A Blog on McConnell Center Life

 By Mallory Slucher  This semester, I joined the UofL’s chapter of the United Nations Association (UNA). Being interested in peace, diplomacy, and international relations, I knew this would be a great club to meet people with similar interests and take part in opportunities that may help my professional career. However, I had no idea the extent to which I would love being a part of the chapter. Last weekend, I competed with UofL’s UNA in the Midwest Model European Union (MMEU) Conference at Indiana University. UofL sponsored two delegations: Spain, and Italy. I was assigned to represent Spain as the Minister of Justice and Home affairs. For every bill I voted on, I had to vote as if I were the current Spanish Minister of the Interior, Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Embodying Minister Grande-Marlaska was fun because I had to vote “YEA” on several bills that I personally disagreed with; it was like taking on a new alter-ego. This simulation reminded me of the importance of l...

 By Thomas Hulse   While abroad in Germany, the land of   Dichter und Denker —poets and thinkers—I have found a culture quite different from my own in America. Although both are modern, Western democracies, they are each rather distinct from the other. Here in Germany, as I walk down the street of Am Sande, I am flanked by medieval buildings 600 years old. As I pass beneath the shadow of St. Michaelis Kirche, I think how the sweet organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach once echoed across the cobblestones. And as I ride the bus, looking over the first heath blooming throughout the villages, I marvel at how many generations must have also gathered to see these small purple flowers. These were people who had loved, hated, quarreled, laughed, warred, and made peace. Still, after all this time and change, the Lünebuger Heide springs to life in these old fields every year. Germany’s land is brimming with rich history, and the people reflect that richness in character. In contrast...

 By Anna Williams  No one prepares you for isolation, yet everyone inevitably comes face-to-face with the treacherous emotion. Not only can you feel the mental enclosure of isolation, which I would argue would be scarier than physically being isolated, but the enclosure can make it difficult to see an end to the loneliness. God-forbid anyone ever must face both types at the same time, because it might possibly be the most difficult experience that any human can face. I have always felt, what my ingenuous brain at the time would classify as, isolated. Growing up as one of the only black kids in a small, rural community can make you think such things. The ignorant racist comments like, “Can I touch your hair?” or, “I went to the beach, and now I’m almost as dark as you!” didn’t help my feeling of not being able to relate or connect with my peers. I never would have imagined, however, that a disease as indiscriminatory as type 1 diabetes would make me more alone than I did physic...

 By Greta Noble   Some of the first memories I can recall consist of drifting to sleep as my father recited the words of A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” and Norton Juster’s “The Phantom Tollbooth”. As I listened to him create voices for each character I fell in love with the stories. I have always had a soft spot for these childhood classics but as I got older there was constant pressure to move on to novels more “appropriate” for my age. As I began to read these educational works, although they were amazing works of literature, the passion for the story was no longer there. I yearned to return to the days of Eeyore voices and happy endings. Yet unfortunately, that wish was met with social pressure to engage in mature literature.  Eventually, the internal dilemma between submitting to social pressure and engaging in the literature of my choice became my first thought with every book I picked up. I hate to admit that for many years, the social pressure prevailed. I found my...

 By Megan Crowley  If you’re at all tuned into popular events, it is likely that you have stumbled across some (or, more likely, many) rumblings regarding the most recent populist movement currently sweeping its way across the nation. I’m referring, of course, to the Wordle, a simple game in which the player attempts to guess a particular 5 letter word in 6 tries. Each day, the word changes at precisely 12 o’clock AM, much to the delight of a slew of nationwide players, whose wordle-related conversations I will inevitably overhear throughout the rest of the next day. While I appreciate this “wordle mania”, and have played the game myself, recently, a different game on the New York Times’s website has captured my attention: The Daily Mini Crossword.  The Daily Mini is fairly self-explanatory; each day, I log onto the website to complete a small, typically 4x4, crossword. The answers range from pop culture “moments”, to random historical trivia, to the largest living organi...

 By Logan Bibby  I never really liked the High School Musical movies. Musicals were always so unrealistic to me; I don’t really understand why they just start singing out of nowhere. I’d much rather have a standard plot, moved by dialogue, and body language — no singing or dancing. But, regardless, like every other child, I watched the trilogy, all of them against my will. I watched Troy, Gabriela, Sharpay, Chad, and Ryan go through their junior year, summer break, and finally, their senior year. I watched them go to prom, enjoy vacations, graduate, sing, dance, and do whatever their hearts desired during the upper years of their high school career. We all did. We all thought, one day, we’d go to prom, enjoy vacations, graduate, sing, dance, and do whatever our hearts desired. Just like them. You all know what happens next.  Early on senior year, one of my teachers said that I would go through the grieving process for the lost latter half of high school. Denial, anger, b...

By Shelby Disney  In late April of last year, I faced a decision that would impact my life for the next four years as well as the rest of my life. The deadline to accept admission and the McConnell Scholarship at the University of Louisville was fast approaching. I had to make a choice to go to school just down the road or two and half hours away. To a school where I knew no one or one that I would know at least 100 people. To a school in a city of over a million people from a county of only sixty thousand. I was torn and terrified. On one hand, I was elated by the opportunity of coming to Louisville and being a McConnell Scholar, but on the other, I was frightened to make such a change of scenery and wanted to stay close to home. While reflecting on my first year here at Louisville, two things resonate within me. First, a scripture from Proverbs that reads “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). As well as an excerpt from Marcus Aurelius’ med...

By Camryn McPherson   I am a proud Kentuckian. I love my home in Northern Kentucky, and I love that Cincinnati is in my backyard. This part of our wonderful state will always be my home, and I claim that with pride.  My Aunt Rhonda was equally proud of her home in Kansas City. She sent me Kansas City Royals’ and Chiefs’ care packages year-round, and her attempt to indoctrinate me worked. Prepare your mind to hear this controversy:  I am a Kansas City Chiefs fan who loves the Cincinnati Bengals.  So, my sports-loving heart was divided this year, as my teams became rivals.  First, I want to defend that this has been the case since I first cared about the NFL. I have always cheered for both teams. However, I never expected it to be an issue; the Chiefs are good and the Bengals simply… weren’t.  … Until this year, when Joe Burrow led the Bengals through the season, his fire burning brighter with each victory.  I attended the 2022 regular season Chiefs vs. ...