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| McConnell Scholars Class of 2016 in Frankfort, Ky. |
It has been a long standing tradition that each year, the McConnell Freshman, new to campus and the program, pile into a 12-passenger van and travel to Frankfort to indulge in the rich history of their beloved state.
I expected the trip to Frankfort to be just like the one I took with my fourth grade class: touring the capitol building only pausing to hear a guide with a monotone voice explain how wonderful the classical architecture is. Of course, when I found out the McConnell Freshman were going to Frankfort, I decided it was fair to say my fourth grade self had a slightly more close-minded perspective and that my memories of the boring Frankfort trip could easily have blurred over the years. Nonetheless, I certainly did not expect such a meaningful trip.
It started on a cool September Saturday morning, the ten of us emerged from our dorms around 8 a.m. and gathered by the iconic Thinker Statue. Groggy-eyed and cold, we loaded the van and, just like that, we were on our way to Frankfort.
By the time we arrived, most of us had woken up and were laughing and talking and more enthusiastic for the day. Our day started in Kentucky Historical Society Museum. After a brief, self-guided tour, we gathered in the archive room. Here we were surprised with an extensive collection of Kentucky postcards that we were given permission to leaf through. My favorite part, however, was when they brought out the slave letters. Someone had donated letters of correspondence between members of a family of slaves from Kentucky. One of the letters was a slave writing to his family up north of how he had just been freed. To be able to literally hold history in one’s hand is truly remarkable and certainly a memorable experience.
After we were ushered back into the room that contained the first Kentucky Constitution, which was again something remarkable. The rest of the day consisted of equally exciting ventures including a reenactment of the assassination of the late Kentucky governor, William Goeble, a private tour of the Old State Capitol, a contemplative walk around one of the historical cemeteries, and, of course lunch and ice cream.
My point is, many of unique opportunities we experienced that day are only a small part of the wonderful opportunities each of us are given as McConnell Scholars. I fully expect that this cool morning in September was just a mere prelude to the four extraordinary years to come.
Mary Elizabeth Young, of Louisville, Ky., is a freshman McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is studying English, Spanish and political science.