As cliché as it sounds, I honestly cannot believe that the first semester of my college career is behind me. Eighteen years of anticipation all came down to three and a half months of new experiences. Coming to college, I was full of expectations of some idealized world of intellectual curiosity, but I was also wary of the unknown life that I was about to encounter. Through my first semester as a McConnell Scholar, my expectations have been met, possibly exceeded, and my fears pacified.
In light of all the opportunities available on campus, none has been more exciting or rewarding than those provided by the McConnell Center. Through no other program on campus would I have been able to travel to Williamsburg, VA and Washington, D.C., meet Speaker of the House John Boehner, and participate in such a wide variety of seminars and lectures. Each of my experiences with the Center has provided something valuable that I would not have been able to discover in any other environment.
In addition, this semester I was given the opportunity to practice with and learn from the Moot Court Team. This branch of the McConnell Center allows scholars to learn the fundamentals of Constitutional law in an interactive and competitive manner. The team went on to represent the Center in the South Atlantic Regional Tournament in Orlando, FL where they were highly successful. This experience reaffirmed a personal interest in constitutional law as well as providing me with yet another opportunity for both personal and academic growth.
On top of all these incredible opportunities, the McConnell Center quickly became a substitute home on campus. In an environment where it is easy to get lost in the crowd, the Center offers an atmosphere that fosters the best of both scholastic and personal development and achievement. The combination of the academic and social spheres of a college experience is perfectly embodied by the McConnell Program and the scholars and staff that make it all possible. Without the McConnell Center, the University of Louisville would not feel like my home away from home.