A Blog on McConnell Center Life

By  Jacob Banta      The elusive desire of all people who will one day work is to find joy in the work they will spend most of their life doing. This is evidently seen in the many students today in high school and college not knowing what they want to do with their life. Pursuing majors they picked for various reasons - hoping to do good to others, make money to support their families, or perhaps even not diligently considering the possibilities because of the stress of the situation. This shocking fear to invest yourself into an education for an entire career that once out of school you might even hate after day in and day out, understandably causes many to be restless. The magnitude of people working jobs their degree wasn’t in and even jobs that don’t require a degree shows overall discontentment in the workplace. It could even make people long for simpler times of being a farmer because that’s what your family has done for generations, despite all of the other is...

By  Paighton Brooks *TW: Discussions of violence, assault, victim-blaming* “Don’t go out after dark alone.” “Always be aware of your surroundings.” “Learn self-defense.” “Hold your keys between your fingers when walking alone at night.” “Safety in numbers.” “Always protect your drink.” “Fill up your car with gas before sunset.” “Always make sure your phone has a charge.” “Park in well-lit areas.” “Do not park next to vans or large vehicles.” “Always look in your backseat.” “Lock your car door immediately after getting in.” “Carry pepper spray.” “Make sure your friends and family have your location.” “Wherever you are, be aware of exits and escape routes.” “Change up your routine.” “Only wear one earbud.” “Avoid putting your hair in a ponytail.” “If an object is left on your car do not touch it or remove it until you have reached a safe place.” “Don’t wear clothing that is too revealing. Don’t ask for it.” “Always look under your car from a distance before approaching it.” “She shou...

 By  Sawyer Depp     Admittedly, I do not follow the Royal Family of the British throne. Unlike Roman or Greek history, it just has never captivated me. When I heard that Queen Elizabeth II had passed, I was sad. But I was sad as any person would be when they hear that someone has passed and must, for a moment, empathize for those that were close to them.      Queen Elizabeth died on September 8. That night, I sat down with my roommate and we began to talk. Somehow or another, the Queen entered our conversation, and he began to tell me about how the Premier League had canceled all of their matches for the entire week in order to mourn. At first, he said he was frustrated. This was just the second week of the league, and he wanted to see Leeds play—supposedly, they have several American players. To this point, I thought, Of course, we Americans only care about the Queen’s death because we can’t watch our soccer players for one week. How tragic. But the...

By  Katie Hayden If I am being completely honest, it has been a long, long week. You know those weeks where everything  hits all at once – a test in every class, multiple meetings in multiple different clubs that keep your eyes glancing at the clock as you know you have a million other things you need to work on – the homework, the study guides, studying in general. Somedays it feels like the day will never end, and others I am praying for a few more hours to prepare for the next day ahead.  Weeks like these bring all the feelings – stress, anxiety, nervousness – yet somehow, there are always little pick-me-ups that make me smile and remind me that it will all be okay. Whether it’s Bryson in the room next to me blasting Adele so loudly that sometimes I cannot even think, or him sleeping on the floor in my office for two hours at a time because of the long night in the office the night before. Whether it’s Mary Catherine agreeing that she needs a Pumpkin Pie Blizzard at th...

By  Bryson Sebastian A group of men before you. The words cascading from your mouth crashing directly into their minds, flowing into their souls. Their eyes locked on you. The power that comes with the skill to change minds and alter hearts coursing through your veins.  The feeling of euphoria as the adrenaline fades in the moments after a victory. A game, an award ceremony, a trivial competition – the framework becomes irrelevant once competition becomes the basis. Days, weeks, and months of preparation flick through your mind as your eyes rest upon the result of the work. Sleepless nights lose meaning on days of glory.  2 am. Sitting in an office taking notes, making plans, seeing visions of the time laying before you. The only question taking hold in your mind – how can this be better? Some unnamed weight resting upon your shoulder, urging you to work harder. Who else is going to do it? The mistakes that have yet to reveal themselves gnaw at the edges of your mind. Qu...

By  Yelena Bagdasaryan   Summer is my favorite time of the year, it is the time that I find time to connect with myself and to be with the people that I care the most about, which is my family.   Some people may know, but I have two little brothers named Alek and Dima that are ten and three years old.   You can ask any of my friends and know that despite our large age differences I am   immensely close with my parents. During the school year, I try to see them as much as I can and visit every other weekend if possibly. However, life gets in the way of plans and that is why summer is so important to me. Every year, since I was twelve years old we have been going to Cocoa Beach every summer for a month; some people have asked me if I miss not being around my friends for so long. As much as I love spending time with my friends, I treasure my summers with my family more than I ever have because my brothers seem to grow with the blink of an eye. This past summer was ...

By   Mary Catherine Medley This summer, I had the opportunity to complete an internship with the United States Senate in  Washington D.C. Being on Capitol Hill for 6 weeks taught me so much about the inner workings of the legislative branch, how to work in a professional environment, and most importantly, it gave me a new perspective on being truly independent and living on my own.   Although I was in D.C. for only a short period of time, I do feel as though I developed a better insight into “the district” and was proud to consider myself a local for the time that I was there. In 6 weeks, I was overloaded with information and was quickly forced to adapt to all of the things that our nation’s capital has to offer, both good and bad.   Looking back now, I do think that I would have greatly benefitted from someone giving me some idea of what to expect before moving to a new city completely on my own; therefore, that is what I want to do for you, whether you may be ...

  By  Caleb Aridano Earlier this year, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer retired from the Supreme Court. At the ripe age of 84, Justice Breyer had served on the court for nearly three decades after being appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994. There had been many calls for Breyer’s retirement under the Obama administration, with supporter’s citing the Justice’s increasing age, and an opportunity for Democrats to fill his seat with a far younger progressive jurist. Honorably, Justice Breyer ignored the calls and committed to stepping down when he felt his service on the court was done. During his time on the court, Breyer served alongside many esteemed Justices such as Antonin Scalia, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and William Rehnquist, often balancing his judicial philosophy against constitutional originalism.   Born in San Francisco in 1938 to a Jewish family, Breyer’s parents introduced him to a life of law and legal activism. His father Irving Breyer was the general counsel...