A Blog on McConnell Center Life

Jason Jewell Class of 2017 By Jason Jewell , Class of 2017 We spend most of our lives working or learning skills so that we can work at a later date.  Our education system is built around getting jobs in the future. As Americans, a majority of us wake up 5 days a week for jobs we do not like, simply because “it pays the bills” as we like to tell ourselves. I’m young in the grand scheme of things there is no doubt about that, it’s something that is refreshing. It takes time and a bit of hard-headedness to learn some of these lessons but I hope they stick with me. I am first learning to let the materialism go. The second lesson is that saying no is not failure. These are two key lessons I am learning each day, some days are better than others. As I sit in my third year of college, for the first time I feel like I am doing things right. I spent my first two years of college working, convincing myself that I needed to work to pay the bills. The money I made helped to pay t...

Landon Lauder Class of 2017 By  Landon Lauder , Class of 2017 It is true, should you ask me, my friends, family, or colleagues, I have had many interests over the course of not only my college career, but also my time in high school. In high school, I became interested in the biological sciences and entered college as an intended Biology major. However, that did not last long at all. I quickly switched to my other strong interest: politics. That’s when I hit the nail on the head, but it would be a long time before I completed the structure. Ever since I made that switch, I have struggled finding a niche within Political Science. For a while, I had the stereotypical vision of working in Washington D.C., meddling in national affairs on a significant scale, perhaps working for a think tank, a Senator, or even becoming a legislator myself. Yet, it did not feel right. Something about national politics was frustrating. Perhaps it was the breadth without depth of the issue...

Alicia Humphrey Class of 2017 By  Alicia Humphrey , Class of 2017 Millenials live in an age of political disillusionment. Many of us don’t trust the government to make decisions for us, nor do we believe in the power of our vote. Most of us, feeling largely unaffected by decisions made in D.C., shrug off politics as the meaningless banter of old men far removed from our daily concerns and changing culture. Older generations have incorrectly interpreted this attitude as  apathy, yet many Millenials are desperately and constantly in search of a way to influence the world around them from the grassroots level. Operating through social movements, media, and even fashion, Millenials, myself included, are simply looking for a platform for their strong, progressive voice that is so often suppressed and condescended.  My years in college, as for so many others, have been defined by this search for a voice, but it wasn’t until I started working with the Roosevelt Insti...

By Jacob Abrahamson, Class of 2017 Jacob Abrahamson Class of 2017 In my time at UofL, I have been lucky to be able to meet some individuals who I grew up thinking only existed on CNN like Samantha Power, John Lewis, Mitch McConnell, and Joe Biden.  Thanks to the Political Science department, I was able to add a Supreme Court Justice to that list: Samuel Alito. I think it’s important to not get too caught up in just meeting famous people and cross them off your list, because it could become superficial.  However, when you are nerdy enough about politics, history, and law, sometimes it is just plain cool to meet and talk to such important figures.  Justice Alito was no exception.  Ever since taking constitutional law my freshman year, I have been very interested in the Supreme Court and through moot court have been able to explore even more into constitutional arguments, so meeting a Justice was a dream come true. I noticed a few things about him that...

Jeremy Ball BClass of 2017 By  Jeremy Ball , Class of 2017   Coming into college, I was like so many political science students; I had one goal: law school. Growing up, I was completely enthralled (and still am) by the concept of law and the U.S. Constitution. To me, seeing how various elements of our legal structure work together to form our judicial branch completely fascinated me. When I became a McConnell, I "knew" I was going to be a lawyer. I was going to major in political science, proceed to a well-established law school, and after years of hard work, join the Supreme Court. Yeah... It was a lofty goal, but I knew it was for me. But I wasn't expecting one detail; every lawyer I met would tell me not to go to law school. I'm not sure if it's a running joke of lawyers, but it seemed that every lawyer I met told me "don't go to law school." They would recount their miseries of class, studying for the bar, a...

