When asked what word summed up her GSP experience Emma Hibbitts said “life-changing.” She was put in the general studies class “Create Dangerously” and when she got here she had no clue what it would be about, however, the class and the topic itself has grown on her as she explores activism through art. While she has enjoyed all three classes, Emma’s favorite has been seminar because she first believed that it would be similar to a therapy session but was quickly proven wrong when she was able to explore her own and others' values. During her time here she has realized that spending time with the people she has formed deep connections with is vastly more important than her routine, which she is very adamant about when she is at home. Emma has enjoyed the openness of the GSP community and has taken advantage of it by constantly being herself in everything she does. While she finds that all the activities provided can be a little overwhelming she leaves us with the advice “do everything you can do while respecting your well being.” Journalism has helped her discover a possible career path that she is interested in pursuing seriously. Emma was skeptical about not having her phone at the beginning of this program but now understands the rule and is glad that it's in place. She feels bittersweet about returning home but has had a good time while she's here and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
by Olivia Estep
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As she entered her hall on opening day, Liv listened to the admonition to “believe in the magic of GSP!” Although initially sceptical of her RA Jayden's wisdom, she now fully believes that she was meant to be here. She loves the openness and acceptance she has found from other scholars in the program and has been herself from the start. And that, she says, is the true magic of GSP: a unique environment where scholars are free to be their unforgettable selves from the beginning. She has grown interest in other cultures through her General Studies and has taken the needed opportunity to express her opinions provided by Seminar. Through Journalism, she has been able to enjoy new experiences, which will lend themselves well to guiding her future. Going home will be bittersweet for her, she still feels that there is so much that she has left undone at GSP, but she hopes to return to this unique culture as an RA in the future. She leaves us with an admonition to “Bring a robe! Also do everything you can but don’t feel like you have to do everything.”
by Annika Monson We are beginning to look back on these five weeks as this adventure comes to a close and Olivia chose to describe it as "exciting." She rated her whole experience a 10/10 and came to the conclusion that her favorite part about this was meeting all the new people. GSP helped many of us grow and Olivia shared that she grew in a way of not caring what other people think. Her advice she would give to an incoming scholar would be to savor every moment here because it goes fast as well as to sign up for the journalism focus area. Olivia had many favorites while she was here such as her favorite RA was Brandon, her favorite club was karaoke club and her favorite extended perimeter shop was The Hub. You would often see her playing volleyball and basketball as well as hanging out with friends. Olivia enjoyed the food here, especially her favorite which is the various wraps available for her to make. Her biggest regret is that she never tried the famous “Cowan Milkshake” during her stay, despite all the recommendations. She says the hardest part about leaving will be that she has to leave all the friends she has made during this time as well as going back to normal school.
by Tony Phillips With the end of GSP in sight, many perspectives and ideas have been transformed through the program. The values scholars hold and the way they view the world has been completely overhauled, especially when considering the way they go home to their communities. Sam describes his GSP experience as a 9 out of 10, with a 9 because of “disparities” in dorms. Sam says, “First, I was in it for the money, but now I’m enjoying my time here and am going to miss the friends I’ve made.” Sams claims going home will be a “rough adjustment” because of the GSP lifestyle that he has been accustomed to, and says he has “mixed feelings” about going home which can be attributed to the friendships he has made while here. As he prepares to end his time at GSP, Sam says he will miss his friends that he has met while here that live across the state, but he says that GSP has helped to shape his social skills. When meeting new people in the program, he said he had to adjust around new people while being “better at reading social cues.” Scholars have a difficult adjustment ahead as they transition back to reality, but they go home as stronger individuals, leaders, and friends.
by Ethan Schuff As this five week journey is coming to a close, Noah Francis described his GSP experiences as “memorable.” He even gave his time here a 10/10 rating! Out of the many memories that Noah has made at GSP he says that his favorite one was during week one on just the third day! Noah explained that on this day he walked into class with seemingly perfect weather, and left class during a “torrential downpour.” He and his friends had plans to go play a quick game of basketball, so Noah sprinted back to his dorm room to gather his shoes, bag, and everything else that he needed. After this, Noah and his friends made another trip through the pouring down rain. Once finally making it to the gym, after the many obstacles, they came to the disappointing realization that the gym was closed because of the infamous soccer camps! He also told me that these quick pick up basketball games (and spikeball, of course), came to be his favorite things to participate in while at GSP. After asking Noah about the advice he’d give to future scholars, he said that he would tell them to “have fun and just relax, and to enjoy doing new things with your friends.” He also highly recommends the Journalism focus area, as do I! Some of Noah’s favorite things at GSP were having the opportunity to interview scholars such as Jackson and Brendan, the burgers and turkey wraps in the cafeteria, and frequenting “the Hub” during extended perimeter. If GSP has taught Noah anything, he says that he now knows and understands the importance of weighing out his options for the future, and he plans on making a list and deciding more from there!
