• (of God) Present everywhere at the same time;
• Widely or constantly encountered; common or widespread.

“The omnipresent threat of natural disasters.”

BrainStorm’s Summer Splash

• Of a menacing or threatening nature; minacious.

“The novel’s protagonist is haunted by a minatory black specter.”

• A very small amount; a bit:

“Not an iota of truth to that tale.”

1. to express earnest disapproval of;
2. to urge reasons against; protest against (a scheme,purpose, etc.).

“Movie critics tried to outdo one another in deprecating the comedy as the stupidest movie of the year.”

• (noun) A kiss;
• (transitive verb) To kiss.

“We buss our wantons, but our wives we kiss.”

I wore my school uniform the day I took my SATs—knee socks and all. I know what you’re thinking, and no—this was not a misguided attempt at living out some twisted Britney Spears fantasy from my youth.

In an effort to appease a herd of hormonal teenage girls who just wanted to be able to wear their new Juicy Couture sweats to school like normal human beings, my junior year gym teacher explained to the class that there had been academic studies conducted that had proven that uniformed students performed better on tests than students without uniforms. A passing comment, perhaps—but for me it was an “A-ha!” moment.

So, I wore my school uniform to the SATs, and received THE BEST SCORE IN THE HISTORY OF STANDARDIZED TESTING! Just kidding—but I did reach my goal!

Now, I am not delusional—I realize that my success on the SATs can’t be attributed entirely to my wardrobe. There was hard work and concentration involved, and, of course, tutoring—but when you think about it, there are a few simple reasons that donning a uniform can help put you in the right frame of mind to kick some major booty.

1. It’s been said that in order to stick to a morning exercise routine, one should put his or her athletic shoes on first thing in the morning. The same idea applies here. Uniforms are designed for thinking and learning—not for sleeping, doing yoga, or baking brownies (Mmm, brownies—I digress.) Putting on a uniform reminds your body and mind that it’s time to be alert and receptive—and stay that way until the uniform comes off.
2. A uniform is intentionally neutral. When you’re wearing a uniform, you’re not thinking about what you look like—you’re thinking about what you’re supposed to be thinking about. What a novel idea!
3. When a student is accustomed to wearing a specific uniform every day, physical distractions are far less likely to crop up at inopportune moments. I can’t tell you how frequently in my post-Catholic-school life I’ve had days consumed by thoughts such as “These tights are way too tight”; “This beading is itching the heck out of me”; or “Someone remind me never to wear these shoes again!” It’s those days that I miss my uniform the most.

…What’s that you say? “But, Katie—I go to public school. We don’t have a dress code. How does this apply to me?” Well, I am glad you asked! (Okay, this fake conversation is cheesy but HUMOR ME. I am trying to make a point here…)

Do you really need the threat of detention to inspire you to adhere to a dress code if it could ACTUALLY help you perform better in school? Establish your OWN dress code! Find a formula or two that works for you. It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as an ACTUAL uniform—it could be as simple as slacks and a button-down shirt or a cute skirt with flats. Whatever makes you feel your best—sharp, alert, and ready to STORM IT.

• A state of uncertainty or perplexity.
• Dilema.

“Unable to make a firm decision, I’ve been in this quandary for weeks.”

1. an enthusiastic expression of approval;
2. a demonstration or round of applause, as for some approved or admired performance.

“Her portrayal of Juliet won the plaudits of the critics.”

Everyone is brilliant in his or her own way.

And no, I did not steal that line from a motivational poster with a picture of one red rose amidst a sea of yellow roses.

Simply put, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences states that each and every being possesses intelligence – the area in which that intelligence lies will differ from person to person.

A great example of this was my sophomore year biology honors class. I am an arts and languages girl through and through, so how I had managed to land myself in an honors science class was a mystery to me. However, it meant being

in the same class with a number of my friends who were categorically “smarter” at science than I, so I was a happy camper.

This class would quickly become one of my favorites, and not just because all of my friends were there. The teacher had a metaphorical, anecdotal way of explaining scientific processes and organisms that played directly into my right-brained way of learning things. I actually ended up performing better in the course than my science-minded friends, who were frustrated that our teacher kept going off on these rambling tangents, which, as far as they could tell, had nothing to do with science. To this I would enthusiastically reply “But that IS the science, don’t you get it?!”
In a nutshell, finding your brilliance can be as simple as knowing your strengths and using them to your advantage to excel in areas in which you are not as strong.

Awareness of your personal brilliance will not only give you confidence, it will help you equip yourself for success in all areas of your life—even those in which you struggle.

Isn’t being brilliant awesome?!