By  Diana Lalata ,  Class of 2017 I am now 45 days into my study abroad program in Spain, and in these 45 days, I have experienced at least 45 moments of culture shock. One of the most peculiar aspects of Spain’s culture—in my opinion—is the personal greeting of giving two kisses on the cheek, as opposed to the distanced “firm and confident handshake” that is practiced so relentlessly in the United States. However, this first impression gives context to other seemingly “odd” cultural norms. Spain’s immediate trust and less cynical view of the human race creates the perfect setting for the establishment of a unique private transport system called Blabacar. In fancy terms, Blabacar is a cost-effective rideshare system for wanderlust-filled and frugal travelers to venture Spain together on scenic road trips through the breathtaking (and ear-popping) mountain ranges of the countryside. In less fancy terms, Blabacar is a more organized method of hitchhiking. Diana L...

Aaron Vance Class of 2017 By  Aaron Vance ,  Class of 2017 Needless to say, my first trip to Mecosta was nothing short of enchanting. Nowhere on this Earth do the annals of history pivot back upon themselves like they do in this place. And nowhere else on this Earth, would you have expected to truly be able to take in the spirit of Russell Kirk. While this place serves as the home of the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, and as the de facto Mecca of the conservative pilgrim, it offers something that many others cannot when exploring the works of the minds that used to inhabit them.  Having explored many of the residences and homes of some of the greatest minds, from Lewis’s Oxford home, to the city that hosted the likes of Burns, Scott, and Hume, Mecosta brought to life something unparalleled by the others. And while Oxford and Edinburgh offered immense perspective and context, they ultimately seemed to be lacking the same feature that brought Mecosta ...

Frank Bencomo Class of 2018 By  Frank Bencomo-Suarez , Class of 2018 “One candle can light the darkest of caves. The darkness of the entire universe cannot extinguish a single candle.” In the world of social media and the 24/7 media broadcast we have become accustomed to bad news. I challenge you to sit in front of a television set today for a few hours, turn on any major news station, and not walk away feeling worse about the state of the world in general. Man beats wife, college campus rape cases, and the reign of isis, enough to put a damper on anyone’s mood. Still, look at the facts and you’ll quickly see that the message the news stations give you isn’t the full picture. Between 1950 and 2011 the average global life expectancy went up from 47 to 70. The percentage amount of human beings caught in wars is lower than it has ever been. People are getting more representation than they ever have, with democracies going from just a few to over 60% of the world's govern...

X'Zashea Lawson-Mayes Class of 2018 By X'Zashea Lawson-Mayes , Class of 2018 One night, I decided to stop and talk to homeless men. The two were from South Carolina and rode the trains until they reached Louisville. They spoke about how hard it was for them to find work and how they left everything behind in their continual quest for jobs. Louisville served as a nice destination because a family name, which they didn’t carry with them, meant nothing and their reputations upon first meeting would either solidify or prevent employment. After we finished talking, I prayed for them and left. To me, these men were on a journey to find their purpose. There are plenty of jobs between South Carolina and Louisville, KY but nothing stuck with them. These men lived out a principle a mentor once told me, “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” Currently I am faced with deciding between becoming a doctor, going into law, teaching, doing business, doing ...

Ocey Holland Class of 2018 By Ocey Holland , Class of 2018 This past summer I took a General Chemistry course for a pre-med requirement with a good friend of mine from the Biology program. A couple of weeks into the course, for our first exam, we decided to study over the phone together. During our time trying to understand these completely abstract chemical concepts my father came in the house with a new bowtie for me and asked if it looked like something I would wear. I, like I have always done, addressed him as ‘father’ and answered his question “Yes sir, I will. Thank you”. He handed me the box and responded with “You are welcome, son”. My friend, still on the other line, laughed in amusement asking, “You really talk to your parents like that?” Yes, I still talk to my parents as I did when I was growing up. And yes, growing up I was instructed on how to properly speak to my elders. The problem is not that I address my parents as my elders but that society sees this act a...