The Shy Guy

By Hope Bradford
Lloyd Memorial High School

This was a nerve-racking day for 358 Kentucky high school juniors.
It was Sunday, June 19th, and they had just arrived at Bellarmine University for a five-week program called the Governor’s Scholars. All the students had one thing in common: They were hand-picked for the program, based on scholarship and leadership skills; and they were all surrounded by people they didn’t know.
For the extroverts among them, the awkward beginnings were just another opportunity to socialize, to make new friends and find out about places in Kentucky that they had never seen. For the introverts, however, the experience of being surrounded by strangers was daunting – even frightening.
One of the shy ones was scholar Stephen Price of Shelbyville. He is the kind of guy who likes to keep to himself and read, his favorite pastime. He has always considered himself to be shy.
He wasn’t alone. Many of the kids at the annual Governors Scholars Program arrived at Bellarmine and the two other GSP host campuses at Centre College and Murray State, fully expecting to be left alone. It’s not easy in a program that demands dorm-style living, college courses and endless group activities.
The degree to which they are shy varies of course. For some, it’s just too much. In the past, there have been scholars so shy that they had to leave the program, according to Aris Cedeño, Executive Director and Academic Dean of GSP. In recent years, however, the number of scholars who have dropped out due to extreme shyness has decreased. Cedeño believes that cell phones have helped shy students keep in touch with home and get support from friends and family. Strict campus rules limit the use of cell phones to dorm rooms, but still have plenty of time to call home at the end of the day or during a break. The rise of social networks like Facebook also help scholars feel more connected to their hometowns.
Stephen attends Cornerstone Christian Academy in Shelbyville, a fairly small school where he knows just about everyone, but he only considers a few of his classmates to be his close friends. Stephen found out about and applied for GSP at the persistence of his guidance counselor.
When he found out he was accepted, Stephen, being the shy guy he is, figured he’d keep to himself and read often. While he does find time for reading, he has actually found himself making new friends as well. He met his first friend, Logan Hurley, a South Laurel High School senior from East Bernstadt, on the first day of GSP while eating dinner with his new classmates. And to his surprise, he gradually began making even more friends. It’s not an extremely large group, for sure, but it’s bigger than he had expected.
Stephen is also a part of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Club as well as the Office Staff Fan Club. These clubs have helped him meet new people who share the same interests and he has become more comfortable making friends. He doesn’t even mind looking up from his books or to greet stranger that he encounters.
“I’m more willing to exchange words with people I pass by on the sidewalk,” Stephen said. But really, he still considers himself to be a shy guy.