Youth from Southcentral and Eastern Kentucky counties learn lessons of leadership, team building and community service.
COLUMBIA, KY. (07/11/2025) Nearly three dozen teenagers stepped out of their comfort zones when they stepped onto Lindsey Wilson University’s campus this week.
The 31 young teenagers from Southcentral and Eastern Kentucky counties were part of the Rogers Explorers Program, which was held July 8-10 at Lindsey Wilson. The program is sponsored by the Center for Rural Development in Somerset and held in partnership with six Kentucky universities, including Lindsey Wilson.
The program, which is open to students who have completed their eighth grade, is an intensive three-day, two-night experience on a university campus with a focus on developing skills in leadership, team building, technology, entrepreneurship and community service.
More than 400 students from the center’s 45-county service area applied for the 185 spots that were available this summer.
“It’s really fun because you get to learn and do so many different things,” said Rogers Explorer Karis Willis of Whitley County. “You get to meet so many great people and make new friends.”
Finding common ground
During their three days, Rogers Explorers focused on agriculture, business and entrepreneurship, community service and theater, which included classes at Lindsey Wilson and at the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service.
Rogers Explorer Isaiah Litton of Taylor County said the group’s community service project — which included helping Lindsey Wilson paint the interior of its Cralle Student Union Building during the university’s renaming — was especially instructive.
“I do mission trips with my church all the time, and I’ve been told at church that missions and community service don’t just take place in far-off places, they are in your community as well,” Litton said.
Explorer Maddie Wethington of Adair County said that she appreciated how the community service project brought together nearly three dozen teenagers from across the region to work on a single project.
“I really enjoyed the community service because it showed me that I could serve others in a positive way,” said Wethingon. “I just feel like that if we can help people, in either little ways or big ways, it can make us feel better about ourselves. You also find that you have so much in common with other people.”
Finding common interests is one of the Rogers Explorers’ chief goals, according to Lindsey Wilson business administration major Paisley Bolin ’26 of Somerset, who served this year as the program’s residential director.
Bolin was a Rogers Explorer in 2018 when she attended the program at the University of the Cumberlands, and this is her third year working with the center’s youth programs.
“At the time, I didn’t realize how big of an impact it would have on me,” said Bolin. “I loved the program when I did it and I made a lot of friends, but I didn’t understand the impact until I started working for the center.”
Getting uncomfortable
Explorer Blaine Walker of Metcalfe County said he enjoyed venturing into new territory during his time at Lindsey Wilson, such as the theater class.
“It kind of helped me get out of my comfort zone. I’ve never really liked theater, but they made it enjoyable,” he said. “I didn’t think I would know anybody here, and now I’ve made a lot of new friends.”
Explorer Sadie Preston of Lincoln County said that she also “really enjoyed the theater class because it helped us get out of our comfort zones and try things we maybe wouldn’t have ever tried if we hadn’t come here.”
Preston also discovered that she might have an interest in starting her own business one day.
“I never thought I would like entrepreneurship or want to start my own business, but the class we took about business and entrepreneurship really changed my perspective,” she said.
Campus lessons
The Explorers also said they enjoyed living in a college dorm, dining in Lindsey Wilson’s award-winning Robert D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center, and participating in the games and leisure activities. Willis said that’s where the program’s leaders had a big impact on the Explorers.
“The leaders really stepped up and showed us how leadership can impact people and get them to work together,” she said.
Resident adviser Jaclyn Davis of Somerset, who is a nursing senior at University of the Cumberlands, said that being one of the program’s leaders opened her eyes to the Explorers’ potential.
“These kids are so talented, they have opened my eyes to see there is so much to the world,” said Davis, who is serving her first summer on the center staff.
In fact, Davis said her experiences with the Explorers affected her career trajectory.
“When I first started nursing school, I never wanted to work with children, especially this age group,” she said. “But these kids are great. They are curious to explore, they are curious to learn. It’s made me want to work with kids like them more often.”
Fellow resident adviser Whitley Gibson ’27 said her first summer as a center staff member was memorable because of the program’s ability to bring together a diverse group of young people.
“One of my favorite parts is seeing the diversity of the students — seeing how different they all are and how they come together so well to work together,” said Gibson, a Lindsey Wilson human services and counseling and media studies double major from Edmonton. “I’ve learned to be more open to others’ ideas, no matter where they are in life.”
Members of the Rogers Explorers gather at the Lindsey Wilson University Cralle Student Union Building during the July 8-10 program on campus. A total of 31 Explorers were on the Lindsey Wilson campus.
Lindsey Wilson University arts administration and theatre double major Sabrina Ruiz ’26 of Louisville, Kentucky, right, teaches a theatre class to the Rogers Explorers July 9 in the Cralle Student Union Building.
Members of the Rogers Explorers help paint the interior of the Lindsey Wilson University Cralle Student Union Building on July 8 as part of their community service project.
Rogers Explorer Residential Director Paisley Bolin speaks to Rogers Explorers and their family members during the program’s graduation ceremony on July 10 in the Lindsey Wilson University V.P. Henry Auditorium. Bolin is a Lindsey Wilson business administration senior from Somerset.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)