KRNL
LIFESTYLE + FASHION
ON THE COVER
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER, “TAILORED”
KRNL OUR MISSION
The mission of KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion is to promote the individuality, creativity and uniqueness of storytelling by University of Kentucky’s students utilizing all of our publishing platforms.
KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion strives to bring awareness to the stories that inspire us — through art, human interest, enterprise, investigative, health and well-being or recreation — on and around campus and throughout our community.
Whether through words or pictures, our diverse staff invites, welcomes and embraces all perspectives, allowing us to bring to life a variety of stories that we want to tell.
Produced and distributed in the fall and spring semesters on the campus of the University of Kentucky and throughout the city of Lexington, KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion aspires to be an important voice for our community.
A LETTER FROM THE Editor's Desk
Thank you. Thank you, to you, the one who picked up this magazine on the way to class or got it handed to you while walking around campus. You make what we do at KRNL possible, and for that, I am truly so grateful.
Over the course of my college career, KRNL became so much more than just a magazine I saw lying on a random table on campus. It became such a pivotal part of me, and so many other people that this publication has brought together.
The people that make up KRNL are some of the most creative, talented and passionate people I have ever met and worked alongside. This team makes what we do that much more special.
Everything that KRNL does, whether it be this magazine, a lookbook, a podcast or a blog is a culmination of talent and hard work from so many members of our team, and I hope you can feel that when you experience anything we do.
This being my last issue with KRNL also marks so many other seniors’ last time. And to commemorate our final issue, we wanted to do our thing, one last time. So in these pages, I hope you can feel it all.
From powerful stories like Hadley Duvall’s to The Kentucky Gentlemen to one all about GLP-1s, I encourage you to read more than just the descriptions on our fashion shoots. But I also hope you notice the little aspects of this magazine that our fashion, photo, design
and editorial team put into this.
The color of the fonts, the crop on photos, the shoes a model is wearing — everything is intentional. And it’s this intentionality that I wanted to strive to keep during my time as editor.
KRNL was a publication and opportunity I could have only dreamed of when I stepped foot onto UK’s campus, and, since then, it has exceeded all of my expectations. My heart is full of gratitude for all that KRNL has done for me, but it is also full of excitement for what is to come after I leave.
So to my executive team, thank you. To my staff, thank you. To all of our readers, thank you. And to KRNL, thank you for everything.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
REAGHAN CHEN
SHIFTING GEARS
A fully black and white shoot that embraces biker-inspired fashion with a modern flair.
FROM FARMLAND TO FASHION WEEK: MALLORY QUISENBERRY QUILTS HER LEGACY
Mallory Quisenberry transformed her Kentucky quilting roots into a fully realized brand, Green Folk Collective.
42 TAILORED
KRNL’s take on companion couture with spotted, scaly and furry friends.
L+F AN INSIDE LOOK
BLACK, QUEER AND COUNTRY: MEET THE KENTUCKY GENTLEMEN
Twin brothers Brandon and Derek Campbell of The Kentucky Gentlemen are redefining country music through fearless visibility as Black, queer artists.
8
CHRISSY BROOKS: A MOTHER, A ‘FIGHTER,’ A CONSTANT
Chrissy Brooks is wife of UK Women’s Basketball Coach Kenny Brooks, but she is also a breast cancer survivor, educator, mother and more.
60
52 66
BORN OUT OF SILENCE: A SURVIVOR’S JOURNEY TO MOTHERHOOD
Sexually abused by her stepfather for years, women’s rights activist and new mother hopes for a better future for all girls.
10
A COMMON THREAD: MEMORIES THAT NEVER FRAY
Clothing can be more than just an aspect of daily life. To many, they can hold memories, emotions and stories.
38 58
WILLIAM ALLEN AMPS UP HIS LOVE FOR MUSIC
From WRFL radio shows to teaching classes, one UK student is cultivating and spreading his passion for music.
DOUBLE DAN, DOUBLE THE HORSEPOWER
Australian horseman Dan James built Double Dan Horsemanship into an international career focused on training and equine communication.
WEAR IT WRONG
Take inspiration from these pieces that push the envelope on sustainable fashion.
26
KENTUCKY’S BEST KEPT SECRET: ALE-8-ONE’S FORMULA TO SUCCESS
Get an inside scoop on the family business that has been a pillar of the state for a century.
78
YOUR SHOT AT GETTING SKINNY: THE RISE OF GLP-1S AND THE FALL OF BODY POSITIVITY
The rise of GLP-1 medications has made an impact on patients, prescribers, researchers and our society.
82 84 86
ONE MAN’S TRASH IS PAPA’S TREASURE
A collection of stories, memorabilia and personality can be found in the archives of one grandparent's barn.
THE LIGHT SHE LEFT BEHIND
A mother strives to work and honor the memory of her daughter, Lauren Collins, every day.
BUNDLED UP
Our seniors take on the winter outdoors and their futures with boldness and brightness.
Chrissy Brooks: a mother, a ‘fighter,’ a constant
WRITTEN BY REAGHAN CHEN
PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN KANTOSKY
It’s a quiet Wednesday morning, and the sound of Steve Harvey’s voice on “Family Feud” echoes through the living room.
Stepping into the Brooks household, there are little pieces and clues that remind visitors of who lives there — from a Final Four coaster to custom bobbleheads to Lou, the grey bernedoodle who greets guests at the door.
In just his second season as the University of Kentucky women’s basketball coach, Kenny Brooks has made an undeniable impact. Kenny was named 2025 Sporting News’ National Coach of the Year and led the Wildcats to fourth place in the SEC conference during the 2024-25 season.
