Alumnae Spotlight-Ella Walker

My name is Ella Walker, and I grew up in Rome, GA, which is how I learned about Skyline. My best friend growing up invited me to come with her one summer, and I never looked back! I did undergrad and graduate school at Samford University, and now live vicariously through my sister who is there. I love Birmingham so much, so I decided to stay here post grad and work at a private practice called Calvert + Associates as a children’s counselor.

What makes Skyline special to you?

Skyline is special to me because of its power to serve me in whatever season I may be in. For example, as an 11 year old girl, I needed a place to escape the responsibility of being an older sister of 4 younger siblings. I needed to experience independence of being my own person, apart from my family. As a 14 year old girl, I needed a place where I could learn to navigate conflict in friendships with the guidance of counselors who could help me learn how to deal with it in a healthy way. As a 16 year old girl, I needed a place where I could step up to lead girls who were younger than me to safely learn how to lead well. As a camp counselor, I needed a place where I could learn how to care for children, my peers, and myself well, all while experiencing a physically taxing job. As an admin, I have needed a place where I get to hold more responsibility, while simultaneously getting to be a kid again. Skyline as a place meets you where you are and holds space for you as you grow into who the Lord wants you to be.

What is your favorite camp memory?

My favorite camp memory was when I was 15, I decided to come to camp for a month, and I knew some people going 2nd session, but not a lot, so I was super nervous. I was homesick for the first few days, but a time where I remember genuinely laughing so hard was when Riverside got to play in the river for cabin fun night, and I did the blob for the first time ever with girls I had just met that day and who ended up being such great roommates and friends by the end of the session. It’s a fond memory where I remember my heart being so joyful.

What life skills did you learn at camp?

The main life skill I learned at camp was how to resolve conflict appropriately. Nobody enjoys conflict, even if they have practiced it over and over again. As a camper, I would have my counselors to guide me as a disagreement or hurt feelings happened with a friend. As a camp counselor, it was now on me to be the “adult” in the situation and navigate how to handle conflict well. Through A LOT of trial and error, I learned how to share how I have been hurt by others, while also caring for their heart in the process. The gospel has helped me immensely in this, remembering that they are a fellow image bearer of Christ, and I am no better than them, even when they have hurt me.

How has Skyline’s mission statement, “Enriching young girls in God, relationships and self”, impacted your life?

Every girl at camp is coming from a different family and life background. You never know what hard things people are walking in with. Each year I have come back to camp, I learn something new through our mission statement based off of what I’ve been experiencing leading up to camp. For God, camp was a place I could always recenter and focus on what was most important to me, without the distractions of the outside world. He continually taught me new things about Himself, myself, and others through my time at camp. For relationships, some of my deepest and sweetest friendships growing up came from camp. Camp friendships are unlike any other friendship, and if you don’t have a camp friend, you need one! For self, I think back to the versions of myself that came through camp each summer and cringe a little. Camp is really kind to accept you in any season you’re in, even the awkward middle school years. I can see how much I have grown when I think back to each summer I spent at camp and see clearly how each version of myself I came to camp as, left changed for the better.

As a Skyline Hero, what advice do you give college students interested in your field?

I chose social work because I could do counseling under the umbrella of it, but knew it also offered a lot of other options if I decided counseling wasn’t for me. So my advice would be to choose what you are drawn to and passionate about, even if people tell you it doesn’t make a lot of money! The time and energy you invest in something you are truly passionate about will feel so easy and free when it is something you know you were created to do. AND if you start something and it isn’t that, you are not bound to it. Explore your options until you find what fits you because you will be able to serve the people you serve better when there’s passion and care behind it.