A Blog on McConnell Center Life

Frank Bencomo Class of 2018 Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. -  Carl Sagan A few days ago one of the most incredible things happened. The United States of America took a step towards returning to having its own manned spaceflight program. NASA successfully launched the first prototype of an Orion capsule and returned it to Earth without a hitch. The Orion spacecraft is not only America’s replacement for the Space Shuttle, it is something much grander. The Orion is our first spacecraft to be built in 40 years with the intention of exploring new worlds. We often forget in the modern era to look outwards. In an age where we spend our lives with our necks craned down at our screens, we overlook the stars above. We allow ourselves to become pessimistic from watching the news and as we grow older we often forget to feed the wonder inside of us all.  It’s time we made a change. It’s time we remember we the traits of humanity which took us from the ...

Ben Whitlock Class of 2015 Over the course of my career as a McConnell Scholar, I have developed a working relationship with the fearless director of our program, Dr. Gary Gregg.  However, I have had few opportunities to get to know Dr. Gregg closely.  I do not think that this is odd, per se.  I am not saying that Dr. Gregg is impersonal, or that either of us have shied away from regular conversation.  I am simply saying that our relationship is mostly professional.  Now that I think of it, I like the fact that our relationship is professional.  There is a sense of decorum associated with professional relationships that I like and find beneficial - I know that Dr. Gregg will live up to his commitments, I know that he will present himself in a certain way, and I know that he is approachable.  Similarly, Dr. Gregg knows that I will live up to my commitments, he knows that I will present myself in a certain way and that I will live up to expectations ...

Paige Brewer Class of 2015 One of my professors this semester spoke this statement during our class, “Youth in Jewish Fiction and Film.” We had just finished discussing Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America, a story of alternate history in which on the eve of World War II, Americans elect the aviator Charles Lindbergh instead of Roosevelt as president. Lindbergh was famous for his ardent isolationism during World War II, and in the novel, he conducts a series of anti-Semitic reforms throughout the country on a campaign to “Keep America Out of the Jewish War.” The story is told through the eyes of Philip, a young boy growing up in a Jewish family and community in Newark. Amidst the anti-Semitic chaos surrounding him, Philip struggles with his identity as both American and Jew, reminding us all of the struggle for any minorities that exist outside America’s cultural norm to find a home in society. I couldn’t help but recall an article I read while researching my senior honors t...

Ocey Holland Class of 2018 There is no such thing as a discreet social media presence; once you have shown interest in a story, topic, or video it is up for all your friends to see. I agree with one thing that adults believe about our generation; we are infatuated with social media. It seems our quality of life is based on the content of our Facebook timelines, Twitter feeds, and Instagram profiles. Our value of life is continuously changing as our friends post pictures in the most ideal situations. On our homepage, we see our neighbors creating snowmen with strangers and our cousins skiing with grandma. Our news feeds are flooded with satirical articles, ten ingenious life hacks, and an odd number of things you didn’t know about a celebrity. And sometimes people use their status boxes as political leverage or personal venting refuge, which leads me to think about how all of this will influence the forthcoming of politics in the United States. As I scroll through the massive o...

X'Zashea Lawson-Mayes Class of 2018 Rev. Dr. Cosby of St. Stephen’s Church held a sermon where he discussed for a few minutes Matthew 23:24 which states, “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (NIV)” With this verse, he described how oftentimes we focus on the small things when the issues of the bigger picture lie unsolved. His message dug into the root of the Ferguson uproar with Mike Brown, a story we are all familiar with. Unlike the typical approach taken to this situation, Rev. Dr. Cosby stated that communities are focusing on “gnats” like social injustice between white police officers and African American citizens when they should focus on the “camels” or larger issues affecting the African American community more. Is he wrong? One camel we tend to ignore stems from the hypocrisy in protesting that “Black Lives Matter” when “black on black” crime accounts for far more fatalities than police inflicted murder. The African American race is known ...

