Maddie gets older, wiser, and sillier.

Maddie reflects on the hardest part of college so far. Is it the classes? Dorm living? No, it's the battle with her good girl habits - in this case, the tendency to say "yes" to any and all social invitations, even when she really wants to say "no."

GLI camper Maddie Alpert worked hard for her college acceptance letters. But hard work wasn't all she needed when it came time to make the biggest choice of her life. What she needed was a little perspective.

I recently attended the GLI reunion in New York, and I had an absolute blast. It was SO great to see the GLI family again. I loved the chance to be silly, and loved being a part of the hug-fest that comes with any GLI event. And, in typical GLI fashion, I left with more than fun memories; I left with a lot to think about.

The other day I gave my backpack a much needed cleaning and came across this to-do list:

Lately, I’ve been in a lot of situations in which I’ve had to impress adults. For example, last month I held a fundraiser where I tried to persuade people to donate their time and money to bring glasses to people in the developing world. And, being a high school senior, I’ve had to put on my impressive face in the obligatory college interviews. I’ve been working hard to perfect my smart, mature presence, to be someone that these people could take seriously and respect.

This summer at GLI, we got an assignment; to spend three minutes and share a part of ourselves in a poem, story or skit form. The second that I heard about it, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to use the supportive environment of GLI to talk about something that I’ve never talked about—honestly at least -- to anyone.