I love word puzzles. Let me be more specific. I love word puzzles that require thought, knowledge and logic, not random guesses and a hefty stroke of luck. Connections is the perfect puzzle! I appreciate the cleverness of the categories, the mental stimulation and the sense of accomplishment that come from finishing a puzzle. Sometimes an obvious category seems to jump right out at me, until I see that there are only three choices that could fit that group and I have to go back to the proverbial drawing board. My hat is off to the puzzle authors who come up with some real head-scratchers! I’m excited to try my hand at creating a Connections puzzle. My categories are these: Mountains in Europe: Mount Elbrus, Mount Etna, Mount Olympus, Matterhorn Pens: Pilot, Parker, Montblanc, Waterman Navigators: Helmsman, Coxswain, Skipper, Guide __________ eye: Pink, Red, Side, Black Here’s where I tried to insert a bit of trickiness: Montblanc is also a mountain in Europe although it should be correctly spelled as two words, Mont Blanc, to mean the highest peak in France. Pilot, in addition to being a high-quality brand of writing instruments, is also a boat navigator. To lend even more craftiness to the puzzle, Waterman, a luxury pen brand, could be incorrectly grouped with the navigators because it is related to a job on the water although not specifically to the skill of direction-finding. Word puzzles challenge my brain, engaging areas related to problem-solving, language, and recall. The mental workout is both satisfying and rewarding. That "aha!" moment when I solve a tough puzzle just makes my day!

I came of age in the year of COVID. My school closed for spring break in March 2020, and I didn’t go back in-person until more than a year later. I was a freshman at a high-pressure, high-performing college-prep private school. In addition to dealing with all of the typical freshman girl angst and an excessive amount of personal perfectionism, I had to deal with a whole new way of learning and a complete absence of an in-person social support system. I mean, we all did, but some handled it better than others. Long story short, I found myself in a sad place and needed help. Fast forward four years, I am a happy, productive, successful college sophomore. I’m majoring in accounting and have Dean’s List grades. I belong to half a dozen clubs, I have a part-time job, and I’m contemplating playing recreational women’s rugby. What I’ve learned over the last four years is how to harness my anxiety and turn it into positive energy to work for me. Over time, I’ve learned to temper the pursuit of perfection. I can be successful without being perfect. I can fail without having my soul crushed. Many times, “good” really is good enough. In addition to learning to be kinder to myself, I learned the importance of diet and exercise in maintaining both physical and mental health. Eating a lot of unhealthy food just makes you feel bad, which in turn, impacts your mental health. Many of us enjoy eating chips by the handful or one too many slices of pizza occasionally, but “everything in moderation” became my mantra along with vitamins and lots of water. When I feel myself getting anxious, I take a break from whatever I’m working on and go for a long walk or bike ride. Physical activity burns off the nervous energy, and I can go back to my work more settled and focused. I’ve also learned to say no. I don’t need to join one more organization because it will look good on my resume or application for grad school. I don’t need to take twenty credit hours per semester. I don’t need to stop what I’m doing and lose my momentum just because a friend wants to go out, and I’m afraid a decline will hurt her feelings. Being able to say “no” is a remarkably freeing skill. My favorite quote is one often attributed to Winston Churchill but is also one he never actually said: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." Nevertheless, this paraphrased quote perfectly summarizes a life lesson that took me a while to learn. Success is not a destination but rather a journey. Education is also a lifelong journey, sometimes gained formally like a college experience, and sometimes gained through daily interactions. My primary goal for going to college is to become a productive, contributing member of society. I want to be able to provide for my own needs and wants in a manner that is mutually beneficial to myself and my future employer as well as be able to provide a helping hand to those less fortunate. I’m pretty sure I want to be an accountant. However, the beauty of a college education is that you can try courses in many subject areas to determine what it is that you do like and may want to pursue as a career. I really do think I’ll make a good accountant, but on the other hand, college may open some doors for me that I don’t yet know exist.