Phillip Lentsch Class of 2018 “Everyone needs help. That’s the human condition.” – Max Allan Collins I’ve spent an enormous amount of time this semester trying to figure things out: my major, what I want out of UofL, if I’m making the right decisions, etc.   College has completely turned my world upside down, for better and worse, and with this shift in polarity comes confusion.   I typically identify as a “man with a plan”, always reassuring myself that things will turn out alright as long as I stay on the course I have set in advance.   But, the odd yet apparent truth of this common freshman year sentiment has turned out to be this: plans, however solid they may seem, usually don’t work out.   However cynically melodramatic that statement may sound, it has hit me like a brick wall.   My ways of thinking have crossed lines I’d never thought possible, all due to the experiences I have been through in these past four months.   In all this time, ...

Kyle Hilbrecht Class of 2018 I was one of the few people that I know of that was not that excited to come to college. I am sure there were those out there who were not vocal about their trepidation; even I masked my feelings when asked about college. The standard replies were, “Yes I am excited. No I don’t know what I want to major in. Yes I know I have time.” I felt like wearing a shirt with these three phrases written across the front.  The reason I was so anxious was that I was comfortable. I had a job, more freedom than I had ever could have asked for, a great relationship, and time for myself. I felt like I was on solid ground. I had reached the end of my high school career and had not started to think about my next step. The next step was a scary one. It was a step into the dark, across the threshold, and into the real world. I was sad to leave my old life behind. I did not know what the future would hold; all I knew was that all of the people that I had built my life ar...

Robert Gassman Class of 2018 As the first semester of my college experience comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the notable changes in my life since making the transition away from high school.  Beyond the new course load, schedule, friendships and experiences I have gained so far in college, I have begun to notice a drastic evolution in the way I think and how I am learning to see and understand the world. Like most young people I know, I came from a relatively insulated background in which much of my life’s directions and decisions were guided and managed by others, and I tended to view many things in black-and-white terms.  The world’s problems seemed more superficial and limited, and I generally discounted or overlooked a lot of what was going on around me.  Then I arrived at the University of Louisville and the McConnell’s Scholars Program in August 2014.  Almost immediately, another world – the real world – became apparent to me, along with its d...

Jeremy Ball Class of 2017 This past summer I was given the amazing opportunity to spend my summer at the University of Louisville serving as a Student Orientation leader. While I wasn’t back home in Manchester, Kentucky I was blatantly reminded of my hometown, during an orientation session, when scrolling through social media during a break. It was then I saw a New York Times article appear on my Facebook timeline. Its headline: “What’s The Matter With Eastern Kentucky” gave me a strong sense as to where this article would be heading… yet another piece drawing national attention to the status of Appalachia in a predominantly negative way.  Using several quality of life determinants (including: educational attainment, household income, jobless rate, disability rate, life expectancy and obesity rate) the article sought to rate the counties in the United States on their quality of life. My initial reaction to the article’s title left a sour taste in my mouth, and upon reading ...

Cathrine Mountain Class of 2015 Since my introduction to the works of Wendell Berry through the McConnell Scholars Program, I have been intrigued by the ideas and beliefs that are central to his philosophy. Upholding our responsibility to live sustainably within our environment, developing closely-knit communities based on mutual trust and respect, and striving to remember the virtue of simplicity – these are the principles that I am constantly drawn back to and reminded of, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. Working at Quest Outdoors for the past two years, I am frequently reminded of these fundamental principles and practices. Not only do I work for one of the nicest, most caring, and most effective bosses in the world, but I am also surrounded by people who revere similar ideas of environmental stewardship, selfless communities, and simplicity. It is one of the most incredible and indescribable groups that I have ever had the privilege of knowing. In fact, one of the only...

Christian Bush Class of 2018 The Hunger Games: Will the Circle be Unbroken? In honor of the recent release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, I have examined the political implications of both the book and the movie; namely, the relationship between District 13 and the Capital. Because Suzanne Collins both authored the series and helped write the script for the movies, I will draw from both as evidence. In a future North America, the United States has dissipated after years of prolonged famine, natural disaster, and war. The successor state in this time period is the government of Panem (drawn from the Roman phrase “panem et circenses”, that is, “bread and circuses”). Originally, thirteen districts, each specializing in a certain industry, rebelled against the Capital. In the aftermath of the civil war, the Capital emerged victorious, District 13 was apparently destroyed, and the gladiatorial Hunger Games were established as a reminder to the districts of their subservience to t...

