Relationships Come Before Academics

By Chie Togami

Louisville duPont Manual High School

 

Waiting. It’s the best word to describe what I’ve been doing for the past four weeks. Not a bored, unengaged waiting, but an eager, always looking, always searching, waiting.

I’ve been waiting to be flooded with the GSP wisdom, to be struck with the lightening bolt of GSP enlightenment. But it hasn’t happened yet – or at least not in the way I expected. What I’ve come to realize is that this program is less like a tornado and more like the water that carved the Grand Canyon. The change it causes in people seems small and insignificant because it takes time to grasp its significance.

At first glance, the Governor Scholars Program seems like just any other academic camp. The application process is long and arduous requiring teacher recommendations, a student academic profile, and the submission of several essays.

 So I came to Bellarmine University in Louisville with a typical “workhorse” mentality. I had prepared myself for five weeks of intense classes that would help to build my knowledge base and give me a head start in preparation for college and career.

Competition has always been a huge motivation for me. Thus, I was initially very perplexed when I discovered that there is no quantitative measure of what we’ve done here. There are no tests, no grades. And though I’ve been competing my whole life, this place has been a sanctuary where people aren’t judged by their standardized test scores and number of leadership positions.

As our GSP executive director, Aristófanes Cedeño, has mentioned numerous times, this program is about building an intellectual community. Sure, our commitment to academic excellence is what has brought us together, but I would argue that academics are not the most important thing. This program is about building relationships. GSP is the first place I’ve ever been where friendship is promoted above all else. In regular classes during the school year, socializing is frowned upon because it “distracts” from individual success. Because of this, students’ worth as individuals is often tied directly to their academic accolades. Students cry when they lose their 4.0 because they know that as a result they will begin to be treated differently.

At GSP, we have come to understand the true essence of our state motto: United we stand, divided we fall. In this community setting we have learned that cooperation is as important as competition. We are purposely placed in situations that force us to step outside our comfort zone. I’ve been waiting, and without even knowing it I have been reshaped by the people I’ve met and the experiences we’ve shared.