I came of age in the year of COVID. My school closed for spring break in March 2020, and I didn’t go back in-person until more than a year later. I was a freshman at a high-pressure, high-performing college-prep private school. In addition to dealing with all of the typical freshman girl angst and an excessive amount of personal perfectionism, I had to deal with a whole new way of learning and a complete absence of an in-person social support system. I mean, we all did, but some handled it better than others. Long story short, I found myself in a sad place and needed help. Fast forward four years, I am a happy, productive, successful college sophomore. I’m majoring in accounting and have Dean’s List grades. I belong to half a dozen clubs, I have a part-time job, and I’m contemplating playing recreational women’s rugby. What I’ve learned over the last four years is how to harness my anxiety and turn it into positive energy to work for me. Over time, I’ve learned to temper the pursuit of perfection. I can be successful without being perfect. I can fail without having my soul crushed. Many times, “good” really is good enough. In addition to learning to be kinder to myself, I learned the importance of diet and exercise in maintaining both physical and mental health. Eating a lot of unhealthy food just makes you feel bad, which in turn, impacts your mental health. Many of us enjoy eating chips by the handful or one too many slices of pizza occasionally, but “everything in moderation” became my mantra along with vitamins and lots of water. When I feel myself getting anxious, I take a break from whatever I’m working on and go for a long walk or bike ride. Physical activity burns off the nervous energy, and I can go back to my work more settled and focused. I’ve also learned to say no. I don’t need to join one more organization because it will look good on my resume or application for grad school. I don’t need to take twenty credit hours per semester. I don’t need to stop what I’m doing and lose my momentum just because a friend wants to go out and I’m afraid a decline will hurt her feelings. Being able to say “no” is a remarkably freeing skill. My favorite quote is one often attributed to Winston Churchill but is also one he never actually said: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." Nevertheless, this paraphrased quote perfectly summarizes a life lesson that took me a while to learn. Success is not a destination but rather a journey. It is not enough to achieve success once and then sit back in self-congratulations; true success lies in the ability to continue to improve, even if this sometimes means taking one step back in order to move two steps forward. Success is not final because there is always room for growth and improvement, which is only possible with resilient mental health. No matter how accomplished I may be, there will always be someone who is smarter, more skilled or more experienced than I. Encountering these people used to discourage me. Now, they challenge me to become a better version of myself.

Once upon a time, I wanted to be a professional ballerina. While many little girls have this dream, I actually pursued it in a pre-professional program from second grade into middle school. I wanted to be the best, most perfect ballerina. I took every class I could, auditioned for every role in every production. At the time, I did not understand how incredibly expensive this pursuit was. I had to buy new handmade custom pointe shoes every few weeks and did hours of lessons six days a week. The cost of a ballet tutu can range from hundreds of dollars to over a thousand. My mom felt that she could whip up a similar tutu as the ones being bought from professionals. My mom did not lack for confidence as she had never sewn more than a loose button or a ripped hem at this point. You Tube and costuming message boards became her sources of truth. This gift started out as a way to save money, but it turned into a hobby and passion project for my mom. With her hard work and practice, I had my own custom tutus. My mom worked with me on colors, lace, rhinestones and other sparkly decorations, all in hopes of making me the perfect tutu. Having my mother spend so much time and effort to make me a costume in which I felt beautiful when I took the stage was one of the greatest gifts I could ever ask for. After winning first place in a regional semi-final of an international ballet competition and being cast in the leading role of Clara in “The Nutcracker” at the tender age of 12, I burned out. I was tired of working so hard and never achieving the impossible level of perfection I set for myself. The pursuit of perfection took the fun out of dancing for me, but I walked away with some lifelong skills: dedication, reliability, goal-setting, determination. The lessons I learned in ballet class weren’t just applicable to ballet. I took those skills and applied them to my education. Over time, I’ve learned to temper the pursuit of perfection. I can be successful without being perfect. I can fail without having my soul crushed. I strive for excellence in everything I do and am challenged to work harder when my efforts don’t produce the results I want. In my first semester in college, I earned Dean’s List recognition while taking 19 credit hours and working several part-time jobs. I am able to maintain balance in my life and yet still achieve results. Success has taken many forms in my life. I was a successful dancer. I am now a successful student, a successful time manager, and a successful young adult. I will be a successful accountant – just like my mom. I am currently a sophomore in the Honors Program at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado – Boulder. The expense of my education is a financial burden on my family. My father just retired nearly thirty years as a classroom teacher. Earning this scholarship will help me to lighten that load a little bit.

