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Around two years ago, I wrote this speech/letter that explains what Kentucky means to me. As I prepare to graduate, I keep reflecting on my 21 years in this incredibly beautiful state. When I graduated high school, all I thought about was how to leave Kentucky and venture out into the “great unknown”. However, I find myself graduating college thinking about when I will come back. I think this speech/letter reflects this sentiment. Woven through the lines that follow are words from my middle school choir teacher who wrote a song called, “My Kentucky”. I sang this song at the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival at Pine Mountain every single year of middle school. The Mountain Laurel bloomed in this little amphitheater where we gathered to celebrate a long tradition of Kentucky and sing songs for our old Kentucky home.
My Kentucky
Kentucky. When anyone thinks of Kentucky, what comes to mind? Is it the Kentucky Derby? Colonel Sander’s Famous Kentucky Fried Chicken? How about the birthplace of Muhammad Ali? Let’s not forget about bourbon! These are wonderful staples of the state, however, they cannot begin to touch the magnificence of the Commonwealth. I was born and raised in Somerset, Kentucky, a town where families have been settled for generations and everyone knows everyone. There is a football game every Friday night, and church every Sunday. I recently moved to Louisville, where I attend the University of Louisville (go cards!). When I was younger, I wanted nothing more than to leave this state. I constantly questioned what Kentucky could do for me. I resented growing up in a small town and counted down the days until I would ship off to the great unknown. After my high school project graduation, as I was leaving Pulaski County High School, I decided to take a drive around Somerset. I watched the sunrise on my high school football field, on the county courthouse, on this little town that actually gave me the world. Somerset shaped me, gave me life, took from me, gave me hope, made me resilient. I really did not understand that until I left.
Pulaski County was my first impression of Kentucky. Our counties are unique in every way. From the eastern counties of the Appalachian mountains to the counties in the Pennyroyal, we are special. From traveling all over this state, I can first hand say that we are nothing short of extraordinary. I have been to Northern Kentucky, to Newport and Covington. I have ventured to the west to explore the lush green valleys of the Land Between the Lakes. I’ve driven through John Prine’s “Paradise” in Muhlenberg county. I lived an hour away from Lexington and a 51 minute drive down the Hal Rogers parkway from the home of Colonel Sander’s Famous Recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken. I spent my summers beside the shimmering, and sometimes flooded, Lake Cumberland. I was raised listening to a coal miner’s daughter from Butcher Holler and the joyous strings of Appalachian mountain music. Now I live in Louisville, a place that launched me out of my comfort zone, a town that gave me perspective.
Daniel Boone said, “Heaven must be a Kentucky kind of place,” and I do believe that he was right. The beautiful blues and greens, the brilliant trees and rivers and fields, the hills and the forests are what make Kentucky a kind of indescribable paradise. We have a genuinely beautiful state. The Louisville skyline is one that brushes the sky with grace. When gazing upon the gentle hills, it is impossible not to think this land was crafted. Within these wonders are people. People who embody a different type of southern charm and hospitality. Kentuckians have a way about them, us, that echoes fun and a sort of cunningness that I cannot possibly describe. Kentuckians have made, and continue to make history. President Abraham Lincoln and Muhammad Ali are among a list of many. Here in Kentucky, we truly breed an unbridled spirit. We are proud of our farmers, our manufacturers, our miners, our teachers, our health professionals, our service industry workers, our religious leaders, our public employees, our advocates. The origin of Kentucky is from an Iroquoian word meaning “land of tomorrow”. I do believe that we are just that. We are breeding a new generation of hard workers. To help this new generation flourish, we must understand that Kentucky has a rich history that reaches far. Our history spans from Bluegrass roots to Civil War boots and everything in between. We rebuilt a state divided after the Civil War. We have shown incredible strength and unity after the unimaginable occurrence in Marshall county. Kentucky breeds resilience. As Kentuckians, we owe it to ourselves and to our incredible state to live up to our potential. We owe it to the Commonwealth, to ourselves, to breed new brilliance. However, we must understand that to create a new generation of outstanding Kentuckians, we must aid and foster the unbridled spirit we hold now. From the metropolitan atmosphere in Louisville, to the cabin floors of Eastern Kentucky, each Kentuckian has a voice. We must help each other. “United we stand, divided we fall.” Well, Kentucky, we must not fall. Jesse Stuart said, “If these United States can be called a body, then Kentucky can be called its heart.” A body cannot function without its heart, so we must keep a steadfast and glorious, bluegrass beat. Kentucky is not a “flyover state”, we are a destination, a destination that I am beyond proud to be from.
In the beginning, I talked about constantly asking what Kentucky could do for me. Now I question, “What could I possibly do for Kentucky?” What can I do for the state that has given me my own paradise? I want the world to realize the potential of our miraculous Commonwealth. I think it’s time to give the world a sneak peek into our lens, how do we see our Bluegrass state? When I think of Kentucky, I smell the minty air after rain showers, I picture the beauty of the pine trees in the wintertime, the winding back roads that run through the rolling bluegrass hills and Appalachian streams. I think of the arrowheads hidden in the fields, the beautiful valleys on a dew morning, the changing of the leaves in autumn, and twinkling fireflies in the backyard in summer. I heard it in a Sundy Best song, a line that says, “It’s been a while since I’ve been home, I miss these mountain skies.” Those mountain skies have continued to pierce my heart, again and again. Kentucky is beautiful, my Kentucky is home. I can feel the sweet lyrics as whole communities come together to sing one song for the old Kentucky home. I smell the fresh biscuits in the morning and I feel comfort. I look out on the back porch and see the authentic Appalachian mountain range that is full of vibrant colors and life, and I feel at peace. I feel warmth as the sun shines through the brilliant stain glass windows of a Sunday church service. When I am away from home, I find myself thinking of my Kentucky. This isn’t the Kentucky that is famous for chicken and horses, but the Kentucky that keeps me coming back every time. June Correll said, “When I die and return to the Earth, lay me down in the sweet land of my birth, in the gentle arms of my Kentucky.”
Isabella Martin is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2021. She is studying political science, economics, Russian studies, and international business.