A Blog on McConnell Center Life

Diana Lalata Class of 2017 “So, are you planning on going to law school?” is perhaps one of the most commonly asked questions when I tell people I am a McConnell Scholar studying political science at the University of Louisville. And each time I would prepare to answer, my mind would go into a sort of panic as it pushed me to say, “Yes, but I just don’t know where yet,” while in all honesty, my heart sunk at the thought of entering law school directly after my undergraduate career. This internal battle frequented my college experience, especially when choosing to apply for certain programs/internships, as well as deciding which organizations I wished to dedicate my time and efforts to. I was constantly searching for a solution to settle this struggle once and for all, constantly asking McConnell Scholars Program alumni and visitors just exactly why some chose law school and if they were truly happy with their decisions. Their responses would be similar, perhaps something along the...

Jacob Abrahamson Class of 2017 If you’re reading this, there is a chance you were directed here by Twitter.  This blog probably seems like it was written by a bitter, old man,  angry at social media for some unspecific reason.  But, alas, I am a 21-year -old man who is angry at a society that is often “a mile wide and an inch deep.”  I see that problem in myself and in others and I find that social media, especially Twitter, only exacerbates it. The political world is the best example, but there are many others.  Presidents used to use television or speech-making as their means of communicating with the American people.  The speech would be made, articles would be printed about it, and individuals would have an opportunity to truly digest what was said.  Now the President is able to tweet out a statement (often misinformation) with no safeguards or fact-checks.  Organizations try to respond with fact-checking, but it has reached millions of pe...

Jason Jewell Class of 2017 I will finish my last semester of undergrad in just a few short months and the importance of education rings louder than ever. Before our founding as a nation education was important even if it was limited to wealthy white males but an understanding of equality and the power of education has expanded that to all citizens in the United States. We have come a long way but there is plenty more room to learn, invest and equalize. As a nation we consistently give lip service to education yet continually place its importance on the back burner. We will never be the nation we want to or need to be unless we begin to properly invest and encourage education. It’s also more than just a task for the government to take on but individuals as well. I have been fortunate enough to have received several scholarships to the University of Louisville, greatly improving my opportunities and transforming my life. The McConnell Center alone has opened doors for me to travel...

Frank Bencomo Class of 2018 By this point I’ve heard it all--that the electoral college was instituted to guard against democracy in the selection of a U.S. President by the framers who did not trust absolute democracy; that the abolishment of the electoral college would make the presidency the choice of a small section of the United States over the will of a large territory of the United States, etc. Simply stated, none of it has convinced me that the electoral college is anything more than a relic of a bygone age which silences the voices of people, in the name of land. While I will concede that the role of a president has expanded far beyond what was intended by the framers, it is a reality that both the right and the left sides of the aisle contend with, in a world that moves too quickly for the deliberation of our congress.   It is also true that there is nothing in the constitution that gives American voters the right to choose their president. However, given the expande...

Phillip Lentsch Class of 2018 January 20th, 2017: the day that Twitter, after a failing 2016, realized its full revival for the next four years.  Throughout 2016, Twitter – the Millennial social media bastion for a solid five to six years – had experienced a major dip in growth compared to the likes of Snapchat and Instagram, and many speculated the blogging platform would go under midway through the new year.  However, the network has clenched onto the hands of an unlikely savior, one whose rise to the Oval Office was inextricably linked to the site’s shock value influence.  Donald Trump is a man of many talents.  He manages a worldwide real estate company, created an incredibly profitable media brand off his family name, has always been able to maintain his hair color at the most neon bleach yellow imaginable, and most importantly, ascended to the presidency through a campaign season ripe with meme roasts and penis size jokes.  On the eve of his inaugurati...

Christian Bush Class of 2018 Perhaps the greatest strength of studying history is that there is no terminal point for the discipline. Every genre and subgenre merits greater inquiry, discourse, and learning. However, the greatest weakness of history is that we cannot know everything either – that is, even among the many narratives, facts, and people we have immortalized in stone and ink, we have to be selective in what we choose to popularize in the classroom and in our monuments. As I often say to my friend (and fellow scholar) Robert, “History is what we choose to leave behind." This thought came to me a number of times when I visited France with my family over spring break. One of my side interests in history has been the French Revolution, and I looked forward to seeing some of the famous sights I had read and heard about. One of the most memorable of these sights was the Conciergerie – sometimes referred to as “the antechamber of death” on account of it housing prisoner...

Robert Gassman Class of 2018 For the past few months, I have had the privilege of working in the Kentucky State Senate’s Democratic Leadership Office. This has been an incredibly enriching experience as I have been able to observe the inner workings and machinations of state government and the interpersonal relations of politicians, constituents, advocates and lobbyists. Every day I am in Frankfort, I witness scores of constituents, advocates, organizations coming to have their voices and perspectives heard in the debates over our Commonwealth’s future. What has been most shocking to me is the lack of engagement by the next generation of Kentuckians: our youth. I have found that the concerns of youth are most often voiced by educators and parents rather than the young women and men who will be the leaders and decision - makers of our state’s future. With the divisive political climate of today and the call for action by many of our nation’s youth, I urge my fellow millennials to ...

