By Marien Reed, Class of 2025
This article is a part of a series of student stories of growth curated for the 2025 One Event. If you enjoy this story, please donate and tell us which student’s story inspired you to give.
One Stone hosts summer camps every year that explore different topics for kids of various ages in the area. My second year at One Stone, I was part of the STEM summer camp for kids in 3rd and 4th grade. This summer, I was about to change, and I didn’t even know it would happen. I changed because of my buddy, Chet.
Chet was a quiet and introverted kid who was younger and smaller than the other kids. Many of the kids coming to camp already had friends, but Chet was alone and scared. When I first met him, I set a goal for myself: to make this camp as fun for him as possible. Chet was hesitant to talk to anyone, but once I took a motherly approach and asked him about his cool Crocs, he lit up. After that, he was glued to my side. Chet followed me around the entire camp and hardly interacted with the other campers. Every so often, I’d see him longing to play with the other boys and girls.
By the end of camp, though, Chet had gained so much confidence and was interacting with others little by little. On the last day, I knew we needed to take a big step forward. Our activity for the day was making toothbrush robots, which was a big hit with all the kids, especially Chet.
But soon, Chet fell behind during the instructions and seemed to shut down. I crouched down to his level, looked him in the eye, and told him, "You're doing amazing." After that, he took a deep breath and quickly caught up. Overcoming this struggle made him feel especially proud of himself. His robot was working perfectly, and he loved it. With this boost of confidence, I knew it was time. With my hand on his back, gently guiding him forward, I asked, "Do you want to race your robot with the other kids?"
He seemed surprised and got nervous. After thinking it over and with me reassuring him, he said yes—if I went with him. He asked another camper to race, and the other kid happily agreed.
Once they raced, there was no stopping Chet. He was running around with the other kids, laughing, connecting, and making friends. That moment made me rethink how I view change and new experiences. Chet reminded me of myself, and seeing him succeed and be happy gave me a sense of pride I had never felt before. Whenever I face a challenge or encounter a setback, I think of Chet—the little guy taking a deep breath and jumping into his struggles headfirst.
Holding Chet’s hand that day made me realize how much I love helping others. Seeing him step out of his comfort zone with confidence and watching him make more friends than he could count inspired me to do the same. Chet will continue to impact and inspire my life, even though I most likely won’t see him again. But I owe him so much for what he taught me.
Because of Chet’s influence, I’ve accomplished things I never thought possible, such as paying my tuition on my own and connecting with strangers, even just for a moment, so they feel seen. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I truly believe that we both changed and helped each other for the better.
