A Blog on McConnell Center Life

By Nicole Fielder Class of 2019 In college, there are always people. Libraries, classrooms, and sidewalks are perpetually crammed with bodies. Being alone verges on impossibility when you share a bedroom with a girl and a bathroom with thirty more, but I honestly didn’t notice until it took me half an hour to seek out a quiet place to make a phone call. For some reason, I had taken it all in stride as if it were the way it had always been, or, maybe more accurately, how I had always wanted it to be. I am an extrovert who thrives off human interaction. People actually fuel my energy instead of expending it. So I relish the college atmosphere, where my friends are always mere steps away. Although, I am learning that too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing. Every night, I go to bed kicking myself for how little of that day’s to-do list I had accomplished and swearing that tomorrow I will lock myself in a library cubicle in hopes of avoiding distraction. And every d...

Georgie Sook Class of 2019 There’s some innate part of me that has always felt most at home when surrounded by water. I’ve been told that at two years old, I fearlessly flung my small body into the pool, only to come up gasping “I fwimmin!” Throughout my life, I never found myself far from the water. I swam competitively when I was young and although I took a break through middle school, I picked the sport back up in high school. Because I came to view swimming primarily through the lenses of competition, though, I lost sight of my love for it. It began to feel a lot more like a draining chore than a God-given privilege. I didn’t find happiness in just being in the water anymore; I began to find it in my success as an athlete. My ego was greatly affected by how well I performed, and fear of not getting better was what drove me, begrudgingly, to 5:30am practices. I deeply regret the fact that I was often outwardly negative about practice, which I know must have been a discouraging ...

Claire Gothard Class of 2019 The bliss that I found – in a place that was supposed to at least take me out of my comfort zone, if not completely terrify me – was frequent and intense enough I almost have to classify the experience as a sort of enlightenment. Enlightenment of the “the main character realizes that the answer was right in front of them the entire time” variety. Many people experience tremendous personal growth when the travel abroad; I didn’t find myself, but more settled in. My entire six week stay in Morocco was coordinated by others, it was my job to just show up and participate – a task seemed more foreign to me than the language or customs of this new country. This was my chance to experience and live in the moment rather than over plan, over schedule, or over stress. I was able to take an entire break for myself rather than for my resume, character development, or community. It was a selfish summer by design, but it only strengthened and solidified ...

Isaac Feinn Class of 2019 It’s the beginning of your first semester. Welcome Week is the sole absorber of your time, and the biggest of your worries is which club information stand has the best candy assortment. (Hopefully you chose right and went for the stand with the white chocolate Hershey’s Kisses). Beyond the sugar lure, the draw to the hospitable informational booths is typically to gather information about which fraternity or sorority to rush.  I followed my nose to the candy, but landed in a sign-up line to receive emails about Rush details. I loved the idea of having a group of guys to not only bond with for four years, but to also focus efforts with throughout the semester towards community service. The statistics of success among those involved in a fraternity or sorority was appealing, and I wanted to be a part of that community. Flash forward a couple weeks; Rush arrived, and so did my complete desire to join. I had great conversations with nearly every frate...

Natasha Mundkur Class of 2019 It’s a difficult fact of life to comprehend that 40 percent of youth nationwide that identify as LGBTQ+ do not feel as though they, along with the rest of the identifying LGBTQ adults, are accepted by the community in which they live. A to many community is a niche that fosters personal growth, allows bonds to form between neighbors and friends, and provides a nurturing environment in which an individual can achieve his or her full potential. However, many of the youth who feel ostracized based on their sexuality and lack acceptance from their immediate community turn to organizations like the Louisville Youth Group (LYG), a small organization that provides a safe and supportive environment to help them regain a constructive sense of community, and acts as a critical component in achieving self-actualization. Louisville Youth Group is a non-profit organization based in Louisville, Kentucky that aims to provide a safe and accommodating environment for ...

Miranda Mason Class of 2019 “Home.  Let me come home.  Home is wherever I’m with you.”  These words begin one of my favorite songs, “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.  These words have seemed odd in my mouth since coming to the University of Louisville, a place very different from that which I’ve called home for the past near nineteen years of my life.  I’ve come to face a difficult question, which I’m sure many college freshmen, and many people in general, find themselves asking: Where is home? I caught myself the other day, walking back to Threlkeld Hall, saying to a friend, “I’m headed home for the day.”  I didn’t mean my family’s double-wide in Owen County, Kentucky; I meant that little, messy dorm room with communal bathrooms and an overly zealous air conditioner which I share with a roommate who is even further from her hometown than I am from mine.  Instantly, I realized the meaning of the words which had rolled off of my...

Erica Gaither Class of 2019 I’ve been aware of the concept of race like I’ve been aware of the fact that I have feet, and hands, or even eyes. There was never an exact, definite, life changing moment when I became aware, instead, I think I’ve just always known. I never needed someone to tell me that the color of my mother and father’s skin were different, I could see that with my own eyes. I also didn’t fail to see how I didn’t quite match either of their skin tones as well. Just as I wasn’t blind to the difference in color I exhibited from my parents, neither was the community that I lived in.  Growing up in a conservative, rural town in Western Kentucky- where the term “diversity” is never used when describing our tiny population of 12,000 people- definitely shaped my identity, views of the world and what I dreamt I would be capable of pursuing in my life. It has taken me nearly nineteen years to even be aware or understand that because I am a biracial woman, I ...

