Page 11 - The MILConnection: Winter 2022

I See What’s Out There, Now What Can I Do?

You may have noticed that this article is short on words, but long on pictures. That’s the point! Your agency has terabytes of
financial, budgetary, performance, and mission data that you can mine to create data visualization – not just for the public,
but also for robust internal use to implement stronger continuous monitoring, tighter internal controls, and visibility into
operational efficiency. The tools to create visualization are probably already available to you. Check out your software center or
IT help desk. Work with your management to pilot a visualization or two, see what it can do. You’ll be surprised how quickly
you can identify outliers and anomalies in your data for you to investigate – or find an appealing graphic to display the breadth,
depth, and impact of your agency’s spending on public programs. And finally, creating data visualizations can be fun! It’s
exciting to free your data from that spreadsheet and see it on a map or other graphic – allowing your data to tell a story and
letting others drill down into it and explore!

Staying gold

On November 20th, Cyber Sector team member Erniece “Scrap” Dawson won the Golden Gloves boxing championship in
her weight class in the Novice Division by unanimous decision against Bethesda, MD fighter Celina Mira Galvez. Fresh off
that triumph, Erniece went on to compete for the DC Golden Gloves Regional Championship on December 4th in the 125 lb.
category and won once more by defeating Jaz Spuill of Baltimore, MD.
To read more about Erniece’s “knockout” performances, read the reprinted article from The Lexington Park Leader, below. Way
to go, Scrap!

Lex Park Boxer Wins DC Golden Gloves
Posted by Tom Watts on Wednesday, December 1, 2021

On Saturday, November 20, Lexington Park, MD resident Erniece “Scrap” Dawson won the 2021 Washington DC Golden Glove
Championship in the 125-pound weight class at Rosecroft Racetrack in Fort Washington in a hard-fought battle decided by
unanimous decision against Celina Mira Galvez of Bethesda, MD.
Ms. Dawson trains at the Knowledge Boxing Center on Great Mills Road in Lexington Park.
When asked about her preparation for the tournament, Ms. Dawson, an engineer at NAS Patuxent River, praised her coaches
and described how she fit training into her life. “I trust my
coaches enough to know that if they entered me, they believed
I was ready. They will never purposely put me in harm’s way.”
Head Coach Daryl Hinman said, “Erniece is such a joy to
train! She is quiet, attentive, has an indefatigable work ethic,
and a bottomless thirst for knowledge. Every coach at the gym
enjoys working with her and everyone supports her. She is the
perfect representation of our team motto: Pride in Preparation
… Honor in Battle.”
“During the process, I, of course, had to train my body,” Ms.
Dawson said of her training, “but I also had to train my mind.
I had to learn to trust myself. And as my body strengthened Knowledge Boxing Coach Daryl Hinmon, left, 2021 DC Golden Glove
physically, my self-love and determination also strengthened.” Champion Erniece “Scrap” Dawson, and Assistant Coach Reggie Farmer.

As to how to fit that much training into her life, she said, “Some days I would run to the gym instead of driving, and if the sun
was still out when I got out of the gym, I would run back home. Training is mandatory and only hard if you tell yourself that it’s
hard. It was simply what I needed to do in order to succeed and do my very best the night of the fight.”
Of her opponent, Ms. Dawson says Ms. Galvez “had willpower and confidence. She didn’t quit, and I commend her for that. She
showed amazing sportsmanship, and I hope she continues with her career.”
Coach Hinman has enthusiastic praise of the 2021 champion and Ms. Dawson’s future in boxing.
“Not even the sky is the limit for her. She is a perfect student of the game, and you will be hearing her name in the future.
Before every fight, I tell her, ‘You are intelligent, hard-working, beautiful, with super high integrity and character.’ And it’s those
characteristics that are going to take her wherever she wants to go,” he said. “And our team at the Knowledge Boxing Center will
be there to teach, love, and support her every step of the way.”
Ms. Dawson echoes her coach’s enthusiasm. “This is only the beginning because there is so much more I need to learn and
master. So, it’s right back to the gym I go. The work doesn’t stop!”

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