Introduction!

Hello! My name is Grant Harned and I am an incoming Tiger freshman!


Go Tigers!!!

Before I begin to tell you about my adventures at Georgetown, let me tell you a bit about my background. I am a Kentucky native from McCracken County, (Paducah to be exact.) My family owns and operates a barbecue restaurant on the south side of town, so if you find yourself hungry in the western end of the state go to Harned’s Drive In. Inc. and tell them that Grant sent you. I am a graduate and valedictorian of Community Christian Academy.

Now let me fill you in about me personally. I was very involved in my high school and wouldn’t change a thing about my experience. I was President of the National Honor Society chapter at C.C.A. editor of the yearbook, a member of student council, a member of the track and field team, an office aid, captain of the baseball team my sophomore year, and finally captain of the cheerleading squad. I had to save the kicker for last. I loved my high school experience and learned so many things from not only my teachers and faculty, but from my peers. C.C.A. was one of those schools where everyone knows everyone else because let’s face it, with only a little over one hundred in the high school it is hard to miss someone in four years. I really enjoyed living in Paducah. My last summer was spent working at the family restaurant and hanging out with my best friends and going to the movies, the mall or playing video games.

By this point I would be willing to bet that many of you are wondering how and why I decided to drive four and a half hours to come to school at G.C. The first time that I heard about Georgetown was from Ken Owen, one of my high school English teachers. He graduated from Georgetown College back in the day and was very insistent that I give the college a look before making my decision about where to pursue my higher education. At first I wasn’t really sure that a small liberal arts school was the type of place that I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. But I filled out the application with an open mind and decided to make a campus visit on my next college trip. This was the summer before my senior year. I had just spent five weeks at the Centre campus of the Governor’s Scholars Program and was anxious to begin looking for my new college home. So I packed my bags and went to visit UK, University of Evansville, Centre, Bellarmine, and finally Georgetown College. This was the best decision of my college career. If you have not made a campus visit yet, you definitely need to schedule one, because there is no better way to get to know a school than to observe the day to day activities of that institution. The campus tour is what sealed the deal for my college decision. My tour guide’s name was Roger and he was a senior at Georgetown at the time. He took a good hour and a half showing me the “ins and outs” of campus and answering any questions I might have. I met several faculty members and staff while on my tour and was incredibly impressed with the welcoming, community-based atmosphere that I had seen throughout the day. I made contact with my admissions counselor, Jeremiah Tudor, shortly after my campus visit and began to plan my future days at G.C. The admissions staff was wonderful to answer any and all questions that I had and to help me feel like a part of the community before I officially set foot on campus as a freshman. With a college-bound mindset I went back to C.C.A. to finish up the remaining portion of my senior year.

Let’s fast forward a few months. After months of anticipation, hours and hours of preparation and packing and several goodbyes, my parents and I set out on the long drive to Georgetown, KY. I came to campus on the Saturday before Freshman Orientation along with all of the other fall athletes at G.C. We moved all the necessities into my room such as the fridge, microwave, futon, t.v., laptop, snacks and clothes. Dr. Crouch, our school president, even jumped in and helped carry a couple boxes up to my room in the 100 degree heat.

The following days were definitely a big adjustment for me. Without a roommate and the rest of the freshman class, my life was a bit dull for a day or two, but soon picked up between practice, conditioning, and trying to get all of the details of my freshman year in order. After those first few nights I quickly began to love the atmosphere of not only Georgetown College but also the city of Georgetown. Fava’s Restaurant and Wholly Smoke’s Barbecue come to mind when I think of awesome places to eat and visit downtown. The remainder of the class of 2014 moved in on Thursday morning and we began the orientation process that very night.

As I type I am concluding my second day of orientation. I can’t begin to tell you about all of the great new people I have met here, those in my freshman seminar with Dr. Rich, the faculty and staff, my fellow cheerleaders, my orientation leaders and just random people I have met on campus and in Anderson Hall. I am sure that I will have many more things to blog about over the next few weeks as Orientation concludes and classes begin. My birthday is on the first day of classes so that should be exciting! Farewell for now.