A Blog on McConnell Center Life

By Tom Kurtz      In March, Alexandra Hudson visited the McConnell Center. The writer, public speaker, and contributor spoke about the themes of her book, “The Soul of Civility”. In her speech, she referenced an essay from Richard H. Thomas, entitled “From Porch to Patio”. In this essay, the  author and Iowan discusses the value of the front porch. Not quite the sidewalk yet not quite the living room, the porch, he explains, is the epitome of welcoming. From this extension of the  house, one can sit comfortably but still open oneself to neighbors and conversation. The politesse that is nurtured on the porch is a seed that only grows once it returns to the world.         The second half of Thomas’ essay takes a critical turn. He laments of the decline of the  tangible porch and, as Hudson explains, the correlating decline of intangible interpersonal civility and courtesy. I couldn’t help but realize that this trend has yet to affect ...

By Riley Maddox      I think that we are all often guilty of being trapped in our small bubbles, only seeing the world through the lens of our own eyes. We often forget just how huge our little world is. We go about our days, only thinking about ourselves, our problems, and our struggles. The last month has been like that for me. I've been pretty stuck in my own head, focusing a lot on my own problems and my schoolwork. Last week, I had the opportunity to represent the University of Louisville as one of three delegates sent to the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference. Originally, I was stressed about attending this conference, as school was starting to come to an end, and I had many final papers and exams to prepare for. However, Monday morning, I found myself on a plane heading to Annapolis, ready for whatever this conference would throw at me.       When I first arrived at Annapolis, I was greeted by humongous trees and beautifully constructed bu...

By Karmyn Jones “Never stop. Don't slow down. Never get comfortable where you are. Discipline yourself to always want more, strive to be better, and always work harder than the “you” of yesterday. Focus on your current goal, while envisioning the next one. Then, once you achieve that goal, bask in the sunlight of your success for a moment… enjoy that victory, and then get back to work.” These are words that were not necessarily spoken to me, but they were spoken by my dad to another group of people. When I heard this, I thought “this is every speech he has ever given me summed up into a few sentences.” When I was younger, I used to laugh at the fact that I would get speeches about my future every day because it was so far away. Now, I am thankful for those words because my future is quickly approaching.  Hearing this made me realize that getting comfortable can actually hurt you. You should always try to be better than you were before. Someone that comes to mind when I think about ...

By Jillian Sarver      When reflecting upon my 18 years, I cannot help but be filled with an immense sense of  gratitude for the friendships that I have made along the way. I feel hesitant to call it fate, but  there seems to be no other feasible answer. Each and every one of the humans I have the  privilege of calling my friend are genuinely the most incredible and selfless people I have ever  met. They have supported me, shown up when I needed them, and simply just been there to comfort and listen a countless number of times. With full confidence I say that I would not be the  person I am today without them.      In 2013, my mom remarried to my stepfather while he was working in the Elizabethtown  School District. Because of this, my sister and I had to move schools, a feat that devastated my  eight-year-old self. Little did I know that, that year, I would meet three of the people I still call  my best friends today...

By Emilia Perez I have the pleasure of having a family from two cultures. My father’s side is from Mexico and all speak Spanish, and my mother’s side is American and speak English and Spanish. I’m lucky to have my grandmother, or Abuelita Celia, in my life, and she visits us often. The most recent time she was here, I sat down to interview her about the town she grew up in many years ago. Here are the fascinating details she shared with me, translated into English.  Where did you live growing up?  I grew up in the town of San Marcos, in the state of Tula de Allende Hidalgo. My parents lived there their whole lives but my mother, Emilia, was born in Polotitlan and my father, Froylan, was born in San Marcos. I was one of 14 siblings. Your great grandfather built a house in San Marcos out of cement, and he made the blocks with his own hands out of cement and sand. It had one kitchen, one corridor, and three bedrooms, but we didn’t all have to fit in there at the same time because...

By Seth Pinson           This semester I lost my grandmother. While I knew that the day was inevitable, nothing could have prepared me for January 21st. I was still in the process of settling in for the Spring semester and was scheduled to start an internship later that week. That morning I received the phone call that she had passed away, less than 24 hours after I had visited and spoken with her. My first reaction before heading home was to clean. That may seem like a strange reaction to such sad news, but looking back I have come to understand why my brain immediately had such a thought.            Linda Pinson was a remarkable woman. A wonderful mother to three children and second mother to many more. She was an amazing grandmother who I am happy to have had. She was raised in Robertson County, Tennessee and married her sweetheart, my grandfather, at 18. My dad was the first child, born in 1978, followed by Robbie and ...

