The health of any society depends on active community participation, enabling individuals to enhance their neighborhoods through various meaningful ways. Volunteering is one of the most impactful ways to help others, and it also brings personal enrichment to the volunteers. My most impactful experience volunteering was at a local nursing facility, where I engaged with the residents. Through this experience, I  sincerely appreciated how vital companionship is to our well-being. I found out that numerous residents spent long stretches without anyone to talk to. They lived among people yet felt isolated to the extent that it affected their mental and emotional health. Through my participation in conversations, board game activities, and craft projects, I understood the importance these activities held for them. I gained admiration and respect for their life experiences when I listened to their stories because each resident carried a distinct life history. Their wisdom presented deep insights about community values, demonstrating how interconnection creates transformative power in life. Through this experience, I confirmed that volunteers remain essential in improving the lifestyle of the people who surround them. There are many volunteer opportunities beyond visiting nursing facilities. I've volunteered through school tutoring programs, where people can significantly impact education by taking on tutoring and mentoring positions. The support provided to students helps them advance academically and offers essential resources to families who need it. There is always a need for community clean-up events. Events such as these enable people to develop neighborhood pride while enhancing public areas and promoting shared space responsibility. People can support local shelters, such as those that help people without homes or animals. These volunteers help protect essential services by providing assistance with supplies and companionship, which helps vulnerable populations while services remain operational. Many organizations base their operations on fundraising events and donation drives, which offer an easy way for people to contribute to their communities. The community can even benefit from small acts of kindness, including event organization and volunteering because these actions spread supportive waves. Unlimited opportunities exist for creating positive change. My volunteer experiences helping others show that there are benefits for those who need assistance and personal fulfillment for oneself. Our community's well-being benefits when we seek ways to support others because we gain essential knowledge about empathy, cooperation, and human connection. Every person possesses the power to create change, while group efforts lead to an improved society based on compassion.

White Leather Patty Hazel Pearl Pottery China Rose Bronze Sir Mary Blue Black Daisy Iron Gold Traditional Wedding Anniversary Gifts Bronze, China, Leather, Pottery Popular 1910's Girls Names Hazel, Mary, Pearl, Rose ___ Duke Daisy, Patty, Sir, Iron Colors in Bird Titles Black, Blue, Gold, White When creating this connections puzzle, I wanted to make it difficult, and I knew I wanted to include a red herring. I first started with the word Daisy and thought of what category it could be included in that wasn't flowers, and I immediately thought of Daisy Duke (fictional character). So I then found three other words that could fit that category of ___ duke. I ended up coming up with Patty Duke (actress), Sir Duke (song), and Iron Duke (engine). Now that I had Iron, I knew I wanted to include other metals, and my first thought was Gold. This led me to think of a Goldfinch, which made me think of colors in bird titles. I ended up picking Black(bird), Blue (Jay), and White (Ibis). I knew I needed to include another metal to further my red herring, so I included Bronze, and I wondered what category that could fit into. I wondered if Bronze was considered a traditional wedding anniversary gift, and it was. I picked China, Leather, and Pottery as my other three items. This category was outstanding because Iron is also a traditional wedding anniversary gift. I knew my puzzle was getting tricky now. Then I went back to how I could include another flower with Daisy. I immediately thought of how a Rose is both a flower and a name, so I decided to look at the time the name was popular, and it was during the 1910s. I found that Hazel, Mary, and Pearl were popular names then. Pearl was the perfect pick because pearls can also be a traditional wedding gift. Now that my connections puzzle was complete, I made a list of all the red herrings that people might get stuck on. It looked similar to this: Girls Names: Patty, Hazel, Mary, Rose, Daisy, Pearl Flowers/Nature: Hazel, Rose, Daisy Materials: Leather, Pottery, China, Bronze, Iron, Gold Colors: Rose, Gold, Bronze, Black, Blue, White, Hazel Metals: Gold, Bronze, Iron Made of Clay: Pottery, China I knew this Connections puzzle would be tricky to solve with these overlapping potential categories. To test it, I used a Custom Connections Maker I found online and put in my words. I sent my friends the link to play, and the reactions were all very similar: frustration. They had all told me they got the Colors in Bird Titles category first and were mainly guessing until something worked. Everyone who played my puzzle had over 20+ incorrect guesses, so I knew this puzzle was perfect. It was like a NYT's Connections where you're just left thinking, ¨Who would ever think of these categories? ¨ and the answer is ¨Me, I would.¨ I've been playing the Connections almost daily since the NYTs introduced the game. The fun of Connections comes from the randomness that is the very essence of the game; It challenges you to think outside the box. I loved creating my own puzzle and putting my creativity to the test.

My best back to school tip is to stay on top of your work. Work can easily pile up and make you feel like your drowning. Some ways to prevent this include: get the work done as soon as you get it, take breaks as to not get discouraged, and my favorite to keep a planner where you can plan out time slots for your work!