Colton Stinger Class of 2019 The opportunities I have been afforded in the last few months have been almost unparalleled.  Though I have not seen sights from around the world first hand, I have experienced pieces of knowledge and thought from across the world and time.  Some of our discussions have been about stories that hold lessons, with some stories actually forbidding the reader from even attempting to make such an inference.   While many of the readings and discussions have been enlightening, it has been the chances to actually ask some of our guests what they think, and to listen and share in the bits of knowledge they have accumulated over their lifespan.  One of the more memorable discussions lasted well beyond the seminar our topics had originated in, and continued into quite an intriguing exchange about everything from monarchy, leadership, religion, and responsibility.  In such a short time, I have been convinced that it was an...

Sidney Cobb Class of 2019 The first time I ever acutely contemplated the definition of social justice was during the first meeting about the library assignment. I vividly recall asking myself, “what does social justice even mean?”, as we discussed some of the primary sources about the topic at our disposal. I in no way contend that the definition I have formed in the following weeks is complete or even right; however, I know that my perspective has inarguably been altered. To me social justice means one simple word. At first, I thought this word was equality. However, I realized that it can be simplified beyond this. The key to equality, and therefore social justice, is purely understanding: the ability to put aside all prejudices and listen. Listen to diverse perspectives and widen your mind. This is the only way in which social justice can be achieved. At first I thought that equality was simply everyone being considered uniformly in the eyes of law in a color/gender/sexual...

Bridget Kim Class of 2019 I have seen a lot of roadkill in my life. I will be cruising down a back country road at seventy glorious miles per hour when, out of the electric blue, a stunningly fresh carcass welcomes me with open arms (and alarmingly open stomach…). Of course, it is only startling the first ten times you come across this situation; after that allotted time, it all blends in with the scenic background and is virtually unnoticeable. Even as I am writing this, I realize the hilarity as well as the repulsiveness of the view that I and most other experienced roadkill veterans have concerning that common occurrence. In fact, it makes me wonder if I have become desensitized to matters that should not be thought of so lightly. And if there is one thing that I have learned in my brief time at the University of Louisville and as a part of the McConnell Scholars Program, it is that everything has the potential to be politically charged (whether for the better or worse). Th...

Travis Wilson Class of 2016 By  Travis Wilson ,  Class of 2016 This fall at the McConnell Center, we have taken the opportunity as living, breathing, imaginative students to spend some time envisioning the unknowable afterlife.  One particularly interesting conception I encountered was through my independent study of The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. The text was an excellent read alongside the C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters , which highlights similar themes of choice in the eternal context and discusses sins which prevent the enjoyment of an afterlife in paradise.  Lewis uses the concept of a “holiday” for the damned to illustrate the choices of individuals which lead either to heaven or to hell.    Emerging on a bus from a boundless gray city to the pleasant but painfully solid foothills of heaven, the protagonist spirit is able to observe a wide variety of souls and their respective shortcomings.  Other souls meet a variety of solid hea...

Hannah Wilson Class of 2017 A fleeting memory, no more consuming than a glance inside a shop window can leave one's heart without the privilege of gravity, one's stomach as if it were chocked full of stones. It can sweep across you like a November rain, leaving spots like fat lakes on your glasses where they have fogged. Neither the sorrow held behind those lenses nor the stings of cold air ahead of them can seem to reconcile with the world as it is.  But I suppose that's the most difficult thing for anyone to attempt. There's so much to do after disaster strikes, and so little energy with which to do it. How does one begin to repair what has been utterly demolished? What is there to be done for those who sleep with one eye open like the chest of a transplant patient, and one eye closed to darkness that engulfs hour after dreadful hour of nighttime?  What do you say to the woman who walks to the corner of her street every day and sits, like a big stone in t...

Mary Elizabeth Young Class of 2016 The McConnell Scholars Program often boasts that it provides an Ivy League education at a state school.  Through seminars and lectures on philosophy, politics, history and literature, through interactions with local, national and global leaders, and international studies abroad, they fulfill this promise. However, it is always interesting to see the ways in which the ideas and concepts we are exposed to in the discussions and interactions in the McConnell Seminar Room translate to our formal education in the university classrooms. I think I speak for most McConnell Scholars when I say instances like these—when the education we are receiving as McConnell Scholars crosses with the education we are receiving as University students—cause us to “geek out.” We “geek out” because—well, we are nerdy—and because making these connections is exciting and oftentimes revealing of a deeper, broader meaning. While reading and analyzing the works of...

Katie Cambron Class of 2016 For my entire life, macaroni and cheese has been my favorite food.  However, I am quite picky when it comes to this popular American dish and no macaroni and cheese has ever compared to that which comes from my grandma’s kitchen.  I’m convinced that no one will ever live up to the expectations she has created.  As my beloved grandmother is advancing in age, I have come to the realization that someone must learn to recreate this favorite family dish.  Who better to take on this challenge than myself? A few months ago during an afternoon visit with Grandma, I told her I thought it was time I learned how to make “her” macaroni and cheese.  She excitedly agreed and was soon gathering ingredients.  There was no point in writing down an actual recipe as my grandma has always been a “dash of this and pinch of that” kind of cook.  (But hey, aren’t those always the best cooks?!)  After lots of questions and an “Oh my go...

McConnell Scholar Kevin Grout penned the following op-ed piece in The Louisville Cardinal (link to the article). Reprinted here with permission. Kevin Grout Class of 2016 Last week, a student submitted an opinion piece to this newspaper extoling the virtues of socialism. Although he admitted the evils committed during the twentieth century in the name of socialism, he contended that we fundamentally do not understand what the term means. I’m here to say this: we know what socialism is, we’ve seen its effects and we want none of it. I understand that the author of the previous opinion attempted to make a distinction between the socialism practiced by Joseph Stalin and the “democratic” socialism of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). However, what he failed to do was provide a single example where any form of socialism, “democratic” or otherwise, created a positive result. Is there one economic system of comparable size to the United States that has achieved the workers’...