Lalata earns McConnell scholarship to the University of Louisville
Diana Lalata with Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sec. Elaine Chao
Lalata is a 2013 graduate of Southern High School where she was elected president of the Beta and Key clubs. A state-level, award-winning member of the Future Educators of America, Lalata served as project leader for the BIONIC (Believe It Or Not, I Care) program and created lesson plans designed to promote social justice and tolerance in Louisville’s Blake Elementary School.
Only nine graduating seniors from across Kentucky have been named McConnell Scholars this year. “This is one of the most accomplished classes we have ever had,” said Dr. Gary Gregg, director of the McConnell Center. “We are very excited about the quality of young leaders who will be joining us next year and are optimistic about what it says for the future of Kentucky.
The McConnell Scholarship guarantees a full tuition scholarship to UofL and allows students to meet today’s most influential leaders, interact with national experts, take part in small group leadership seminars, intern in Washington, D.C., and study abroad in the People’s Republic of China. U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, together with the University of Louisville, founded the nonpartisan scholarship program in 1991 to benefit Kentucky’s best and brightest students.
In its first 20 years, the Center has given more than $2.5 million in scholarship money to more than 200 students, mentored them to compete for elite national graduate scholarships and helped them travel the world.
As McConnell Scholars, Lalata and her classmates will travel to Washington, D.C., where they will meet government officials and travel to George Washington’s Mount Vernon for an orientation to the life and legacy of America’s first president. During the summer following her junior year of college, Lalata will travel to China for a month of study and cultural immersion.
“It is a great honor to be chosen as a McConnell Scholar,” said Gregg. “We know Diana will be successful at the University of Louisville and in providing leadership to our Commonwealth in the years ahead.”