Mary Cathryn Armstrong

"What are you good at?"

It's a question that we get asked often throughout each stage of our lives. As toddlers, we're meant to be good at potty-training. In elementary school, it's learning to write in cursive without crying on a daily basis - I know from personal experience. High school years are all about the teams: football, academic, debate, soccer, and band, while college is an exercise in balancing 8 a.m. English classes with dollar beer nights that last until approximately 7:59 a.m. - also a personal experience. As adults, the question becomes even more critical, even more decisive. Skilled with numbers? Become an accountant. Love animals? Veterinary school only takes eight years! Interested in art history? Good luck with that. Me? I tell stories.

Through my past experience working with the University of South Carolina's Daily Gamecock newspaper and current magazine contributor role, I have sharpened my ability to present narratives that are both engaging and thought-provoking. Sure, my job has afforded me the chance to travel far and wide, but what I value most is the personal connections I've shared with fashion designers, chefs, entrepreneurs, musicians, philanthropists, students, roller girls, advocates, and everyone in between. I was once told that I have the ability to "make anything sound interesting." The trick to that, I think, is believing that everything is interesting.