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| The McConnell Scholars Class of 2015 met Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta |
Class of 2015
As my spring semester comes to a close I can’t help but be taken back by everything that has happened to me in the past year. I’ve had the opportunity to converse with some of our nation’s top leaders including Speaker of the House John Boehner and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, venture to Williamsburg, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., to discover and engage in our nation’s past and current roots, and lastly I’ve had the opportunity to take part in some truly enlightening seminars with some expert professors on political voting trends, progressivism, and Thomas More’s “Utopia.” These experiences have no doubt shaped my intellect and challenged me to question my own personal political ideology in a way that digs deep into my personal character. This realization excites me, because I know that I’m growing.
While this truly excites me, there’s another realization that doesn’t excite me: that fact that I’ll be apart from nine of my friends for an entire 14 weeks. The growth I’ve experienced as a person and as a scholar in the McConnell Center this past year has been tremendous. But the experience of growing together with a group of fellow scholars who all share a passion for touching the world, an appreciation for the benefits of a liberal education, and an excitement for enjoying youth is invaluable. All of the spontaneous movie nights in Bettie Johnson, silly inside jokes, eventful West Side dinners, and our politically “respectful” arguments on our Facebook group are all things that have culminated to form a bond. This bond is different. This bond is special. This bond is unique. This bond is long lasting. I remember being in Louisville for McConnell Freshmen Orientation staying up until 5am talking like we had known each other for all of lives, and in our own special way I think we were meant to. No, I know we were supposed to.
I remember driving home on I-65 after the orientation talking to my mom on the phone (of course not while driving) and mentioning to her, “Mom, you know how they say you meet the people who will be in your wedding at college?”
She replied, “Yes, why?”
“Because I’ve already met them.”
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At the end of the McConnell Senior Dinner, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear in knowing that in just a few years I, too, will be shaking Senator McConnell’s hand, receiving a Louisville Slugger’s bat, and saying “so-long” to a group of scholars that I already feel so impeccably close to. We share a bond like no other, and the good news is that it’s only going to grow from here. I’m truly going to miss you guys over the summer. I can’t say that enough.
Sam Whitaker, Paige Brewer, Andrew Stewart, Samantha Roney, Danielle Robinette, Sean Southard, Ben Whitlock, Catherine Mountain, and Arsh Haque, I wish you all a great, safe summer and I cannot wait until the McConnell Summer Retreat in August.
Much Love,
You’re favorite Liberal Democrat,
Joel Ben Thomas