Embracing Life

By Britta Hayes

Home-schooled, Lexington

“I don’t think the accomplishments are what make stronger people. It is the process and journey to get there that does,” said Aris Cedeño, executive director of the Governor’s Scholars Program.

I certainly have been transformed since the beginning of GSP.  I can still remember questioning whether I would even be able to make it through the program alive.  I saw GSP only as something to “get through.” I never expected to enjoy, learn, and grow as much as I have during these past five weeks on the Bellarmine University campus in Louisville.

My curriculum consisted of three main classes. Jami Dick, a resident advisor, led my seminar.  This class pushed me to listen to other people’s opinions and to accept the fact that their ideas may be different from mine.  My General Studies class, taught by Scott Vander Ploeg, was based on medieval times.  The class was surprisingly interesting and gave us a chance to explore that subject in a variety of fun ways.  My focus area was Journalism and Mass Media, taught by Jeanie Adams-Smith, and there I learned why journalists love their work. They get to meet a lot of interesting people and be in the middle of developing news. My major piece in the class was a profile on Aris Cedeño.  This gave me the opportunity to get to know Aris and the other people who run the program on a more personal level.

In my spare time, I danced.  I’m a ballroom and Latin dance instructor back home and continued to be while I was here.  Meg Caudill, the director of community events at Bellarmine, sponsored a Ballroom and Swing Dancing Club and was willing to let me teach the classes.  I was able to share my love of dancing with other scholars, and it was a great way to meet new people.

When I was not teaching, I attended the morning salsa classes that Terence Gaskins taught.  Each Friday at an event called Showcase, scholars were given an opportunity to perform their talents onstage. One Friday, I was privileged to be able to dance a salsa with Gaskins.  The scholars were shocked to see that our surprise guest was Aris Cedeño, the “scary” director of GSP, who is also a great salsa dancer.

During this short amount of time, I have formed lifelong relationships.  I feel like I have known these people my whole life.  It is hard to think that we are soon going to disperse back into reality.  I will miss the comfort, the safety, and the sense of belonging that I feel here.  This experience has opened my eyes on life and has shown me that I’m going to be okay, I can succeed, and I will be happy.

GSP has taught me to embrace life and to experience all that I can.  When I think about the times I’ve spent here, I can’t help but smile.  I think that is the greatest gift GSP has given to me.