I am a sophomore at Western Kentucky University, a 2014 graduate of Grant County High School and a 2013 Bellarmine University Governor’s Scholar Program alumna. About a three years ago I sat where you may be sitting now, beyond excited to begin my GSP application. I was a skeptic at first, being one of those people who did not want to spend five weeks of their summer at school. I was also weary of my chances of being accepted because of the competition I was up against within my class. Thankfully, the application is not only based on grades and the ACT. You will get tired of the application, I can promise you that. The experience, however, is completely worth every minute you spend on it. When I got my acceptance letter, it was one of those moments where you remember absolutely everything about it and time seems to stop. I realized at that point the journey that I was about to embark upon… little did I know it would truly change my life.

You learn a lot at GSP, but not all of it is from a classroom setting. You can join clubs, make your own clubs and participate in Friday night showcases (talent shows). Even doing nothing with the people you will meet will be a blast. A large group of us played volleyball every night but since we didn’t have a net, the shortest person had to stand in the middle: me. You will learn things that you cannot learn in a classroom by simply becoming friends with people who are different than you are and not having your cell phone glued to your hand 24/7. It is amazing how little happens on social media when you don't have your phone (if this sounds scary to a potential Governor's Scholar, I promise it is not). Living without your phone during the day for five weeks is quite refreshing and is something that all teenagers should experience.

At GSP, everyone is part of a community. The word “community” is probably used more than one thousand times during those five weeks. This basically means that everyone is equal. This is even demonstrated in the classroom where you call all of your teachers by their first name. You are part of a community by having meetings together every week, living in a dorm with a roommate, and participating in group activities. My campus director referred to it and the first few days of GSP as “a big bowl of awkward soup” and it really is, but that quickly fades. Before you know it you are spending every second together and can't get enough of each other.

The friendships are the best part. I could talk about the amazing people I met for hours on end. I like to refer to the friends I made as a complicated game of connect-the-dots across the state of Kentucky. Some of the best friends I made live over four hours away from my hometown. I became friends with people from counties that I had never heard of and countries that I had never been to. The memories I created with those people are priceless and I would not trade them for the world. Even something as simple as a hilarious video of someone not being able to get their fitted sheet on their mattress will stay in my memory forever (you know who you are). Several of my favorite memories were created in my focus area class, which was Film Studies. This class introduced me to Marissa Moore, Daniel Bertram, and Firas Sofyan. These three people hold a special place in my heart and share memories with me that no one else does. We were able to create films together and watch some pretty interesting movies. If you are interested, our personal favorite film that we created, you can watch it below.

The weekend after I came home, my close group of friends and I were already planning our first reunion. Driving four hours to Glasgow, Kentucky was nothing because we were so excited to see each other again. We still talk in a group message from time to time even though this summer will be three years since we have all been together.

You will not be ready to leave these people or come home at the end of GSP. I guarantee you that there will be several hugs and a whole lot of tears. GSP has opened up so many doors for me, including the opportunity to receive a full tuition scholarship at my dream school. You share a special bond with people that attend GSP, even if they did not attend the same campus as you or even if you went a different year! We all have stories to tell and memories to cherish and that is what makes it so special. My explanation of the GSP experience does not do it justice because it is simply indescribable.