Psychology major brings mental health awareness to summer camp during APEX Fellowship

Will Callender ’25, a psychology major and sociology minor at The College of Wooster, has always wanted to advocate for mental health awareness by working with kids. He had the opportunity to get hands-on practice through an APEX Fellowship with Camp Agassiz in Poland, Maine. This summer camp, first founded in 1935, aims to empower young students to practice essential leadership skills in a safe, welcoming environment amongst their peers. Under the advisement of Hamed Goharipour, assistant professor of urban studies and Middle Eastern & North African studies, Callender navigated tensions between students by using his skills in psychological and sociological reflection, encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to be constructive in how they approach their peers’ differences.

 

“I have always been interested in working with kids and tying that into advocating for mental health. This position was a great chance for me to grow and gain some experience while meeting new people and gaining new connections.”

—Will Callender ’25

How did you learn about the internship opportunity for your APEX Fellowship? Why was the position a good fit for you? 

“I learned about this opportunity through Indeed. It was a good fit because it allowed me to gain experience and develop essential skills. I was drawn to this internship as it has a psychological background and I have always been interested in working with kids and tying that into advocating for mental health. This internship was also unique as many of my co-workers were international, with some being from the U.K. and others from Australia and Mexico.”

What are some of the things you did each day? 

“On a day-to-day basis, I would spend most of my day in the Social-Emotional-Learning main area, called the serenity cabin, and my time would be spent either leading tasks to build gratefulness and mindfulness, or solving problems and being a friend to the campers that would come in. While leading activities, our team would always be prepared and plan the day before, which led to a smooth and functioning group, and, in turn, was better for the kids.”

Who was your fellowship mentor and how did they help you to succeed in this position? 

“Hamed Goharipour, assistant professor of urban studies and Middle East and North African studies, helped me by allowing me to reflect on what I was learning. Some of the difficulties that I saw were that some kids came from really tough backgrounds and hadn’t really had many people on their side. As a result of this, there would sometimes be issues between them and other campers. To solve these issues, we would need to assess what would help this child have a fun time and enjoy their experience, but also learn to grow and build relationships with their peers and learn skills. Often the solution would be looking back at what we have seen and what we knew prior and looking through a psychological lens.”

How has the internship helped you to see what’s next for you?  

“It helped me realize some of my skills and was a great chance for me to grow and gain some experience while meeting new people and gaining new connections.”

Posted in Experiential Learning on August 16, 2023.