Ezra Foote My Summer of 2026 This summer, I experienced two completely different worlds: the untouched wilderness of northern Minnesota and ...
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Eileen Thacker Writing this blog post was an intentional exercise in frustration for myself. I don’t like to write or talk about something u...
By Kathleen Price Growing up in a devout Catholic community, my worldview was generally quite limited. My hometown is only five-mi...
By Riley Maddox “Don't be a quitter” was a phrase I heard countless times growing up. In my family, if you committed to someth...
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...
By Kelsey Raymer At the beginning of the school year, the senior class participated in a seminar with Natalie and Col. Reyes where we w...
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 ...
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 m...
By Ezra Foote During the first semester of my freshman year at the McConnell Center, I made a decision that would shape my college experi...
By Eileen Thacker For any new college student, the transition to college classes, schedules, and expectations is challenging. For me, one of...
By Jillian Sarver Every year around Thanksgiving, the McConnell Center hosts an event called “THINKsgiving,” where the scholars are encour...
By Kara Beth Poe My legal name is Kara Elizabeth Poe, but I have always gone by Kara Beth. Besides that awkward time in middle school, I cla...
By Riley Maddox Dear Eugene, I received you on a brisk fall afternoon. A week earlier, I had submitted a poem to my local library's an...
By Macy Waddle I remember the day before my seventeenth birthday, my mom told me, “Oh this year won’t be nearly as exciting as the last...
By Grayson Ford I stood on the worn-out hardwood floor of my middle school gymnasium, wondering if my trembling hands were audible through...