X'Zashea Lawson-Mayes Class of 2018 98 votes left me shocked in the law school court room. 98 votes made me feel truly betrayed by friends. 98 votes left me feeling empty. 98 votes prevented me from achieving a dream. 98 votes challenged my perspective of my campus presence. 98 votes made me question whether the deep anxiety, stress, borderline depression, for the sake of the campus was worth it. 98 votes challenged me to change my perspective on myself… So, I did. 98 votes left me inspired in the law school court room. 98 votes helped me redefine friendship. 98 votes made me feel genuinely loved by my family. 98 votes created space for me to fill myself with the important things…my important things. 98 votes told me that dream with my heart, not the hearts of others. 98 votes challenged my perspective of my campus presence. 98 votes liberated me. 98 votes inspired my future PhD. 98 votes showed me I was not helpless. 98 votes charged m...

Jeremy Ball Class of 2017 As I progress throughout this semester, the idea of graduation becomes all too real. As a senior, I have found myself reflecting on my time at UofL a lot lately. Undoubtedly these last four years have been some of the most transformative years of my life, and I am eternally grateful for everyone that has contributed to my experience as a student. Specifically, my time as a McConnell Scholar has provided me with some of the most impactful experiences of my time here at UofL. Notably, the friendships I have developed with fellow scholars and the Center staff will undoubtedly carry with me throughout my life. The number of seminars and learning experiences have expanded my mind, and helped craft me into a more well-rounded and intellectual person. My experiences traveling with the Center will also stand as some of the most memorable. Traveling to China was a truly wonderful experience, and it is hard to put into words what it was like. Spending time with my ...

Landon Lauder Class of 2017 This blog marks my last entry in a series of posts concerning my time as a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. I have been fortunate in receiving this scholarship, in addition to all of the benefits it entails, and how it has supplemented my undergraduate education. Despite my fluctuations in my academic foci, the McConnell Scholars Program has been a stable, influential fixture in my tenure here at UofL. No matter whether I was in my pre-medicine kick my freshman year or taking a graduate course on Feminist Theory, the seminars on politics, history, and society the McConnell Program offers were always there for me. It has provided a strong intellectual foundation that will stay with me in my matriculation to graduate school.  Furthermore, the McConnell Center has provided something much more personal and fulfilling for me. The social environment the McConnell Program has created and maintains introduced me to some of my best...

Natasha Mundkur Class of 2019 I can vividly remember sitting in my high school Health class in Freshman Year during the one day a year everyone dreaded, sex education day. It was strange to me; we reserved a single day throughout or school year to talk about sex, even though it will come to play a large role in our adult lives. The teacher wrote a singular word on the board that represented the day’s material: abstinence. It is a word I was taught in middle school that preached caution and self-restraint. This singular word, a tool of vocabulary, taught us nothing of safe and healthy sexual behavior, proper contraceptive use, or preventing sexually transmitted infection. Considering that Kentucky is among the top 10 states in teen pregnancy rates, standard comprehensive is needed now more than ever. Even though we are taught countless life guiding lessons throughout our secondary education, inclusive sexual education needs to be at the top of the list.  ...

Claire Gothard Class of 2019 Scrambled, fried, sunny side up. Countless varieties of eggs have been unduly sequestered into inhabiting almost exclusively the breakfast realm. Whether stand alone or on a handy sandwich, restaurants and public culture seem only to enjoy eggs in their morning capacity. In their limited reach past noon, eggs seem to have a stereotyped role that carries a negative stigma. Not only do I believe this designation is arbitrary, but also detrimental to our culture by not fulfilling the potential social benefit. Traditionally, eggs have been isolated to the morning time due to the misperceptions of high fat and bad smell. The stigma surroun ding the hard-boiled egg – the only acceptable afternoon cooking method – is completely unnecessary and hurtful to our populous’ health. Many folks believe that they cause an unfavorable smell and thus ostracize the poor food. Alternative cooking methods, which I am advocating for, may eradicate such a smell and provi...

Aaron Vance Class of 2017 What a year 2017 has already shaped up to be for not only me, but the University of Louisville. Two months in I have now been placed on my third Board of Trustees. I have installed our second interim President of this institution in the last 6 months. And, on that note, I have had to say farewell to someone whose mentorship and guidance will always stick with me. I have watched bills pass and followed them along the process in the desire to stop them or advance them as I think the student body would want me to. I have watched the University keep its promise to its students, and I have seen us actively engage and exhibit our values. I have seen turmoil, division, change, growth, and unity – sometimes all in the same day. At the time of writing this blog I have about 74 more days left in my term as the Student Body President. That end is the same end to my time as a UofL Cardinal. It’s crazy to think that this year and these last four are now drawing t...