A Blog on McConnell Center Life

Sidney Cobb Class of 2019   From my birth, I was destined to spend my life engulfed in a passion for American government serving our nation’s people. My parents, at a loss for what to name me, watched the movie The American President and there she was, the inspiration for my name—a charismatic lobbyist and, of course, her name was Sidney. My family always taught me the importance of patriotism. My grandfather was a Marine drill instructor and my brother was a graduate of West Point Academy who served both in Afghanistan and Iraq. The study of law and politics has always been synonymous to service in my life and that is why I was honored to have been offered a position as a citizenship instructor at Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM), a faith-based organization dedicated to displaced people in Kentucky.  Through volunteering as a citizenship instructor, I get to work closely with refugees in my own city of Louisville. Hearing their heart-breaking stories of oppression,...

Miranda Mason Class of 2019 Have you ever heard of Dionysus?   The Greek god of wine and good cheer? He is best known for traveling the world and bringing joy to the many miserable people in it.   He was accompanied by a joyous band of dancing nymphs and musically inclined goat-footed men.   I had the pleasure of reading some stories about him lately, and rather than a mere drunken god, I found that he was a rather caring one.   According to myth, he planted the first vines and brought the gift of wine to lighten the spirits of men.   His music, dancing, and wine brought pleasure to the people who were beaten down and saddened by difficult lives or troubling duties.   This helped people to be friendly and joyful, and it was good.   However, when bestowing the gift of wine upon men, he would warn them to limit how much they drank and how much they shared with others.   When one king named Icarius was given the gift of wine, he did not heed ...

Erica Gaither Class of 2019           When did we as human beings deem other human beings as disposable? This question has started to permanently hold residence in a corner of my mind. The topic of conversation was our criminal justice system- specifically, the ways in which prisons and jails were continuing to fail. My eagerness to understand and find answers to this question began with trying to figure out various color-coded pie-charts displaying horrendous statistics. Then my curiosity shifted to-what I can best describe as- bewilderment. As I scrolled through hundreds of articles and videos sharing appalling testimonies, I literally wanted to hit something because I just couldn’t believe what we had allowed this system to become. Ultimately, I think it may have been my various visits to the over-crowded and disheartening Louisville Metro Jail and Kentucky State Reformatory that tipped me over the edge. All of my textbooks read the same motto, prison...

Nicole Fielder Class of 2019             The “dad bod” trend has brought a whole new meaning to father figure. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the look of a guy who has either been married seven years or just doesn’t have a rockin’ magazine-worthy bod (and probably never will). You can spot a dad bod by its typical hallmarks: a slight but tasteful pudge, tufts of hair huddling around the nipples and gracing the sternum, skin seemingly untouched by any possible light source. Pure beauty, really. While men endowed with such figures do have the cuddling advantage, it’s a mixed bag when it comes to cultural implications. There’s been plenty of talk about the newest sensation of male physique, but very little analysis. So allow me, an under-qualified and over-caffeinated college girl, to contribute my two cents to the pool of academic thought on this extremely important topic.             As ...

Easton Depp Class of 2019 I remember the evening after the church service vividly. I’m sure he does too. The sermon had spoke of the importance of fathers being kings in early teenager years and transitioning into a coaching role as the teenager approached college. The sagely and infinitely mature sixteen year old that I was, demanded that I was beyond such a system. My dad should only play a coaching role at most, because I had my life well figured out.  Boy, was I wrong. During my final years in highschool, I leaned on my dad like a crutch. He was my resource for any sort of professional or personal development I needed. He acted as a beacon for me during highschool. He always made sure I didn’t slip off track, as I was wont to do. I didn’t acknowledge it, and I thought I had it all figured out.   But, in retrospect, I have no doubt I would have crashed and burned without him. Because of him, I began my college search two years in advance and knew exactly what ...