Aris Cedeños is really good at names. He can also tell you where each of the 120 counties in Kentucky rest. As the Director of the Governor’s Scholars Program in the state, he has to know the state well. The program draws over a thousand students representing most of the counties in between Pikeville and Paducah.
But it’s the names that make his memory so famous.
“Once it clicks, it’s forever,” said Cedeños.
The first day of GSP brought the typical fear, hope and anxiety for the scholars. Remembering the names of the 343 scholars who were descending on Bellarmine University’s campus was one of many stresses for the high school seniors.
When Cedeños welcomed them with names of scholars already memorized they were in awe. “How does he know that?” is a typical murmur.
Tossing the 17-year-olds into the college-like GSP environment for 5 weeks is part of its success. The 26-year-old program is one of the most successful GSP programs in the country, with only 17 left in the nation.
The scholars, who make it to GSP by application, GPA, test scores and community and school service involvement, are looking mostly for scholarship opportunities. But they come away with better understandings of the diversity of their state.
But not so much of an understanding those pesky names.
At Bellermine’s campus this year there were 5 “Rachels” on one of the dorm halls alone. At graduation 2 “Chases” graduated back-to-back. And keeping up with the “Austins,” “Aarons” and “Kelseys” became tough for the faculty, some who had multiple of the same-named scholars in their classes.
Veteran faculty member Matt Curless recalls overseeing a dorm hall check-in one year and having a hall full of “Amanda’s.”
“That year, I wrote a song called “The Amanda Song,” said Curless, “and sang it at a showcase (talent show at GSP). It was a big hit!”
Bellarmine is one of 3 campus locations for GSP. The thousand-plus scholars that are chosen for the program are divided between the locations. As Dean of the program, Cedeño travels to all 3, but most of his time is spent at Bellarmine, so these names are a littl
e easier to nail down.As the program moves through its 5 weeks, more “Rachels” are met and the new scholar response becomes, “ugh” or “not another one.” Many scholars joke if you don’t know someone’s name, Rachel would always be a safe guess.
But what is happening through all the name games, class exercises, field trips and issue seminars, is far more than memorizing names. Scholars learn to get out of their comfort zones; they learn they can be friends with other students that may vary deeply in topics and issues. They are exposed to new cultures, religions, and points of view.
Behind one “Rachel” will be a very different opinion on gay rights or abortion than what another “Rachel” may think, but seeing an issue from another’s viewpoint is a powerful experience for many of these scholars.
“Most scholars tell us that Seminar (issue discussions) is their most memorable part of GSP,” said Cedeño.
Cedeño has been with the Governor’s Scholars Program for 18 years, and one particular year that stands out to him involves the name “Meg” and a lot of them. On the Eastern Kentucky University campus in 2001, there were 4 Resident Advisor’s named Meghan.
He has noticed that having the same name is more common with girls than boys on the campuses. This year, one RA Stephanie Riley has 3 Rachel’s just on her hall alone. Down the hall there are 2 more, so all in all there are 5 Rachel’s on one hall. What’s worse is that they all have dark hair, so keeping them all straight takes effort.
Even though there are multiple scholars with the same name, Cedeño always manages to put the correct name with the face. “You are not a name, you are a person,” Cedeño said. “Look them in the face.”
Even with all the sameness with the names, a new culture, called the Community at GSP, develops. Bonds are formed in the name of Friendship that sometimes last years. It is not uncommon for roommates at GSP to room together in college.
2009 may go down as a historical year for “name calling” but through the challenges of memorizing names, one thing is true, these scholars won’t forget each other.