So what exactly are the Governor’s Scholars Program and the Governor’s School for the Arts? These programs are both state-sponsored events that require students to go through an application process. There are three levels through which the applicants must be chosen to participate in the GSP or GSA–school, district and state. Trinity senior Austin Dahlem, one of 16 students from Trinity who participated in the Governor’s Scholars Program last summer, described his GSP time at Bellarmine University as “a great environment where you get to experience a college atmosphere without the pressure of actual college.” “I highly recommend it,” said senior Kevin Holley, who attended the GSP at Centre College. Trinity senior Jung Kang was picked for the GSA last summer, and Craig Brauner was selected as an alternate. An individual chosen for the GSA must present some of his or her works in areas such as dance, music, musical theater and creative writing. Once chosen at the state level, the state pays for everything At first about 5,000 students are picked at the school level for the GSP, and by the state level, only about 1,100 students are selected. In the GSA only about 300 are chosen. But once a part of either the GSP or GSA, besides the experience one receives, scholarship money for college in state is almost guaranteed, and participation adds greatly to applications for scholarship money and acceptance to colleges all around the country. Mr. Frank Ward, Trinity’s Advanced Program director and longtime teacher in the Governor’s Scholars Program, said, “Kentucky’s Governor’s Scholars Program is the longest-running in the country and one of the largest.” For more information about the GSP, see Ward, or if you are interested in the GSA, see Mr. Greg Sysol.