What at first seemed like an eternity has been bypassed by in the blink of an eye. The anxiety and anxiousness that many of us felt about leaving the loving grasp of our hometowns has turned into a sense of comfort with newfound friends from the other side of the Commonwealth.
Like most other scholars, I came here for the scholarships that come with the title of being a Governor’s Scholar. I didn’t want to leave home but the monetary reward was worth losing five weeks of my precious Summer vacation. It felt like a gamble going to the program was because none of the prior scholars at my school could really describe what it was. Everyone had told me that it would just be really fun. With no description of what I would be doing for five weeks, there was nothing that would rid me of skepticism. The fire of skepticism would soon be suffocated after seeing how cool and engaging my general studies and focus area classes were. Not only that, the reliance on my parents was replaced with independence and responsibility for my own state of health. It was a breath of fresh air and has given me a much better idea about what to expect in college. Though it was quickly made clear that college preparation was not going to be the main takeaway for scholars. For many scholars one of the biggest realizations is of how there’s way more to life than goes on outside their county. With 120 counties in Kentucky and 118 represented at the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP), there’s a lot of diversity in the backgrounds, households, and communities that scholars come from. That brings a lot of different talents, thought processes, and ideas to the table that aren’t present in all highschool classrooms. However for other scholars such as myself, who come from a larger and very diverse city school, there were other takeaways related to personal growth. Coming to GSP in the first place requires one to get out of their comfort zone. After that scholars get out what they put in. The more activities they engage in and the more people they talk to will correlate with memories, growth, and friendship they find. Getting scholars out of their comfort zone is perhaps what GSP is best at. With all the new faces encountered at GSP it’s a given that new friends will be made. Being outgoing is incentivized and sitting with new people at lunch and living with a random roommate can be really powerful in helping quieter and more introverted scholars get out of their comfort zone. Getting out of one’s comfort zone and realizing the diversity of life outside one’s county aren’t the only outcomes from GSP. The importance of taking care of yourself is something that can’t be stressed enough. Whether it be keeping your room clean, taking your medicine, or being diligent about doing laundry, not having parents breathing down your neck on getting your act together inspires one to learn the hard way about how to maintain a healthy state. When someone doesn’t brush their teeth or take a shower when they should they’ll face the consequences of having bad breath as well as smelling bad and feeling greasy. When someone procrastinates on doing laundry they’ll find themselves in a predicament where they’ll be forced to wear dirty clothes while they wait in the frustratingly slow laundry line. Some scholars have been in a frightening situation where they’d run out of clean underwear and would either wear dirty underwear or wear no underwear at all. And as for me, having ADHD and being prone to saying whatever comes to my mind on impulse, GSP has helped me improve at reading the social environment. While everyone at Bowling Green High School has known me since sixth grade, everyone here at Centre College isn't accustomed to my wacky nature. Being forced to adapt and read the room has really helped my social skills. Rather than just saying something completely off topic that pops into my head or bringing up something that was only relevant to the discussion five minutes ago, I’ve been more and more taking a pause before I say something. And instead of saying something that may upset people, I’ll read the room or reconsider my word choice to fit the situation. Coming off at first as almost brutally honest, I’ve learned to better protect the manners of a conversation. I’ve adjusted and have been able to do a much better job at putting to rest any quick judgements I may have about someone. The personal growth I’ve experienced during this short amount of time is just one of what has to be many different stories from many different scholars. The Governor’s Scholars Program is almost an indescribable experience. It’s a mecca of intellectual growth and creativity. Throughout the time here, the community of resident attendants, faculty, and scholars encourages everyone to think differently and to examine other viewpoints of an issue. This bastion of diversity amidst a not very diverse state fosters an experience that enlightens scholars to life lessons, different ways of thinking, and friendships that’ll last a lifetime. By Sam Lowe |