WARNING: this is not a sob story. Like the title infers, I am a fifteen year-old girl that would like to attend what may be my last year at Emagination Computer Camps {ECC}. Tuition at camp can get expensive, and for the past year, I've been working hard to try and make the $3000 on my own that I needed to get an extra session at camp. Having a second session means that I can be what is known as a PA, or Program Assistant, along with many of my other friends. So why didn't I ask my parents? I did. And they told me that they would try, and this was back in December 2015 and at that point that was all I needed to hear. I was asking for a lot, and my sister is a graduating high school senior this year, and there's so many other things to pay for than tuition. No when you've got rent and hefty college expenses. But I thought that if I could pay for a second session on our my own along with the one payed for by Anne Shore {explained below} I could choose which campus I could attend. I contacted ECC and they said that I could be a PA as long as I could afford a second session; But my dad told me two months later that he didn't think it could happen and that maybe it could next year. But the thing about next year. Since last year, I've attended camp through a program called Anne Shore, which is partnered with a couple camps to provide a camp experience for kids that would not get the experience without it. And that's the program that I am apart of. Although the program is great, I am aging out of it. It stops when you are 15, and my first year was actually last year, so my second year will be my last one. But I signed up for ECC right away, and like the previous year I was accepted. However, I noticed a couple changes right away: the Anne Shore kids were being relocated from ECC Boston to ECC Fairfield. And this was a big issue for me because I thought that I would be returning to the same campus as last year, where I made many connections that I've continued to keep throughout this year, and would like to continue to keep. A key reason for returning to camp is not solely for the content {although it makes a close second because who doesn't like learning about video games and coding?} but rather for the experience itself and that is formed by the people who make up the community there. Many of the friends I met were my age or maybe 1-2 years older, and this year is the last year for a lot of them as well and even if there is a possibility that I can make ends meet next year, some of the people I would be returning for would be missing. And so if I don't attend this year, I might never see them again. I've also kept in close contact with what I'd consider to be my best friend and roommate at camp, Davie, and although I don't think I could room with her {PAs and res campers are a bit separated} I would really like to see her and the rest of the PAs when I return to camp. And I haven't included it in as much detail as I had when I was contacting ECC, but I tried hard all year to get the funds I needed to get to camp. I blew $100 dollars on a drawing tablet that you connect to a computer to draw digitally because I enjoy art and thought maybe I could make money with it. Nope. I tried to set up an Etsy/Storenvy shop where I sold hand made pins I made from shrink film. Nope. I tried crowdfunding on gofundme but the rates were high for the services, and didn't gain any traffic anyway. And then I reached out to organizations that believe in feminism, and making the world more equal for girls. I reached out to Girls Who Code, Made With Code, and Rookie Magazine in hopes of getting somewhere. But I only received one response, and although I was grateful for the reply, it wasn't the one I needed. But what's so bad about ECC Fairfield? Why would I try so hard to get away from a place that didn't seem so bad? Honestly, I haven't been there. But what I can tell you right now is that when I compare it to the Boston camp, Fairfield lacks what I've got already established at Boston. The people, is a big part. But it's not just that. Being at Boston, which is a good hours away from NY, lets me be who I am. That probably sounds silly. But I think that when other people judge, many people make assumptions based on what someone they trust have said about you. Basically, by what has been told to them. Rather than having a clean slate before meeting someone, they've already got a bias. And that's what's there for me in Connecticut. I've got a close friend in "real life" aka someone I see one a regular basis, and she is a camper at Fairfield. She's been there for about three years now, and she'll be returning this year. Like me, she has established a presence there. People miss her, want to see her, have been looking forward to seeing her all year. Because of that, they trust what they have heard and been told about me. And although I love her, I don't think I'd thrive in an area where everyone's first impression of me was there way before I was. And I want to be an individual who makes an impact based on who she is, rather that what she seems. I want to make friends because they're MY friends that like me for who I am, not because I associate with someone they know. Call me selfish but it's the truth. TLDRAnd finally, the solution:I've contacted ECC and basically, although they would be okay with making an exception for me and moving me from the Connecticut campus to the one in Massachusetts, they can't do it because they are contracted with Anne Shore to bring campers to Connecticut. And with a little research, I found out that in order to modify a signed contract, all parties have to be in agreement with the change. And so, the proposal: I want to create a change in the contract between Anne Shore and Emagination Computer Camps, that allows for them to have exceptions when the situation calls for it. Or just something, where if I truly did move their hearts about what I've written, they could make the decision to send me where I'd like to go. This is my way of reaching out to Anne Shore to try and convince them to make an exception. This is my final resort, and I don't know how many signatures I will need for this to happen, but I guess all I can do is hope for the best because in the end, all that matters is that I tried my best to get where I wanted to be. And that's all I can do. Even if I can't be a PA because I don't qualify {although I'm still keeping my fingers crossed! Maybe an honorary one?} I'd just like to spend my summer at Boston. Thanks for reading, and hopefully signing,Mijyo Sasaki