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By Alli Wade
Lately, I have put on some extra weight– the kind you don’t notice until you catch your brief reflection in a window. It bears down through my shoulder blades, leaving a trace of heaviness in my steps. This weight is not measurable in pounds or ounces and isn’t reflected on a scale. Instead, I carry the weight of the legacy of those who came before me and of the one I will leave behind after graduation.
As I write my final blog as a McConnell Scholar, this weight feels even heavier. I recall each book I read as a Scholar that added another pound. I fondly remember the seminars that moved me and ultimately only increased the heaviness. In a few short months, I will join a wide network of alumni who span across the globe. They have accomplished major feats and left their marks on the world as I know it. They forged the paths that I now walk. Like me, their journeys began as hopeful teenagers gathered in the McConnell Center seminar room to discuss topics that surely changed the pictures in their heads. Now, I am tasked to join them. I must pick up the keys I have received over the past four years, unlock new doors, and travel through them.
Unlike the pesky “freshman fifteen,” this is a weight I never want to lose. I wish to carry it as a reminder of the people and ideas that came before me. I want to always remember the mentors who guided me. I want to cherish those who allowed me to find my cohort, my place, and my fellowship. I pray that I will honor the impact that these moments had on my life and uphold them in perpetuity.
Bearing this weight is an important responsibility and reminds me of how blessed I have been to have received an education that not only expanded my mind but also fortified my soul. I hope I never lose a single pound.
Alli Wade is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2022. She is studying political science and criminal justice at the University of Louisville.