you might not have thought about.

Amelia Harlocker is a 16-year-old Girl Scout Ambassador who attended Camp CEO. To learn more about Camp CEO and to apply, please visit girlscoutsgcnwi.org.