by Kamryn Bledsoe As the five weeks of GSP come to a bittersweet ending, Tony took some time to reflect on his experiences here at Centre. When asked to describe GSP in one word, Tony responded with “fun” and rated the overall GSP experience a 10/10. He notes that his favorite part of GSP is exploring downtown Danville on extended perimeter, specifically eating at Bluegrass Pizza and Pub with the guys. The highlight of Tony’s journalism experience has been going to other focus areas and documenting what they do in class. Outside of the classroom, Tony enjoys spending his free time playing wiffle ball or poker around campus. Tony says that he has grown the most here by coming out of his shell and becoming much more outgoing. His advice to incoming scholar is to also be outgoing and unafraid to meet new people. He also highly recommends making a milkshake in the dining hall. Tony thinks the hardest part about leaving GSP will be saying goodbye to all of his friends here, not knowing if he will see all of them again.
by Olivia Lovell After 4 weeks away from home in a new social atmosphere, Ethan Schuff has proven to be a valuable showcase writer and has had his fair share of takeaways from this once in a lifetime experience. Coming from a populous area of Kentucky in Oldham County, the diversity of scholars here at Centre has revealed to him a very important message. That being that there’s way more that goes on outside of where you live and for Schuff that means a diverse world outside of Oldham County High School.
As for his other pursuits, Ethan quickly found other guitarists that had similar taste in country music. He rocked the stage in a country band during the last performance of the week 2 showcase and now is set to take the stage again for the finale showcase. Being a musician himself has made writing about the showcase the perfect role for him in The GSPaper. He’s also secretly a sidewalk chalk guru. The closest friendship he’s made here is with Hoppin Hannah and just like most people, the friends he’s made here will be what he’ll miss the most. As for his favorite moment, the police chase yesterday in general studies proved to be pretty entertaining to witness. by Sam Lowe Annika Monson says that her GSP experience has been “perfect.” Coming from a classic-style school, GSP is not much different from regular school for her. Without a doubt, though, it has been eye-opening. She particularly enjoyed her general studies class “It’s all Greek to Me.” It was refreshing for her to hear so many differing opinions at GSP. Her biggest regret is not going to see Sharknado, and her greatest love in Cowan is definitely the lasagna and garlic bread. One terrifying moment for her was when our community was heavily scolded by Bryan at the second community meeting, but a lot of joyous moments came from her beloved hall pod. As for journalism, she may not have found her dream career because she already has that all figured out—she wants to be a teacher! She did discover her passion for photography, though! Her advice for someone entering GSP is to make friends as quickly as possible, and then go out and experience things with them, anything, because the memories are more meaningful than the activities themselves.
by Emma Hibbitts Kamryn enjoyed her GSP experience and rated it a 10/10 without hesitation. She especially loved playing volleyball in front of the dorms at night with her friends and can’t even choose a favorite person on campus because they were all so awesome. Kamryn, a hardworking editor for The GSPaper, vividly remembers getting the most views Week 1 and remembers the celebration of that week. She also enjoyed the rice from the Cowan Dining Hall and loved attending the Karaoke sessions. While Kamryn has no regrets, she’s learned to never be afraid to make new friends and keep an open mind when making decisions. To inspire future scholars, she would advise choosing a focus area that interests you. For herself, the hardest part about GSP is leaving behind the people and returning to a normal schedule.
by Noah Francis Olivia Lovell is an editor for The GSPaper for the GSP 2021 class at Centre College. She is from Bowling Green, Kentucky and attends Greenwood High School. Olivia plays basketball, volleyball and track for her school. She chose journalism because when she was younger she wanted to be a sports broadcaster for SportsCenter, but now she is working towards becoming an FBI agent. Olivia likes journalism and writing because it allows her to speak her mind without having to share her opinion in front of people. She also provided our very own Noah "Stuart" Francis with the GoPro used to film his StuartVlogs. She is very excited to continue pursuing journalism for the rest of the five weeks at GSP.
by Tony Phillips |