My name is Catherine Remington. I’d like to tell you a little about myself – how I got to where I am and where I intend to go. I’m currently a sophomore in the Leeds School of Business Honors Program at the University of Colorado – Boulder. My favorite quote is one often attributed to Winston Churchill but is also one he never actually said: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." Nevertheless, this paraphrased quote perfectly summarizes a life lesson that took me a while to learn. Success is not a destination but rather a journey. It is not enough to achieve success once and then sit back in self-congratulations; true success lies in the ability to continue to improve, even if this sometimes means taking one step back in order to move two steps forward. Success is not final because there is always room for growth and improvement. No matter how accomplished I may be, there will always be someone who is smarter, more skilled or more experienced than I. Encountering these people used to discourage me. Now, they challenge me to become a better version of myself. Once upon a time, I wanted to be a professional ballerina. While many little girls have this dream, I actually pursued it in a pre-professional program from second grade into middle school. I wanted to be the best, most perfect ballerina. I took every class I could, auditioned for every role in every production. After winning first place in a regional semi-final of an international ballet competition and being cast in the leading role of Clara in “The Nutcracker” at the tender age of 12, I burned out. I was tired of working so hard and never achieving the impossible level of perfection I set for myself. The pursuit of perfection took the fun out of dancing for me. But I walked away with some lifelong skills: dedication, reliability, goal-setting, determination. The lessons I learned in ballet class weren’t just applicable to ballet. I took those skills and applied them to my education. However, with age comes wisdom, and I’ve learned to temper the pursuit of perfection. I can be successful without being perfect. I can fail without having my soul crushed. I strive for excellence in everything I do and am challenged to work harder when my efforts don’t produce the results I want. In my freshman year of college, I earned Dean’s List recognition while taking 19 hours of course credit and working at a part-time job. I am able to maintain balance in my life and yet still achieve success by recognizing that every benefit comes at a cost and an “A” is an “A” whether it is a 96 percent or a 99 percent. If another three hours of study will only gain me two more points and I already have an A, I am better off diverting my time and energy in a different direction. Success has taken many forms in my life. I was a successful dancer. I am now a successful student, a successful time manager, and a successful young adult. I will be a successful accountant. My mother works in finance. Her first job after college was as a staff accountant, and she’s worked in many different aspects of accounting, auditing and finance. I’ve grown up watching the work she does, and it appeals to me. I like the rules-based nature of accounting, and the knowledge and skills that I will learn as I complete my degree will be applicable in so many fields. I don’t know yet if I want to be an auditor with a Big 4 firm or maybe pursue white collar criminals with the FBI. My accounting degree plan will help me narrow my focus and land the perfect job. I am excited for what lies ahead.

I came of age in the year of COVID. My school closed for spring break in March 2020, and I didn’t go back in-person until more than a year later. I was a freshman at a high-pressure, high-performing college-prep private school. In addition to dealing with all of the typical freshman girl angst and an excessive amount of personal perfectionism, I had to deal with a whole new way of learning and a complete absence of an in-person social support system. I mean, we all did, but some handled it better than others. Long story short, I found myself in a sad place and needed help. Fast forward four years, I am a happy, productive, successful college sophomore. I’m majoring in accounting and have Dean’s List grades. I belong to half a dozen clubs, I have a part-time job, and I’m contemplating playing recreational women’s rugby. What I’ve learned over the last four years is how to harness my anxiety and turn it into positive energy to work for me. Over time, I’ve learned to temper the pursuit of perfection. I can be successful without being perfect. I can fail without having my soul crushed. Many times, “good” really is good enough. In addition to learning to be kinder to myself, I learned the importance of diet and exercise in maintaining both physical and mental health. Eating a lot of unhealthy food just makes you feel bad, which in turn, impacts your mental health. Many of us enjoy eating chips by the handful or one too many slices of pizza occasionally, but “everything in moderation” became my mantra along with vitamins and lots of water. When I feel myself getting anxious, I take a break from whatever I’m working on and go for a long walk or bike ride. Physical activity burns off the nervous energy, and I can go back to my work more settled and focused. I’ve also learned to say no. I don’t need to join one more organization because it will look good on my resume or application for grad school. I don’t need to take twenty credit hours per semester. I don’t need to stop what I’m doing and lose my momentum just because a friend wants to go out and I’m afraid a decline will hurt her feelings. Being able to say “no” is a remarkably freeing skill. My favorite quote is one often attributed to Winston Churchill but is also one he never actually said: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." Nevertheless, this paraphrased quote perfectly summarizes a life lesson that took me a while to learn. Success is not a destination but rather a journey. It is not enough to achieve success once and then sit back in self-congratulations; true success lies in the ability to continue to improve, even if this sometimes means taking one step back in order to move two steps forward. Success is not final because there is always room for growth and improvement, which is only possible with resilient mental health. No matter how accomplished I may be, there will always be someone who is smarter, more skilled or more experienced than I. Encountering these people used to discourage me. Now, they challenge me to become a better version of myself.

Math has always come easily for me. I like the rules-based nature of the subject and how there is always a “right” answer. I appreciate how my math skills spill over into the other subjects I am studying and allow me to focus on the new applications and concepts because I already understand the underlying calculations. I am an accounting major currently, and I am considering adding finance as a double major. My math acumen will allow me to take on this challenge because I’ll be able to concentrate on the “why” of the concepts and applications. When I was in high school, I participated in a program called Math Madness. My team members and I competed against other schools in the annual competition, and we did quite well. Programs like Math Madness make math fun and bring an element of competition and excitement to what can be a very dry subject. I also tutored middle school students in algebra while I was in high school. This helped me to earn some money to help pay for my living expenses while in college and also helped me to keep my own math skills sharp. You have to be on top of your game in order to teach someone else! I enjoyed sharing my math knowledge with younger students and was fortunate to be able to earn money for college by employing that knowledge. I love solving problems and applying math to real life. To every student who has ever uttered the words, “I’m never going to use this again” in a geometry class -- Yes, you will use those math skills again!

