Kelsey Tucker

Over the summer, seniors Connor English, Shelby Schaefer, Ricky Grewelle, Bobby Kaltenbach, and Nikolas Anderson participated in the Governor's Scholars Program and spent five weeks on a college campus. Whether at Centre College, Bellarmine University, or Murray State University, each had a specific Focus Area. They each had a specific Focus Area ranging from Astronomy to Journalism & Mass Media. They also attended General Studies classes, a seminar, activities, and field trips, all while meeting other high-achieving students and getting a taste of college residential life.

Shelby Schaefer who attended GSP at Murray State University said, "I absolutely loved seminar, and we grew really close through it. GSP has a way of creating an awesome environment to, as cheesy as it sounds, grow as a person. We were able to discuss our opinions on controversial issues and consider each other's ideas as well."

Maria Miller (12), Emily Followell (12), Alec Valerius (12), Erica Rust (11), and Daniel Yocum (11) attended the Governor's School for the Arts at Transylvania University for three weeks over the summer where they each studied their particular artistic specialty. The students participated in seminars, lectures, hands-on workshops, and field trips to enrich their new learning experience, while also meeting other artistic students like themselves.

Maria Miller, who was accepted into both GSA and GSP, chose to attend GSA. Looking back, she stands by her choice saying, "GSA was one of the most emotionally challenging experiences of my life. The area I studied, New Media, is a compilation of film, photography, and stop-motion animation. I'd never done anything but photography before, so I had to learn something COMPLETELY new. As scary as it was, I learned that I could do so much more than I thought I could."

Aside from the learning and social opportunities afforded to GSP and GSA participants, these students are also eligible for many scholarship and financial aid opportunities, including full tuition to the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville if a Governor's Scholar also has the mandatory ACT composite score and GPA.