A Blog on McConnell Center Life

By Bradfield Ross          I am asked sometimes, because I yap about them so frequently, what my favorite movie is. I waffle, but not because I am unsure of my answer. It seems to me that the answer they want is  Apocalypse Now . If I were to answer any question about a specific element of filmmaking, especially post-Hayes Code, and which film demonstrates a mastery of that element well, I would say   Apocalypse Now . Every time I watch the movie, an experience I try to reserve for special occasions, I am blown away and left genuinely speechless. It is a totalizing work of art, a grand project on the scale of   Inferno  or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Yet it is not the most honest answer I can give.           My honest answer is   The Graduate , which may seem just about the same to some readers. When I tell them what the movie is, because no one ever knows, “old” is the primary response I get, which r...

By Dyllan Tipton 'Father Time remains undefeated,” declared Senator McConnell as he announced his decision to step down as Leader of the Republican Senate Caucus after nearly two decades in the role. Like Senator McConnell, my own time has come to step into the next chapter. Though I graduate this May, I know the McConnell Center will always remain a home for me.  I’ve only had the honor of being part of the McConnell Center for four years, yet it feels like the time has flown by in the blink of an eye.  Just yesterday, it seems, I was riding in a car with my fellow McConnell Scholars, headed toward Carter Caves State Resort Park in Eastern Kentucky for our first annual retreat. I remember sitting there, excited and nervous about the future that lay ahead.  These past four years have been nothing short of extraordinary, and I could write a novel about all my experiences. I’ve had the privilege of meeting U.S. senators, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, distin...

 By Grant Avis                I read a depressing opinion piece in the Courier Journal  recently. The collection of words  advocated   for   the passage of a  bill legalizing assisted suicide in Kentucky. This is claimed to be  the new  humane   position. I say it is the new eugenics, in which  human life is devalued, and the most vulnerable  die first.             Assisted suicide is an uncomfortable topic. Death does not constitute polite conversation. Suffering is no one’s idea of a pleasant afternoon. But death and suffering, to whatever degree, is one of the few guarantees of the human condition. We may feel pain; we may feel excruciating pain; we may have difficulty walking; we may have difficulty speaking; we may have difficulty thinking; we may languish in dismal hospital rooms with the fetid smell of our excrement. We will probabl...

By Macy Waddle  On April 22 nd , 2022, I sat in my high school anatomy class dissecting a pig when I receive the following message from none other than Dr. Gary L. Gregg. It read as follows: “Macy, it’s Dr. Gregg from the McConnell Center. Just checking in to see if you  were  still interested in our program? I hope you’re having a great end of high school.” I sat there with blue dye all over my hands, in shock.  College  decision day was in nine days, and I had planned on attending an entirely different school in an entirely different academic program, one that UofL didn’t offer, and I also still wasn’t entirely sure what Dr. Gregg’s message meant. I reply, asking if my admission status has changed. Three grueling, anxiety inducing hours later, he replies “Yes! We will send you your offer on Monday. *Insert fist bump emoji*  I left school that Friday filled with disbelief and disappointment. My perfectly planned and calculated six months of the college adm...

By Kelsey Raymer      At the beginning of the school year, the senior class participated in a seminar with Natalie and Col. Reyes where we were asked, “What legacy do you want to leave behind?” When this question was first posed, I was stumped. I had never seen myself as someone influential enough to leave behind a legacy. Now that I am coming to the end of my undergraduate education, I am reconceptualizing legacy as more of a precedent of character. I want future scholars to enhance the best of their character as they carry out the motto of Leadership, Scholarship, and Service.      The formidable Charles Hamilton Houston said, “A lawyer is either a social engineer or a parasite on society.” This quote and the implicit notion of the power of education have guided my journey to defining my role in society and what perspectives I want to impart upon my future career. While Charles Hamilton Houston focused his words towards attorneys, I find his words are app...