My maternal grandfather, Allen Sisk, grew up on a farm in rural West Virginia. He enlisted in the Navy in 1957 and found his calling as a heavy equipment operator in the Seabees. PaPa was so proud of his service, often telling stories of his adventures as a young man in Japan and Guam and on other Pacific islands. One of his favorite tales involved three young sailors crowded together on a motor bike and a sternly-worded lecture about decorum and inappropriate shenanigans from the shore patrol. I believe he would have made the Navy his career had he been able to stay in Japan, but life works out differently and he returned home and met my grandmother. PaPa gave me two very special gifts: his talent for skeet shooting and the importance he placed on education. As a young boy, PaPa traipsed through the woods, shotgun in hand, with his older brothers to provide meat for the family dinner table. Money was always scare in a family with eight children. After his service in the Navy, he turned his shooting skills toward recreation and began to shoot skeet competitively. He was very good even into his senior years and so proud of his accomplishments. Sometime during the 1980’s, a fellow Izaak Walton gun club member became convinced that the key to my grandfather’s success was his shotgun and not PaPa’s years of practice and dedication. The Texan badgered PaPa incessantly to buy his gun, but my grandfather would not sell, not for any amount of money. His refusal only cemented the want-to-be champion shooter’s opinion that the gun was responsible for PaPa’s success. Eventually, the Texan gave up and drifted away. Years later when I began to display some talent in skeet shooting, my grandfather was bursting with pride in me. Every time we talked on the phone, he asked if I’d been shooting. It was a connection we shared even though we lived 1,600 miles apart. PaPa passed away in October 2023. He left his prized shotgun to me. I will always treasure it. The other gift PaPa gave to me was an appreciation for education. He would have like to have worked with computers, which were in their infancy when he was discharged from the Navy Reserves in 1963. However, there was no money for college, and my grandfather found work utilizing the skills he’d learned in the Navy. He made sure my mother and my aunt went to college, though, and he never failed to ask me about my grades and my other school activities. As an accounting major, I know the knowledge and skills that I will learn as I complete my accounting degree will be applicable in so many fields. I don’t know yet if I want to be an auditor with a Big 4 firm or maybe pursue white collar criminals with the FBI. I think PaPa would be pleased by the choices I’m making, and I know he would have bragged to all his friends about my Dean’s List recognition. I’m sad that he is no longer here to see me walk across the stage with my diploma in hand in a few years, but his words of wisdom about the value of education will stay with me forever.

I love to travel, and I have been fortunate to do quite a bit with my family. I have a necklace that has little silver washers on it. Like the washers in sink faucets. Each one is engraved with a country and the year from a visit. The necklace helps me remember all of the wonderful places that I’ve been and the amazing and meaningful experiences that I’ve had. A meaningful travel experience isn’t just one that recalls a sunny day on a favorite beach or a walking tour to sample local delicacies. A meaningful experience stays with you and colors future experiences. My father loves Merida, Mexico, a city of almost a million people and the capital of the state of Yucatan. He, my mother and I rented a house for a week in the colonial center of the city several years ago. When we travel, we like to just “be” in a location so we can really get a feel for a place and experience a glimpse of the life the locals lead. In Merida, many of the people are poor, and they try to earn a living by peddling souvenirs, clothing and flowers to tourists. They even try to tug at tourists’ heart strings by having their young children sell the items. The children approach diners seated outside at restaurants. This happened to me a number of times while I was in Merida, and it left me feeling conflicted. On one hand, I felt guilty for resenting the interruption of my dinner while on the other hand, I knew these hard-working people were just trying to make a living. I bought a few roses, but was I really making a difference? I often think about these children and the struggles and worries their parents must have. My mother and I went to Grand Case, Saint Martin last summer. The island is split between French Saint Martin and Dutch Sint Maarten. Hurricane Irma devastated much of the island in 2017. The Dutch part of the island, home of the international airport, has largely been rebuilt. The more rural French side still shows destruction everywhere you look. According to several taxi drivers, the French government hasn’t sufficiently funded repairs, and people are having to make do with damaged homes, smashed cars and business permanently shuttered. What is amazing is that life goes on for the people of Saint Martin in the midst of all that destruction. They’re rebuilding as best they can, and it’s easy to see the new reinforced roofs made of brightly colored corrugated metal. Some of the best French restaurants in the Caribbean are side by side with weather-worn structures on the streets of Grand Case. My visit to Saint Martin was my first up-close exposure to significant hurricane damage, and the images will remain with me always. I have a new appreciation for the overwhelming power of Mother Nature.