Hello my name is Jackie Benson and I decided to make my Connections based on the things that motivate me most in life! My four categories are: College, Wrestling, Forensic Science (crime scene analysis), and Books! Yellow- School supplies: Pencil, Computer, Books, Paper Green- Wrestling match: Shoes, Headgear, ref, mat Blue- Things found at a crime scene- Tape, Chalk, Camera, Evidence Purple- What you do when you read- Flip, Scan, Annotate, Turn I attempted to put a few "Red Herring" answers in my puzzle because this is commonly within the puzzles. I am hoping that the word Books, Tape, and Annotate will lead people off of the direct path. I chose these categories because these are the things that have gotten me through some of the hardest times in my life. Being able to look forward to college is something i am extraordinarily lucky to have. Wrestling, the greatest sport in the world (I believe) is what got me through some tough years in high school. Going along with looking forward to college, but forensic science has consumed my life the past few years. In books, movies, shows, research and so much more this is one of few things that has ever truly captivated me consistently, without fail. And lastly reading. Reading was and still is a treasured escape from everyday life. If I am having a hard time with something, I love being able to go into all these different worlds; the night court in Prythian (A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J Mass), Basgiath (Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros), or even the Stilts from the series "Red Queen". Which is the series that started all of this off.

My ideal bookshelf inspired by #BookTok recommendations consists of mainly two genres: Fantasy, and Mystery/Thriller. These are my two favorite genres of books. Fantasy books pull me into an entirely different world that is largely up to my own imagination, and thriller and mystery books often tie into investigations and forensic science, which is what I'm majoring in. The first book that is an absolute must have; I could spend hours talking about is ‘Red Queen’ by Victoria Aveyard. This is the book that got me into fantasy. One of the things I love in a book is a good plot twist that makes you rethink everything you have previously read, and this book does it better than any I have ever read. This book surprised me. I did not think I would like any kind of romance in a book but there is a slow burning romance throughout this book and this series, and I cannot help but root for the two main characters. The story line of our two protagonists is entirely original and well thought out. If I could read one book for the rest of my life it would be this one. This is one of the more popular books I have liked off of #BookTok, it has really built a community around the Fantasy world, and around books with major plot twists. Red Queen is the main reason I go to TikTok for book recommendations as well as reviews. I had heard that the first one was fantastic but as the series went on it got shaky. I commented on a few posts about Red Queen and found someone who had a very similar reading style who had read the book and could tell me about their thoughts on it. The Red Queen community is unique and TikTok has given a voice and life to it. Red Queen was clearly unmatched in books I had read, until The Chain. This book is a thriller from the first sentence. Right off the bat we find out that our main characters child has been kidnapped and if she wants to get her back, she must do this to someone else’s child. This book is so fast paced that I read it in one sitting and could not stop turning the page. This psychological thriller continues to beg the question: How far would you go for your child? This is yet another book I have connected with people through the comments of posts. Discussing theories of ‘what if?’ has fostered friendships and community surrounding this book. My next favorite book would have to be The Girl on the Train. If we are talking about psychological books with twists and turns it would be a crime to leave this out. I did not think I would be able to finish this book because it starts off slowly, but by the end I can safely say it was one of the most rewarding books I have read. The end of the book has a plot twist that has you rethinking everything. Without spoiling the book, there was a level of relation I was able to have with the twist. I connected with some aspects of our main character throughout the book and at the end it all came together, and everything clicked. The #BookTok community has given me a whole new world of connections, within my own identity as well as other readers and even book characters. I am so grateful that I have found this world, and it has led me to be the reader I am today.