By Karmyn Jones In November, I wrote about how I was doing everything I could to avoid thinking about graduation. At that time, it felt far enough away that I could push it to the back of my mind and deal with it later. Now, it’s almost here. Somewhere between my last first day of classes and realizing how few assignments I actually have left, it all started to feel real. Not in a dramatic, life-altering way but in small, quiet ways. Sitting in classrooms that I won’t be in a few months and even just walking around campus and thinking, “I won’t be here much longer.” It feels like everything is the same, but also completely different. Back in November, I wrote about how scared I was to leave, especially knowing I wouldn’t be going back to something familiar. That part hasn’t changed. If anything, it feels more real now. The fear isn’t just hypothetical anymore. It’s attached to actual decisions and an actual ending. I can’t pretend that I have endless time left here, because I don’t. Wh...

By Hannah Cease      I love cats. I have always had cats in the house. If your cats are anything like mine they  are always trying to get outside. This might initially seem harmless or even as a way for a cat to  have freedom, imagining it as a more natural and fulfilling life. Often this can become  romanticized in a way as we think of outdoor cats finding some prey animals and bringing them  to their owners as a “gift.” But looking more closely at the data, that image becomes harder to  defend. Outdoor cats are highly effective predators, and in the United States alone, they are  estimated to kill between 1.3 and 4 billion birds each year and 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals  annually (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/faq-outdoor-cats-and-their-effects-on-birds/).  These numbers show that their impact is not small or occasional; it is ecological in scale.      What makes this especially significant is that cats are not...

By Landon Williams            Eastern Kentucky and, by extension, the greater area of Appalachia are known for a variety of characteristics, like a strong sense of community and a unique culture, that make them notable regions of the state of Kentucky and the nation as a whole, respectively. From the lasting impact of coal to the truly American culture to a sense of community unmatched in other regions, Eastern Kentucky has always had an impression on the rest of Kentucky, and the beauty of the region shines brightest in the people who call it home. My experience, being from the Pike and Floyd county areas, has had a huge influence on my life. The values held by my Appalachian community taught me to cherish and help the people around me. Through the times of hardship, like COVID and the flooding crisis of early 2025, and even in the moments of celebration, the one thing that’s been emphasized has been perseverance and community.      ...

By Emma White           Formula 1 has been my favorite sport for three years now. I fell in love with the sport during my time at the Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs through the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, which follows the drivers throughout each season. Watching the show eventually led me to watching the races when I got home, and it has slowly spiraled into an obsession that has me waking up at three in the morning to watch races across the world. I love the sport, both on and off the track. I love the strategies teams use during the race, I love the mechanical side with the cars, I love the off track behind-the-scenes politics, and I love following the lives of the drivers. As is the case for many teenage girls, I found myself drawn to one particular team and one particular driver: Ferrari and their driver Charles Leclerc.           The life of a Ferrari fan is not easy. There is a running joke within the F1 co...

By Eileen Thacker           I recently finished watching the latest season of my, and my family’s, favorite show of all time, the British television series All Creatures Great and Small. It was a bit strange watching this show centered on family and community alone in my dorm room when I’m used to watching it squished between several siblings on a couch. As always, however, it still succeeded in making me laugh and bringing me comfort. Watching it alone this semester made me reflect on why I love it so much and why, also, I think we need more shows like it in our lives.           The All Creatures Great and Small television series is based on the collections of short stories by Alfred Wright, who wrote under the pen name James Herriot. Wright was a veterinary surgeon who lived and worked in the Yorkshire Dales in England in the years leading up to, during, and after the Second World War. His semi-autobiographical stories center...

By Kruthi  Mangamur thiyagarajan           At the Winter Olympics, the skaters emerging from the camp of Russian coach Eteri Tutberidze often look less like human athletes and more like invincible forces of physics. Stepping onto the ice in glittering armor, they land quadruple jumps with a mechanical, terrifying precision that leaves audiences gasping. They move with blistering speed, absolute control, and a cold confidence that belies their age. For a few consecutive Olympic cycles, they absolutely dominated podiums at the Winter Games and swept world championships. For a brief, dazzling moment, they fundamentally redefine what is biologically and technically possible in women’s figure skating, pushing the sport into an unprecedented stratosphere.           But in this ruthless echelon of the sport, the spotlight rarely lingers for long. The brilliance is blinding, but it is deeply ephemeral.       ...

