Five weeks, or in GSP terms, 50,000 minutes. Seven of GRC’s outstanding seniors spent this time at various colleges across the state. 

GSP, short for Governor’s Scholar Program, is an academic experience of a lifetime for a select group of top-rising seniors.

GRC students Clay Turley, Ryan Jackson, Joby Mitmesser, Sydney Herringshaw, Lauren Clem, Kylie Hensley, and Silas Coogle were selected among thousands of applicants from across the Commonwealth. 

Around 1,000 of Kentucky’s top students were chosen for this honor. They were divided up randomly to three colleges across the state. 

Scholars spent their time in general studies classes, seminars, and personalized focus area classes each day of the week. These focus areas range anywhere from forensic science to astrology. 

“I learned more about forensic science and nature because of my classes,” says Turley, “but GSP also taught me and everyone else leadership skills, communication skills, how to get out of your comfort zone, and just how to be a responsible human being.”

While learning important information for their future career, they gain life skills that they will use beyond the workplace.

“Communication is also important, we were told to never have our phones out of our room and it helped everyone communicate with the world around them also growing more relationships with the community of the state of Kentucky.” says Mitmesser.

During their free time, scholars enjoyed various activities both organized and simply getting to know others. 

“I was fortunate enough to become very close with a group of individuals early on in the program,” says Herringshaw. “We played pickleball, cards, board games, and so much more. We would go play piano in practice rooms or go outside and have a picnic. I enjoyed every minute of these activities; however, my favorite memories were when we’d all sit down and tell stories about ourselves.” 

This was no easy achievement as each scholar had to go through an extensive application process to be considered. This includes essays, detailed explanations of extracurriculars, and academics, each were taken into consideration. 

“The most important thing to show in your application is passion, uniqueness, and dedication,” says Coogle. “Anyone can be a scholar, and I believe that anyone who goes to GSP will have their life changed.” 

So whether you’re on the fence, or already have your heart set on GSP, you won’t want to miss out on this experience of a lifetime. Applications for the 2024 session close in January but open this fall. 

“The application was strenuous, but It has helped me tremendously when filling in college applications because I completed most of their necessary elements when applying for GSP,” says Hensley. “Save your GSP application documents and use them when applying to college to remind yourself of things like extracurriculars and awards.”

The Governor’s Scholar Program is an amazing stepping stone into a successful career. Every Cardinal who attended highly recommend this experience to current juniors. 

“It is an experience of a lifetime,” says Clem, “and you learn so many things, meet so many new people, and make so many amazing memories.”