“Growing up in a city neighborhood like mine was kind of hard for me, because you had to fit in. But at camp, I could totally be myself. Camp changed my life.”

“I built a high wall around myself so I can’t get hurt. But, here everyone was just looking to be themselves. Everyone was so relaxed... I learned I don’t need that wall. I think this camp is the best thing you can do to find yourself.”

“After camp, I auditioned for LaGuardia, the Fame school. I was the second one to go in. I repeated the lyrics over and over to myself from this song we learned at camp, I Sing the Body Electric, which is actually FROM Fame: ‘and in time and in time we will all be stars.’ That boosted my confidence. I looked the audience straight in the eye, and just sang with a smile. I got in.”

“I live in Queens. Everything here is the opposite from home. Here you can play outside without worrying about gangs. There’s things to do instead of watching TV. It’s not scary. I would like to stay here much longer...a week seems way too short.”

“I went to camp last summer to see the performance. When it was over I met some of them. All of the people I saw had smiles on their faces. I would like to be one of those people with a smile the size of the world.”