A Blog on McConnell Center Life

By Luke Taylor       It may be ironic that a future dentist has so much love for Halloween, but October 31st is a day second to none. Just ask my roommates – I have had our apartment decorated since Labor Day! I live for the corny jump scare movies like Scream and stringy pumpkin “guts” that come with carving. If I had it my way, it would stay 66° all the time and leaves would never go back to green. Each October, I choose a new horror story to read like Dracula by Bram Stoker. But my love for Halloween isn’t just about movies or gourds, it’s about what the holiday reveals about us.      Each Samhain’s night brings an opportunity to don the identity of another for a night and catalyze community. If you’re like me, you are already planning your next costume on November 1st and have a notes app entry pre-made to any party. Details matter! Eccentric costumes are a conversation starter and open the door to connection...

By Jillian Sarver       With the world crushing in on you from all sides, when do you stop to take a breath? Perhaps it comes with being an upper classman, but for some reason, I have found myself faced with an immense lack of motivation in almost every aspect of my life. As I have gotten further in my college career, I have taken on more responsibility, responsibility that never seemed too daunting in the past. However, I cannot seem to find a way to perfectly balance all the responsibility I have accumulated. With school, McConnell, ROTC, work, and my personal life, I feel as if I am a disappointment in every single facet. When I finally catch up for the week, all that is waiting for me is another week of assignments, 6:30 AM workouts, seminars, work, and another hangout I have to miss or reschedule because something in my schedule came up. I can’t help but feel like I am drowning in an ocean that I filled up, that I prayed and worked so hard for.    ...

By Kathleen Price      The first book I ever read in the McConnell Scholars Program was Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour. This autobiographical reflection depicts a young L’Amour’s restless youth, characterized by traveling the globe, working odd jobs, and holding a pocketbook always in hand, despite having no college degree. L’Amour’s philosophy was that formal academics can only offer you a strictly outlined knowledge to make you a successful tool in the job market. Real education, however, comes from seeking knowledge everywhere- in books, in people, and in the world itself.     If you haven’t read this book yet, I can’t recommend it enough- it’s one of the few that has truly changed my life. I first encountered it as I was heading off to college, leaving home for the very first time, and it quickly became a touchstone I’ve returned to again and again. Most recently, during the start of this last summer break, I found myself reflecting on i...

By Kara Beth Poe Gratitude For My Pages Who Taught Me More Than They Know ] This summer, I experienced a full circle moment. When I was a junior in high school, I was unexpectedly selected to serve as a United States Senate Page for Senator Mitch McConnell, after a last-minute withdrawal by another student from Kentucky. I had no idea what it meant to be a Senate Page, to live away from my small town, or to manage the rigor of Page School. But thanks to the incredible United States Senate Republican Cloakroom Staff, my family, and my peers, I was able to persevere and complete the program. That experience changed the trajectory of my life, and I will never be able to thank Senator McConnell and his team enough for opening those doors and continuing to invest in my professional and personal growth.  I had the honor of returning to the Hill as a Page Coordinator for the Senate Republican Cloakroom. I was thrilled to be back in the Capitol, working alongside the remarkably talented pe...

By Seth Pinson      This summer I got the chance to return to the Governors Scholars Program as an RA. I was really excited to come back because I had loved my experience and wanted to help make sure that this year's scholars had a great time learning and growing while on Murray State’s campus. Leaving my scholars was so hard to do because each one of them is very talented and smart and I know they will do great things. I will remember many things from this summer. From the courtroom trial that I presided over after a hall meeting to the times I would PLV with scholars on the IM fields, I cherish each one of those memories and the scholars of this past summer will always have a special place in my heart. One thing that I will remember as well was the time I told a scholar my age and they raised their hand to say “wow you’re unc.” For those that have not yet heard this term, unc is used as a slang word to tell somebody they’re old. The first time I got called unc was reall...

By Riley Maddox      For as long as I can remember, Emma Watson has been one of my favorite celebrities. It isn’t often that we see strong women in popular media who are well-read, educated, and passionate about promoting empowerment. Watson embodies all of that. Every time I hear her speak, or watch her on a red carpet, I get chills. She’s poised, calm, and somehow able to capture both raw emotion and intelligence in nearly every response. Because I admire her so much, I was thrilled when I saw she would be a guest on Jay Shetty’s podcast On Purpose. The day the episode came out, I put on my coziest clothes, settled in, and pressed play.      The conversation touched on many things, from Watson’s complicated relationship with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling to love, marriage, and continued self-discovery. But when I scrolled through the comments, I noticed something striking: no one was talking about what Watson had said. Instead, nearly all the attention...

By Tom Kurtz      This summer, following a trip to the Sons of the American Revolution headquarters in Louisville, I began diving into the rabbit hole of my genealogy. Through the database Family Search, what began as a simple search quickly unraveled into weeks of fruitful mapping and researching.      My discoveries gave me a whole new understanding of my family and our history. I found how the first Kurtzes left religious turmoil in Germany to shepherd a Lutheran community in Pennsylvania. I learned of Lord Dickey, a Scottish nobleman of the 16th century and my 14th great-grandfather. I discovered that the late and legendary UofL football coach, Howard Schnellenberger, was my third cousin, once-removed.      My foray into genealogy also reshaped my perspective on Kentucky, the United States, and the histories thereof. As a young person in the 21st century, it’s excusably easy to feel not just removed from history, but almost on a separate ...

By Jacob Crowley       The concept of “home” is something every college student must grapple with at a certain  point in their college career. When arriving as a wide eyed freshman on a brand new campus,  home still refers to the place you are from. As you progress through the years and that huge  campus from welcome week becomes smaller and smaller, you may find yourself slipping up  and referring to your apartment or house on campus as your home. If others are like me, this  leaves you feeling torn between the home you have cultivated on campus and the one that raised  you. This definition of home was truly tested for me during the summer, as for the first time I stayed in Louisville instead of returning to Northern Kentucky. By the end of the summer  however, I was reminded of home’s true definition.      While in years past I have returned to Northern Kentucky, because of an internship opportunity this summer, I f...