by Tom Berich, Operations Manager
Recently, Tom Berich, Operations Manager for Luminari sat and talked with Anisten Jackson, a senior at North Gate High school in Pittsburgh. Anisten had the opportunity to attend the I Want To Be An Ambassador camp in 2024. As you’ll read in this interview, her experience with Luminari, and specifically the I Want To Be an Ambassador! camp, has actually had an impact on her future!
TOM: Anisten, tell me a little bit about where you’re from originally.
ANISTEN: I’m from the Pittsburgh area.
TOM: What school district are you from?
ANISTEN: I’m a senior at Northgate High School.
TOM: When were you with Luminari, which camp did you attend?
ANISTEN: I was with the I Want to be an ambassador camp in 2024 – just last summer.
TOM: And did you find out about the camp through the high school?
ANISTEN: No, actually, I was trying to get an interview with this other youth council group. It was kind of like a student council, but a bigger version of it, I guess. And I didn’t get into it, but I found out there was an opportunity to attend Luminari’s I Want to be an Ambassador camp, so it was really last minute. In fact, I actually had no idea what it was and I read through it and I thought it sounded like a great opportunity. So I signed up and joined.
TOM: So tell us about that opportunity. What were your takeaways from the camp? What did you really enjoy about it? What kinds of things did you partake in last year?
ANISTEN: It really got me out of my comfort zone in the best way. I’d say that’s the biggest one. The first day, the first lesson was public speaking. And at first I was a little bit shy, but they did a lot of interactive activities and they really got us to communicate with each other. They had lots of little games that we did that would really get us to talk to each other. They really forced us out of our comfort zone, but it was pretty nice. And it was really cool that I got to meet a lot of new people. I got to learn a lot about different cultures around the world. It just kind of made me more aware of what’s going on around me.
TOM: Now for the I Want to Be an Ambassador camp, you spent part of the time here in Pittsburgh and part of the time in Washington DC, is that right?
ANISTEN: Yeah, we spent a week here and then for the weekend we went to DC.
TOM: Tell me about your trip to DC. What did you learn while you were there?
ANISTEN: So that was so cool. We got to go to the Spy Museum for fun and then we got to see go to the embassies and we got to meet a few of the ambassadors from those countries. And they would tell us about their culture, just different things that are different from here in America and there. And we just learned a lot of new things, how to communicate. We were able to ask them questions and it was a really cool experience.
TOM: So what are your recommendations if there’s students or anybody really that wants to participate in the camps? But they’re a little on the fence about it. They’re not sure if they want to do it.
ANISTEN: I would say to 100% go for it. The people are just so nice. Even if you are a little bit more shy, just the workers are so sweet and if you have any problems, like you could just go to them individually and they will be supportive of it and kind. And all the other people too, all the other students that participated were all from different areas and we all don’t know each other yet. So everyone probably feels the same way. So it’s just a great way to meet new friends and just kind of get yourself out there.
TOM: Okay, well what’s next for you?
ANISTEN: Well… I was accepted to the University of Pittsburgh just last month.
TOM: Congratulations!
ANISTEN: Thank you.
TOM: So do you have any thoughts on what you actually want to major in yet?
ANISTEN: I’m going to major in International Relations BECAUSE of the I Want to be an Ambassador camp!
TOM: Oh, that’s fantastic! Anisten Jackson, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today….
For more information on the I Want to Be an Ambassador Camp, the Diplomacy Camp, or any of the other summer camps that Luminari offers (MusicMakers!, Camp Delicious!), please go to luminari.org.
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