A Letter from 6th Grader Cataleyah

Jun 5
2 min read

June 3, 2026

My name is Cataleyah, and I’m headed to 6th grade. I’ve been coming to Girls Inc. of Alameda County’s summer camp at Concordia Park since I was in kindergarten, and I want to tell you why this program means so much to me.

When I first came to Concordia Park, I was really shy and quiet because I didn’t know anybody. On my very first day, I got paired up with another girl named Gia for a “pair and share” activity. She was nice to me, and that’s when I knew she was going to be my best friend.

We don’t even go to the same school, but girls from a bunch of different schools can come to Concordia. I think that’s really special because if it wasn’t for this summer program, we wouldn’t have met!

(L) Cataleyah (R) Gia Concordia Park Summer '25

Now, six years later, we are still best friends. She knows all of my secrets and I know all of hers!

I’ve been coming to Concordia Park for so long that it really feels like a second home to me. I love all the activities we get to do, like sports, science projects, and all the different field trips.

We get to go somewhere new every week to places like Simpson Strong-Tie, where they taught us to build a white board, and the Chabot Science Center, where we got to learn all about outer space.

Visitors also come to our class. My favorite group was probably Denali Therapeutics because they taught us about our brains and showed us animal brains under the microscope.

One of my favorite things about Concordia is how much we get to try new things.

Last summer, I went rowing and golfing for the first time ever. The rowing instructors told me I was really good at it, and it made me think that maybe one day I could go professional.

Before Girls Inc. of Alameda County, I never would have imagined trying something like that.

All the different stuff we get to do is fun, so it doesn’t feel like school during the summer. I also love that Concordia Park is an all-girls program. It makes it easier to open up and make friends and be yourself.

Now when I see girls who are shy like I used to be, I try to help them feel included

too.

I think programs like this are really important because not every family can pay for summer camps. Girls Inc. of Alameda’s camp at Concordia Park is completely free, so more girls like me get to come learn and make friends.

Thank you for supporting Girls Inc. of Alameda County programs. You may be helping another girl meet her best friend and not even know it!

Thanks for reading,