Lawson-Mayes earns McConnell scholarship to the University of Louisville
X'Zashea Lawson-Mayes with Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sec. Elaine Chao
X’Zashea Lawson-Mayes, of Cadiz, Ky., is one of ten awarded the McConnell Scholarship to the University of Louisville this year.
Lawson-Mayes is a 2014 graduate of Trigg County High School, where she served as freshman and senior class president, co-captain of the academic team and captain of the cheerleading team. Lawson-Mayes was also named an All-Region cheerleader and an‘Outstanding Speaker’ at the Kentucky Youth Assembly. She was a 2013 Kentucky Governor’s Scholar.
Only ten graduating seniors from across Kentucky have been named McConnell Scholars this year. “This is a very accomplished class of Kentucky students,” 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 our Commonwealth.”
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 23 years, the Center has given more than $3 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, Lawson-Mayes and her classmates will travel across the Commonwealth and the nation as they explore American history, develop their leadership skills and prepare for a lifetime of service. Lawson-Mayes and her classmates will visit China the summer following their junior year for an extended summer study and cultural immersion.
“It is a great honor to be chosen as a McConnell Scholar,” said Gregg. “We know X’Zashea will be successful at the University of Louisville and in providing leadership to our Commonwealth in the years ahead.”
In addition to receiving the McConnell Scholarship, Lawson-Mayes was named a Woodford R. Porter Scholar at the University of Louisville.