Ben Whitlock Class of 2015 I have somewhat of an affinity for the United States military. I believe that our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen sacrifice much in service of the country. Of course, each Service member sacrifices in different ways. However, all sacrifice a portion of their personal lives in service of the United States and her interests. Never has this fact been more apparent to me than now. The McConnell Center sent Joel Thomas and me to the US Military Academy, West Point, to participate in the 66th annual Student Conference on United States Affairs - SCUSA. West Point held many thrills for me because of the unique nature of the conference, but the experience was thrilling in more ways than I had expected. I knew that West Point was the training academy for US Army officers. I knew that the military base was the oldest continually occupied base in the US. Also, I knew that the base had been closed to civilians since 2001. However, I learned about the traditio...

Danielle Robinette Class of 2015 When I accepted my internship at La Casita Center, I was prepared to serve as their Volunteer Coordinator and work primarily with local students in need of service hours and Spanish language practice.  After about 10 minutes in to my first day, I realized this would not be the case at all.  I was quickly to become a Jack, or Jill, of All Trades. With a full-time staff of only two women, La Casita Center serves hundreds of people each month in dozens of ways ranging from provisions of food and clothing to legal advocacy.  With such a large mission, the small staff, 3 if we are to include myself at this point, are reliant upon the flexibility and willingness to help of every person that walks through the door. During my time at La Casita Center, I expected to get some valuable language practice along with the opportunity to learn more about the non-profit sector and volunteerism.  However, the list of things I have learned goes...

Katie Cambron Class of 2016 There is no denying that Americans are increasingly losing faith in the justice system.  This is also a prevailing problem in countries around the world.  Sometimes the system gets it right and others it doesn’t.  Additionally corruption plays a large part in justice not being served.   The National Registry of Exonerations, a project of The University of Michigan Law School, lists 1,480 exonerations in the United States since 1989.  This doesn’t take in to account the actual number of wrong convictions that have occurred and not been overturned, a number that one professor at Ohio State University has estimated to be near 10,000 per year in the United States.  If this many innocent people are potentially being punished for crimes they did not commit, then the number of “bad guys” lurking on the street is innumerable. Since world peace doesn’t exist and the justice system is arguably less than adequate in many parts of the w...

Working in Senator McConnell’s office could not have come at a more interesting time for me, as the recent Congressional elections have led to his transition into the role of Senate Majority Leader within the few months I have been employed there. It is this changing of position that has brought to light an interesting question: while he is in Congress, who exactly is Senator McConnell supposed to be representing? When McConnell was the Minority Leader, the answer was quite simple. Calls I received at the office from the Senator’s Kentucky constituents seemed to hold more weight; out-of-state callers voicing concerns about different politicians and obscure issues were irrelevant to the casework the people in Senator McConnell’s office were working on every day. However, things began to change when the Republicans took the Senate. Suddenly, most of the calls coming into the office were from other states—New York, North Carolina, and California. It was so strange to realize ...

Danielle Robinette Class of 2015 This semester I have had the opportunity to complete an internship as Volunteer Coordinator at La Casita Center, a small non-profit organization that serves the many needs of the Hispanic community in Louisville.  At the same time I have served as Service Chair of the McConnell Scholars where I have worked to organize and encourage the service hours completed by each scholar. I began this semester with the belief that these two roles would compliment each other and would enlighten me to the world of non-profit volunteer work in the city of Louisville.  They have done just that.  However, the two roles have each brought obstacles that I did not anticipate. Here are some lessons I have learned: 1.  There is ALWAYS work to be done. Earlier in my college career I had served on the McConnell Scholar Service Team and was, time and time again, surprised and discouraged when the team would reach out to various organizat...

Aaron Holder Class of 2017 It’s rare that I’m given an opportunity to kick my cerebral shoes off and relax; despite what you may believe, a lot goes within my blonde head.  What I didn’t realize, however, was that my mind—my own mind, that is—rarely was given the opportunity to stretch its restless legs.  The purpose of an education is to educate.  But when our minds are held to an agenda through the entire process, how can we know if it is what we are supposed to learn?  No one can deny that an education has its value.  But what value is education that is held to no standard or agenda, and one in which the teacher and pupil are one in the same?  Now I live far from campus, which is a new lifestyle in itself.  I found myself in my own pocket of brick and mortar, away from lively campus life, and took time to educate myself in that which I was not well versed.  When you’re alone there’s no one to tell you what to think, what to say, what ...