Hello friends! My names Catherine 🙂 This is my second year at Augusta, as a Manzi mama  I am 24 years young and the middle child to one brother and three beautiful sisters. I believe life is all about the connections you make with the people, and the places surrounding you. I’m an absolute free spirit! I crave creativity, and love soaking up the fresh air; I live for the unguarded conversations that allow growth from within you to surface! My mind constantly travels great distances, so being able to express the inner workings of it gives me a sense of comfort.

During the last four years, I hosted more children’s birthday parties then I can count, and I also lead an entire summer camp program. Leading the summer camp was my absolute favorite responsibility, by far. Each year, I felt the program grew more and more and it turned out better than the next year! I am constantly pushing boundaries and thrive on the ability to question the status quo. I have become a very independent person, and take pride in my work and my accomplishments.

I love working with large groups of children and I even impress myself with my peripheral vision skills. I absolutely love teaching something new to the kids. I live for the ahhhaa moment when it finally clicks for them.

I love spending time with my dachshund, Oscar! He is an old man, born in 2001, but still manages to look like a puppy. He is the best cuddle bug I know and I will miss our naps together while away at camp. My dad and step mom also have a beautifully handsome golden retriever named Dodger, who is also taking up a place in my heart. I’m a huge animal lover and I even spent some time working at a pet grooming shop to get my fix.

I also enjoy watching and playing/trying new sports. Sports have always been big in my household growing up and usually everyone played on at least one team. My dad is a phenomenal coach, and has been since before I was even born. He has coached more football, baseball, and basketball teams than I can count. He is now a coach for the Special Olympics. I’ve grown to love the way his eyes light up during his games and practices. I’d like to think I get a lot of my strong communication and people skills from my pops.

I recently joined a hockey team, and it has been an exhilarating yet exhausting experience. It has pushed me physically and mentally in ways I did not expect. It is awesome to see the team grow and push each other to their full potential. Each practice, or game, I noticeably see improvements with us, working together as one, and in myself.

I have been involved in and lead many dance and cheer leading teams. I’ve also coached numerous amounts of clinics and even a few teams. Cheer speaks to my rambunctious energy, but dance is what really speaks to my soul. Dance to me is an expression of my body and emotions that I may not be able to convey in words. The biggest stress and anxiety relief is to blast music and allow my body and mind to fully get lost in the rhythm. I know it sounds silly, but often in situations where I’m not able to bust a move, I’ll close my eyes and dance along in my head to the songs I love. Whether I’m pushing myself to turn doubles into triples or taking a Zumba class with my sister, the release is the same. I absolutely love choreography routines and teaching my work, or even working with a group where we all contribute ideas. It’s cool to see where a piece can go when everyone contributes at least a little part of it. Contemporary and hip hop would have to be my favorite, but I love to mix it up with a little jazz, lyrical, salsa, or even Bollywood.

I’m a huge jokester! I am always up for a good laugh. I love witty jokes, some dumb jokes, and the occasional dad jokes. But I must be honest, most of the chemistry jokes go over my head. Telling stories full of emotional exaggerations and infectious enthusiasm are very fun to me. When something sparks my imagination,, I am all in and my energy is automatically heightened! I like boosting moral and having everyone achieve my level of excitement when explaining and learning new things. I truly enjoy bringing children out of their shells so everyone can all participate in the fun together! I have been told I have a very contagious laugh. I prefer not to take thing so seriously all the time; there is a time and place for that. The more I can goof off, the happier I will be. I’m also a sucker for a good funny movie! You will find I quote movies often.

I could not go a day without listening to music! I will listen to practically anything as long as it connects with me on some level. I love how music brings people together and makes everyone in some way relatable. It doesn’t matter where around the world you are living; when a song comes on that you love, chances are someone 5000 miles away is feeling the exact same way.

When I have free time, I love to go cruising on a road trip with my friends. Watching the scenery change, with the music blasting as you pass through new places, is vacation to me. Breaking out in song and dance, while taking in new air and being surrounded by unfamiliar landmarks. I love it! I’ve grown up and lived in the same general area my whole life. Therefore, I’m quick to jump out of my bubble to see what else life has to offer me.

I feel true beauty shines from within you. It doesn’t matter how old you are, your skin color, size, or how expensive your lifestyle is. At the end of the day, your kindness and love will bring out your beauty. How you treat people, when there is absolutely nothing in it for you, shows your beauty more than anything superficial can. The more you take the time to appreciate the beauty in all the little things life has to offer, the happier you will find yourself. Life has so much to offer and I am hungry to learn all that I can. Possibilities will come to those who believe it’s possible and will work to making it a reality.