Hazel received her Adventure Scholarship awards in 2015 and 2023. This is her update in HER words. Click here to learn more about Hazel.

I am currently a quarter of the way through my second semester of college surrounded by the bare Montana mountains. It has been warm here and we have not been lucky with the amount of snowfall this winter season. As much as skiing brings out my core values, I am still improving my quality of life by implementing these values not only through my passion for skiing but also through the beauty of being in a new place and exploring new things. With the lack of snow, I have found a new love for the sport of climbing. I have recently felt myself losing motivation to ski, but I remember to never stop being true to myself, I remind myself that the mountain is my playground, and don’t lose sight of that. That is where I can let all my thoughts go and have fun, let my heart race and smile, but I need to remember that other things make me smile too. One of my core values that I have been paying attention to recently is to never take anything for granted, especially my first time being away from home. Yes, I came to Montana State to ski, but through my time here I have grown to appreciate how much more to this new place and how much value there is to life. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by friends who are influencing me to try new things. I continue finding daily reminders of a Small Vermont village in the beautiful community of Bozeman.