Five Knox County Middle School students will be joining students from 44 other counties as they participate in this summer’s Rogers Explorers program.
Lauren McDonald, Emily Mills, Taylor Payne, Alex Smith, and Brody Wells will attend the intensive three-day, two-night program focused on cultivating skills in leadership, technology, math, science, and community service. Explorers are able to actively participate in practical college courses, fine-tune leadership skills, and develop a network of friends and resources throughout our Southern and Eastern Kentucky region.
“Knox County Middle School is very proud of these students,” said Principal Jeremy Ledford. “All five students excel in the educational setting at Knox County Middle School. What many may not know is that all of them are actually student-athletes. They all excel in their sports while being at the top of their class in education. As their principal, I am proud to say that they are role models for what all student-athletes should be. Lauren, Emily, Taylor, Alex, and Brody will be great representatives of Knox County Middle School for Roger Explorer.”
“Leadership is what our future is all about, so I encourage each and every one of you to be original thinkers, problem solvers, and Explorers!” – Congressman Hal Rogers
Meet the Rogers Explorers:
Lauren McDonald, daughter of Christie and Brent McDonald, will be attending the University of the Cumberlands
I applied to the Rogers Program to develop my leadership skills and to connect with other peers in surrounding counties. It’s an opportunity to meet new people and experience life away from home. I have no fears or questions about going aay, but I will for sure miss my dog Izzy!
I hope to gain leadership and communication skills. Also, learn about the different college majors that are available. I am interested in Biomedical Sciences because I hope to pursue my dream of obtaining a degree in the medical field. I wish to become a anesthesiologist or a surgeon. I hope to attend the University of Kentucky or University of the Cumberlands.
Emily Mills, daughter of Kelley and Jimmie Mills, will be attending Lindsey Wilson College
I applied to the Rogers Program to share my ideas and meet other students. I look forward to making new memories with new friends.
I hope to strengthen my leadership skills through Rogers Explorers. I hope to learn about [other students] ideas and perspective on certain topics. I hope to make lifelong friends through Rogers.
I am very interested in the Biomedical Pathway coming up in high school. I’m hoping to go into the medical field later on. I like the challenges that comes with this pathway.
For the future I plan on going to college to further my education. I’m not for sure on what career I want to pursue, but I really want to do something in the medical field. I’m really interested in sports medicine, but I want to explore other careers as well.
Taylor Payne, daughter of Angie and Scott Payne, will be attending Eastern Kentucky University
I feel that Rogers Explorers will be a good leadership and learning opportunity for me. I’m looking forward to the time away from my siblings, but I will miss my dog and my parents.
As an Explorer, I hope to learn from the other leaders at the camp and learn how to become more independent. I hope to meet lots of different people from across the region and to make new friendships.
Going into high school next year, I am drawn to the engineering pathway. I love to learn by doing and all of the hands on projects.
As for the future, I plan on attending Western Kentucky University to study pre-medicine.
Alex Smith, son of Cher and Jason Smith, will be attending Union College
I applied to Rogers Explorers because I was really looking forward to meeting new people an having a great time. I’m very excited about getting away from my family for a couple of days and having some fun. I’ll miss my two little dogs an seeing my friends from home but hopefully I’ll make some more friends at Union.
As a Roger Explorer, I hope to gain more knowledge about Union’s campus and what they offer. I hope to learn how to make friends that I’ve never met before. I think this will be cool meeting new people from different areas and might even see some people that I’ve already met.
Looking to high school, I have chosen to take engineering as my career pathway because I believe an engineer would be a cool job to have. I have thought about engineering or maybe a physical therapist as a career.
Brody Wells, son of Tabitha and Brent Wells, will be attending Morehead State University
I applied to the Rogers Program because my brother did it and had a really good time. I look forward to doing all the activities that they have planned.
From the experience I hope to get better at math and meet new people. Learn new things about them and how their schools are compared to mine.
Preparing for high school, I am interested in engineering and biomed. I really enjoy doing Science Olympiad. Biomed will help me with my career. I want to work to become a physical therapist or an athletic trainer for a major sports team. I would like to play football while in college.