By Honette Irakiza It was 7:15 AM, and the tension was high. My sister sat at the table fully dressed and ready,  while I scrambled to get myself together. I had  overslept—yet again. By the time we were down  the street from my  house, I realized with a sinking feeling that I had forgotten to grab my  makeup bag. Despite being too scared to say anything, turning back  wasn’t an option; with only  15 minutes to make the 13-minute drive,  we were already cutting it close. As I sat in the passenger seat, an internal spiral began. Every day for  the past two years, I  hadn’t gone to school without wearing makeup.  How was I supposed to face the day? That day, I walked into class feeling exposed and tense. I felt completely out of place, avoiding familiar faces and taking alternate routes to escape notice. Yet, to my surprise, no one seemed to see me any differently. I began to wonder if my bare face was far less shocking to others than...

By Chealsea Gachagua As I prepare to judge high school mock trial this upcoming Sunday, I  cannot help but reflect on  the journey that brought me here. It feels  surreal knowing I will be sitting with a score sheet  instead of standing at  counsel table. I still remember being a bright-eyed sixth grader who  joined  mock trial because I wanted more friends. Fast forward through years of competitions, case packets, late night  practices, and car rides home  dissecting every objection, and mock trial  became so much more than a club. It became a  community. I competed  all throughout high school with some of my best friends and even  carried that passion into a year of collegiate mock trial with Western  Kentucky University.  Somewhere along the way, what started as a way to make friends turned into  something that  shaped my confidence.  While there are countless lessons mock trial has taught me, t...

 By Ezra Foote During the first semester of my freshman year at the McConnell Center,  I made a decision that  would shape my college experience I chose to  attend one of the Center’s signature programs,  C3s: Coffee, Careers,  and Conversations. This programing occurs early in the morning where  the  center hosts renowned professionals, experts, and alumni to speak  and meet with scholars. That particular C3 was especially memorable because we hosted Dr.  Jasmine Farrier, a renowned  professor at the University of Louisville.  During her workshop, she spoke about the University of  Louisville’s  Frankfort Internship Program, which sends more than 40 students each year to intern  at the Kentucky State  Capitol during the legislative session. The moment I heard about the program, I was ecstatic. As someone from Western Kentucky, trips to Frankfort were rare. In fact, I had only been there a couple of times in...

By Christian Dempsey           Throughout the course of this semester, I have had the privilege  of being an intern in the  Kentucky State Senate. While in high school,  I had the joy of being a constitutional page in the  same chamber, so I  was glad to be back. It was good to see old friends and to continue   facilitating the connections that I started building in the 2025 session.           As a page, I saw the formal procedures, like votes and debates. I  already knew the basics,  but I had a limited view of the work that was  going on behind the scenes. My internship through  UofL placed me in  the office of my county’s Senator. Not only was I excited to work with  my  elected official, but I was also excited to see the dynamics of a  legislative office. Eager and ready  to learn, I started my first day in Frankfort, not knowing the lessons that...

By Anna Bocook I adored Miss Piggy when I was younger, but it dawned on me recently I'd never actually sat down and watched The Muppet Show. I watched the ABC show featuring "Up Late with Miss Piggy," where I was scandalized when the Muppets would make adult jokes. I had seen plenty of the movies at this point;  A Muppet's Christmas Carol  is a staple in my house around the holidays. Early this semester, I started playing shows in the background while I studied or did homework. For whatever reason, one day I decided to put on The Muppet Show. And I loved it. It wasn't just Sesame Street with different characters like I thought it would be. It was visually pleasing with pithy humor, political remarks, and classical references that kids today don't get enough exposure to. The Wayne and Wanda skit is comedically interrupted every episode, but they recite poetry or sing songs from musicals like "My Fair Lady" and "Guys and Dolls." It doesn'...