By Kara Beth Poe Music has always been an essential aspect of life. I grew up in an area where people were musically inclined everywhere, and both sides of my family are musically inclined in some shape or form. Music and I go way back and have been through many exciting and challenging situations together. After a long day, I will turn a playlist on, or if I am celebrating something, I will turn on one of my favorite songs. To celebrate my getting through my first year at the University of Louisville, I will list my top ten listened-to songs and my favorite quotes from the songs that have helped me get through the year.  "Storms" by Fleetwood Mac: "But never have I been a blue calm sea, I have always been a storm." "Prestonburg" by Sundy Best: "So I pack up in my car and head three hours west, where no one knows my name, nobody knows where's their Sunday best." "Marjorie" by Taylor Swift: "Never be so polite that you forget yo...

By Jacob Crowley      Last December, the McConnell Center took the Freshman and Sophmores on its semi-annual trip to Washington DC. When I learned of the trip, I was extremely excited for all of the tours and opportunities planned for our visit to the capital. Despite my excitement, there was one thing that I was dreading deeply: the bus ride. Dr. Gregg had promised a mobile seminar about George Washington on the way there, and while I would normally appreciate the history, something about being motion sick and tired while listening to Dr. Gregg lecture about Washington’s Rules of Civility didn’t pique my excitement (sorry GLG!). Despite my apprehension however, this bus ride taught me a paramount lesson, one that I feel has yet to have been learned by many of my fellow Americans.      Leaving from UofL’s campus, the bus departed at 6:00am on December 11. Slowly but surely, we made progress chugging along the highways and eventually we left Kentucky behind ...

By Kathleen Price Have you ever come across the popular saying C’s get degrees? Maybe you've even found comfort in it at some point in your life. But I urge you to reconsider. This advice, if we can even call it that, is a dangerous trap. It's not just a support I’ve seen peers use while surviving a semester of higher education; but it is an inferior mindset that can lead to a lifetime of mediocrity.  In my one year at the University of Louisville as a Political Science Major and McConnell Scholar, the discussion of civic education across the nation, and more importantly, the Commonwealth, has become unavoidable, and rightfully so. While Kentuckians are known to be twice as likely as the average American to be able to name the three branches of government and at least one of their state legislators, this January proved that was no longer the case. The 2023 State Civic Health Assessment was, for Kentucky, a C rating (Technically, a D+ on social civics and a B on polarization). ...

By Riley Maddox I recently had my heart broken. And by the title of this blog, you may think that I'm going to tell that story. But that's not one I'm ready to tell. Instead, I am going to be talking about something much bigger than me, much bigger than all of us: love. I wouldn’t consider myself a love expert by any means. I know that I have quite a bit yet to learn about love. But I do know love well. I've stared love in the face many times. It has crept up behind me at coffee shops and left me shivering in the cold. It has made me laugh so hard I could cry, and cry so hard I could throw up. And through all that, the ups and the downs, I would still choose to love every single time.  It is embedded in the human experience to crave love. In fact, you need love to survive. Love is a biological necessity, just as oxygen and water are. I know the love I crave exists because I see it every day. I see it when I wave to my friends as I pass them on the way to class. I see it...

By Bryson Sebastian      The Porch: The place where the comfort of home melds into the chaos and activity of everyday life; a reprieve from the stresses of the outside world; a greeting to friends and strangers.      The old porch swing creaks on its chains. The planks are loose, but it’ll hold. Every seat is full. The sun is setting, but the day is still warm. A cool spring breeze blows in the air. Some minutes are full of conversation; others are silent. Some leave to get dinner, but they come back. They come back as long as they can, until one day, they leave for the last time.      For four years, this porch has been a part of my college experience. I remember it being my first place I saw on the day that I chose to join my fraternity. On that warm fall day 4 years ago, I remember seeing a group of seniors sitting up there, proud to be at the top of the totem pole, looking humorously at us wide-eyed freshmen as we walked past. During my f...

By Katie Hayden      Imagine walking into an interview for one of the most prestigious scholarships in the country, sitting down in front of Dr. Gregg, and being asked, “If you were a pie, what kind of pie would you be and why?”       While my immediate thought was, “What kind of question is that?” I quickly pulled it together and responded that I would be a derby pie. Here are a few reasons I said I responded as I did:  ● Derby pie is made up of many ingredients. With a rich filling full of chocolate chips, pecans, butter, sugar, eggs, and bourbon, there are many different flavors that go into making derby pie what it is. In a similar way, there are many different experiences in my life and values I hold that contribute to who I am as a person and how I am known by others.  ● Derby pie carries a sense of Kentucky tradition and cultural significance. Being a derby pie means I am part of this beloved tradition and share my pride in where I am ...