College Life

Kaitlin Boldt was excited to learn that she had been accepted into the Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program this summer. After hearing her older brother talk about his experience with the program a few years earlier, she knew that she also wanted the opportunity as well. Boldt is not the only student who will enjoy the scholars program experience. On June 16, 12 students from George Rogers Clark High School were honored with the Kentucky Governor's Scholars Award. Some students will leave for the scholar's program starting this Saturday.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky will have another key defensive player back next year when it tries to earn a fourth straight bowl bid. Junior defensive end Jeremy Jarmon announced Monday that he was following advice from his parents and high school coach and coming back to UK after being projected as a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick in the NFL draft. Jarmon had 38 tackles, including 10 for loss and 4.5 quarterback sacks, in 12 games last season. He also broke up six passes and caused two fumbles.

By STEPHANIE SCHELL chell@amnews.com Sam Fedorka has been shopping for dorm room supplies this summer. Although only a senior at Boyle County High School, he's ready to embark upon college life a year early. As an upcoming senior, Sam also will, in a sense, be a college freshman. He's been given the opportunity to attend the Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at Schneider Hall at Western Kentucky University this fall. This is the debut for the Academy, and is one of only 14 residential schools in the country focusing on math and science for advanced high school students.

St. Xavier cornerback Daylen Hall doesn’t have a hard time explaining what he does best on the football field. “I would describe my strengths on the field as speed and vision to make plays and get to the ball. I would also definitely say my instinct to score when the ball is in my hands,” said the 5-9, 190-pound Hall who had 75 tackles, seven interceptions, two sacks and seven touchdowns last year. “When I play I try to bring as much pain and strength as I have to the field.

Kellie Martin always believed in the power of visual art, and it has started to take her places she has only dreamed about. The Kentucky School for the Deaf senior already has been accepted and will study art at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the oldest and most prestigious deaf university in the United States. For much of the past semester, she has also been part of a unique partnership with Centre College. Martin is getting a head start on college life as a student in Professor Sheldon Tapley's Painting and Drawing 1 class.

LEXINGTON - He's been called fearless by an opposing coach and a potentially special player by teammates. Yet Kentucky freshman DeAndre Liggins also has evoked the words quitter, lackadaisical and selfish with his play during Kentucky's first 10 games. So is he the key to UK's future with his point guard skills and potential suffocating defense, or is he likely to disrupt team chemistry and keeping the Wildcats from putting together a big second half of the season as they did last year?

LEXINGTON - Four years ago Jacob Tamme remembers having to adjust to his first practices at Boyle County High School. As difficult as that transition was, it doesn't start to experience what Tamme is doing now that he has started preseason workouts at the University of Kentucky. "I came up for almost four weeks to get ahead start getting to know some of the guys," said Tamme. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I'm still not exactly sure what the real practices are going to be like, but I learned when we did our 7-on-7 scrimmages in the summer that the competition would be a lot tougher because everybody is so fast and athletic.

LEXINGTON - He's been called fearless by an opposing coach and a potentially special player by teammates. Yet Kentucky freshman DeAndre Liggins also has evoked the words quitter, lackadaisical and selfish with his play during Kentucky's first 10 games. So is he the key to UK's future with his point guard skills and potential suffocating defense, or is he likely to disrupt team chemistry and keeping the Wildcats from putting together a big second half of the season as they did last year?

DeAndre Liggins figured John Wall and Eric Bledsoe were both heading to the NBA. He also knew Kentucky coach John Calipari also likely would bring in more talented recruits — and he did with guards Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb. Still, Liggins expects to play a major role for Kentucky during his junior season and thinks what he learned playing a year under Calipari will make him a better player. “I have to work on my jump shot and ballhandling. That is a lot of what I did last year, too. My jump shot is better but I want to work on my weaknesses.

Responsibility, leaving friends and family, growing up and gaining the "freshman 15" all are legitimate concerns of graduating high school seniors embarking on college life. But the exploration for independence is half the fun. "It's going to be fun growing up," said Lincoln County High School senior Rob Hacker. "I'm just looking for a change. " Hacker has known for a while he is going to Morehead State University after high school. "I knew it would be a stressful year, and I didn't want to add anything else to it," he said of his senior year.