We are family

By Sam Rogers
Eastern High School, Louisville

Deep in the confines of Petrik Hall on Louisville’s Bellarmine University campus, there is a flurry of movement as a deadly conflict breaks out. A war zone is soon established in dorm room 309C as Tostito projectiles are launched amid shouts and squeals as the missiles fall short of their targets. Reporters and other observers scatter as debris descends around the room. Soon the floor is littered with the remains of broken chips, and the two combatants break out in hearty laughter at the thought of that last dreadful throw.
“That was not even close to my mouth!” said Governor’s Scholar Rachel Grey of Edmonson County High School.
“I’m sorry; you keep moving on me!” said fellow scholar and roommate, Nikki Marcum of North Laurel High School in London, Ky. The girls continue to laugh and talk with one another, interacting as if they had known each other their entire lives.
“I feel like Rachel could literally be my twin,” Nikki said.
Every year, over one thousand of the state’s best and brightest high school students are invited to spend five weeks of the summer on one of three college campuses around the state, as a part of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program. In addition to Bellarmine, this year’s host campuses are Murray State University and Centre College.
“The GSP is one of the very few programs in the nation that addresses the needs of high achievers, where competition becomes non-existent,” said Aris Cedeño, Executive Director of the Program. “These scholars will return to their high schools and hometowns as the best ambassadors of the state of Kentucky.”
Lasting memories and deep friendships are invaluable side benefits of the program.
Nikki Marcum is a cross-country and track runner from Laurel County. Athletic, confident, calm, and optimistic, she still felt nervous about attending GSP this summer.
“I was anxious about being away, meeting new people, and the whole program in general,” she said.
Her newfound friend Rachel Grey, a musician from Edmonson County, shared the same insecurities regarding the five-week program.
“I was worried about not making friends,” she said. “And I knew I would miss my boyfriend.”
On June 19, Move-In Day at Bellarmine, Nikki and Rachel made their way to “nerd camp” with friends and families and loads of luggage. This would be the day they met.
“To be honest,” said Nikki. “The first time we met, I thought she was going to be snooty and conceited.” At this point, Rachel, miffed by this response, let out a shriek of shock and surprise, accompanied by yet another Tostito projectile in Nikki’s direction.
“I thought Nikki seemed really nice,” said Rachel, to Nikki’s laughs. By the end of the day, the two girls had bonded, and they have been inseparable ever since.
The two friends were not the only ones who arrived at Bellarmine on Move-In Day. The hilly campus was jammed with cars and sweaty parents as 358 scholars hauled their luggage up the steps to their dorms. By late afternoon, the campus fell quiet as 358 strangers sat in their rooms contemplating five week of loneliness. They came from all corners of the state, bringing with them different cultures, backgrounds, genders, races and ethnicities.
As Cedeño is fond of saying, they had become a community, one where scholars are encouraged to express their true selves regardless of background or differences.
For Nikki and Rachel that was easy. After nearly five weeks of living together, they act like sisters who have lived together for their entire lives. Nikki has recently taught Rachel how to spit the right way (“She was having trouble spitting out her toothpaste every morning. So I had to teach her how….” And Rachel has been keeping Nikki informed with random bits of wisdom (“Make sure to take off your mascara every night, or bacteria will eat through the make-up while you’re sleeping.”)
“I feel like Nikki could literally be my sister,” said Rachel. “We have the same sense of humor, and by the second week, we were comfortable enough to fight like sisters. She’s a good listener, and we care about each other.”
“Rachel is always going to be there for me, to talk or anything,” said Nikki. “And she’s not afraid to look dumb with me.”
Their closeness seemed to gravitate to the other girls on the floor. By the end of the first week, the girls of Petrik 3 had all become fast friends, uniting into one, big happy family. At the nightly hall meetings, the noise was deafening as the room filled with excited chatter, bags and boxes of food were passed around, and laughing girls danced to the music. Each of these girls comes from a completely different background, yet they have become the best of friends
“I have never been around a group of girls this nice,” said Rachel, munching on a Tostito chip.
“I love our floor!” said Nikki, opening a can of salsa.
The walls of Petrik 3 are lined with poster-size scrapbook pages. Each night, the girls, as well as their Resident Advisor Morgan Davenport, fill out one “page,” and hang it on a wall. Themes include Summer, Fall, Spring, Hollywood, Freshman Memories, and so on. These posters are representative not only of the many personalities of Petrik 3, but the spirit of community that is characteristic of GSP.
“This is my third year as a Hall Buddy,” said Jeanie Adams-Smith, who teaches Journalism as a GSP Focus Area. “And this is the best group I’ve ever had! The enthusiasm is great, and I’ve truly enjoyed these girls.”
The entire GSP community seems to have bonded, just as the girls of P3 have. Scholars here are encouraged to take an “intellectual risk,” and even if it fails, the whole community is urged to support the effort.
“At GSP, you become your real self, your real ‘you,’” said Cedeño.
“You throw in all of these different people, with different backgrounds, and your first thought is that it wouldn’t work,” said Nikki, as she and Rachel laughed and threw chips at each other. “But somehow, everybody meshed to form one big happy family.”