Taking the Spirit Home
By: Makayla Wiles
Todd County Central High School

     On a muggy afternoon in mid-July, 360 students from the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program gathered on the street in front of a brand new Habitat for Humanity house on Louisville’s West Side.
    They were there for the dedication of the house, and the weather conditions were no favorable. It was sunny for a while, it was raining for a while, and it was constantly hot and humid. But this was a truly special occasion and nobody wanted to miss it. This was the dedication of a house that each one of the scholars had a hand in building. Sure the weather was uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to the record-setting heat wave that bore down on them when they were working on the house, drenched in sweat and caked in red dirt and sawdust.
    There to celebrate with them on this day were the dozens of teachers and staff who guided them through the five-week GSP academic and leadership regimen at Bellarmine University, and the 25 Habitat volunteers who spearheaded the construction effort.
    The speakers, which included Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher, Habitat for Humanity Metro Louisville Director Rob Locke and Governors Scholars Program Executive Director Aris Cedeño, remarked on the partnership that made this house possible and reflected on the work that is changing lives and neighborhoods in the city.
    But the real stars were Omar Muse and Ubah Adan, who were there to accept the keys to the house for their young family.
    “It was uncomfortable,” said Alyson Croley a scholar from South Laurel High School in Laurel County, “But it was worth it to see the happiness of the family. We accomplished something so important that really changed a family’s life….”
Many of the scholars agreed that working with Habitat not only changed a family’s life, but it also impacted their own lives in a very special way.
“[The ceremony] brought home for me the fact that through working together as a community, we made a very special dream come true-extremely quickly,” Alyson said.
    Her experience in the Governor’s Scholars Program and her public service work with Habitat has had a profound effect on Alyson.

Scholar Alyson Croley poses at the Habitat house.

    “In the future, I hope every scholar gets the chance to build a house,” she said.”It’s a very inspiring and rewarding experience.”
    When Alyson returns home, she wants to build a gazebo in a local park in honor and memory of Iraqi war veterans and their families. She would love to recruit volunteers from her high school to help with the project.
    “I want to go home and give something back to the people who have already given so much,” she said.