Earlier this year we had an assignment that had us list 5 words that made up our identity. I wrote: Wrestler, Ambitious, Lesbian, Athlete, and Reader. We were told to think of why these things made up our identity. I'm sure most kids didn't give it a second thought, but for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about it. If you have spent time around me, the words, wrestler, athlete, and reader are obvious. I spend most of my free time working out or reading. These were easy to unpack as to why they were parts of my identity. And the word ambitious I believe has come from my athletic background in the several sports I have participated in. Setting goals and continuously working and fighting for them. This leaves the word Lesbian, and how my involvement in the queer community makes up me. There is the obvious side of who I will spend my life with, but an even larger side of it is the communities, people, and organizations it has revealed to me. I knew that I liked girls when I was in the 6th grade, and at that time it was not as widely talked about. I was lucky enough to grow up in Seattle, which meant it was safe and welcoming, but it was always talked about as, “support those that could be gay” but never the possibility that you would be a part of that. Around Sophomore year I began to question the normality of the assumption that everyone's default is being heterosexual. I joined a wrestling team that happened to have many queer women. This was a vital experience for me in finding out who I was. It was the first time I had been a part of something where the assumption wasn't that you were straight. Honestly, it was closer to that you were Lesbian, or Bisexual, or Pansexual, or anything other than straight. For about a year I still identified as bisexual or queer, because that societal assumption that as a girl I must be into boys was still imbedded in me. Around my junior year, after spending time with this group as well as attending some LGBTQ+ clubs at my school, going to the Seattle Pride festival, and other welcoming experiences, I began to realize that I did not like boys. This realization revealed many new opportunities. The most impactful for me was mental health resources. There are so many mental health resources and people to talk to that have had similar experiences than I ever thought possible. Especially for teenagers. I found these supports through online resources, through club meetings, and through school. Looking more broadly, it's a community to connect with. As I look to find communities within the college I will be attending this fall, the LGBTQ is one I am confident I can find friends in. I have been lucky enough to find other members of the LGBTQ community that are also planning to study Forensic Science. I have connected with a few people over our love for investigations and the world of Forensics. I am so excited to create more bonds through my identity as well as my passions. I will attend Lasell University this fall, and my persistent passion for forensic science will guide me to be successful in my field. If awarded this scholarship I am confident it will be a worthwhile investment as well as represent it well.

I am a very passionate and driven person, particularly when it comes to things that excite me. Forensic Science is at the top of that list. As a young child, Detective shows and Nancy Drew books and anything that involved figuring a problem out by collecting evidence always fascinated me. This was what originally helped me learn that forensic science is what I want to do with my life. I will be attending Lasell University this fall and my goal is to get my bachelor's degree then go back to school to get a master's degree to allow me to work in forensic psychology. I have always been a very busy and social person. This was shown in the many sports I participated in. When I was young it was soccer and dance, then for 10 years I was a gymnast. All these sports were a part of my growth and development as a person. One that is far and above in terms of my growth as an individual is my wrestling career. I have wrestled for three years. I am a two-time state participant as well as a two-time national team qualifier, and my last year of wrestling I made Ballard high school history taking third at the state tournament (the highest female placer at Ballard). Wrestling teaches in a great number of aspects but when I was recently asked what the most important lesson I got out of wrestling is, the answer that came to mind was the mindset. I knew that mindset was wildly important in several sports and aspects of life but I did not nearly realize just how important until my last year of wrestling. One of the most important things our coaches stress is breaking past mental barriers. They have taught me how when your mind is telling you that you are done and cannot keep going, you can. They have shown me how the human body is resilient; you just have to get past the mental barriers. Just push one step farther when you think you are done. This started to create the mindset for me. The mindset allowed me to take seventh at the largest girls' high school tournament in the country (Kelso) and third place at state. The matches where I was not in a good headspace I was usually focused on winning, and focused on placing and what it meant for my record. The matches on the second day at Kelso and on the second day of state were drastically different. I realized the individual match mattered much less to me than making my coaches, my team and myself proud. And so instead of focusing on winning, I focused on what my coach has been telling me to do; Be more violent, angry, and aggressive. This simple switch changed me into an entirely different wrestler. Wrestling has changed my life in countless ways and I would not be where I am today without it. This has taught me perseverance through many hardships, as well as tackling intimidating situations head on. A degree in Forensic Science seemed daunting when I first thought of it, but now through this newfound lens I know it is something I will succeed in.