But coaching is not a new endeavor for Kenny, and there has been one person who has witnessed it all — his wife, Chrissy Brooks. They met at a “ladies’ night” in Harrisburg, Virginia. Kenny, at the time, was playing point guard at James Madison University,
Chrissy Brooks poses for a photo with the family dog, Lou, at her house on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Lexington, Ky.
and Chrissy described herself as “a townie.”
Chrissy said she got the nerve to buy him a “10 cent” beer, and the product of that first drink is 27 years of marriage.
“The old adage of putting all your eggs in one basket, it’s what I did,” Chrissy said. “It was all or nothing, so it turned out pretty good.”
Chrissy is also no stranger to basketball. Growing up as the eldest daughter in her family, she said her dad thought he wasn’t going to have a son, so Chrissy was encouraged to play.
“I like to be at the games. I’m not the quiet one that sits over in the corner,” Chrissy said. “I can get a little fired up sometimes. True story, when Kenny was still at JMU, one of the referees walked over to him during the game. He said, ‘Your wife is giving me a really hard time over there.’ And he (Kenny) said, ‘Well, listen to her.’”
That initial love for basketball from both Kenny and Chrissy has continued in their own family and kids’ lives.
“As they were getting old enough, like they learned how to walk on the floor at James Madison, and there was always a ball somewhere, so they’d be chasing the ball around or whatever,” Chrissy said. “So when they got old enough to actually play, then that was my job to find places for them to play.”
Both Kenny and Chrissy have gotten the chance to coach some of their four kids in basketball. Chrissy said she coached two of her daughters, Kendyl and Chloe, in seventh and eighth grade. Kenny also coached Kendyl and Chloe at Virginia Tech, and their youngest, Gabby, is currently playing for UK.
Chrissy said their coaching styles are visibly different.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen Kenny coach, but he’s very calm and just think of the polar opposite. I’m one of those crazy people that yell at the refs and yell at the girls, but we were really good,” Chrissy said.
Kenny’s dedication to coaching is something that Chrissy said she
still admires, from his start doing the grunt work at JMU to now leading the program at UK.
“He’s just a basketball savant. I’m telling you. I’m still amazed at how he changes kids’ whole game,” Chrissy said. “He will take them as far as he possibly can.”
Coaching, Chrissy said, comes with its own obstacles, both on and off the court. One particular struggle came while Kenny was coaching at Virginia Tech when Chrissy was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2023.
“When I found out, of course, it’s, you know, Breast Cancer (Awareness) Month, and the season is pretty much getting into full swing. And we didn’t tell anybody, from the time I found out what was going on, until into December when I had to have my first surgery,” Chrissy said. “And nobody knew, so it was just us, and it was driving Kenny crazy.”
While keeping the diagnosis to themselves, Kenny was still able to lead his team to win the ACC Championship, the regular title and to the first round of the NCAA tournament. However, Chrissy said the team lost in the second game,
and the announcement of Kenny leaving Virginia Tech for Kentucky caused a lot of fans to be upset.
“The stuff that people say is unbelievable,” Chrissy said. “The whole keyboard warriors that can hide behind a fake name and say horrible things, and they have no idea.”
After Chrissy and Kenny had finally told their family, Chrissy said their middle daughter, Chloe, with her parents’ permission, finally responded to the outrage on social media.
“She’s like me,” Chrissy said. “She’s the fighter.”
Chloe, who is now 25, said she also sees her mom as “a fighter” and a constant in their family. When Chrissy was battling cancer, Chloe was not in school, so she accompanied her mom to many appointments and surgeries.
“We used to go to appointments, and I would look right at her, and she would be completely shut down,” Chloe said. “I’m like, lock in.”
Chrissy rang the bell to signify the end of treatment in May of 2024, surrounded by an “entourage” of friends and family that was so
large, she said it brought tears to her oncologist’s eyes.
“I look over at her, and my oncologist is crying,” Chrissy said. “And I’m like, what in the world? She said, ‘I’ve never seen this many people show up. You’ve got such a village. You’re so blessed.’”
From appointments to ringing the bell, Chrissy said that there are people doing every step of their cancer journey alone, and it is something she said needs to change.
“So many times, people ring that bell all by themselves. There’s nobody to take a picture, no family members at all,” Chrissy said. “I can’t even wrap my head around that.”
Today, Chrissy is cancer-free, and enjoying Lexington, a place she said she and Kenny will not be leaving anytime soon.
“I love Lexington. Love it,” Chrissy said. “Lexington has a whole vibe that’s something that we’ve never experienced before.”
SCAN HERE TO WATCH THIS STORY'S VIDEO
A Kenny Brooks bobble-head and other family photos are seen on a shelf at the Brooks’ house in Lexington, Ky., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
A common thread: Memories that never fray
WRITTEN BY LILLY KEITH | PHOTOS BY LILY FOSTER
Hung up in a closest, folded in a drawer or tucked away in storage are clothing pieces that are more than just fabric to us. Throughout our lives, we accumulate pieces of clothing that can be hard to part with. A prom dress. An outfit you wore on the first day of school. An outfit from a first date. These pieces can bring back memories from times in our lives — good or bad — proof that we have grown and evolved, given or received love and survived hardship. These pieces are stitched into our memories forever.
Emma Dunn
Emma Dunn was a competitive gymnast for 10 years when she was recruited by the University of Kentucky.
During her junior year of high school, she tore her wrist and a ligament in her knee, changing her perspective on gymnastics.
“I was like, I kind of hate this sport now. It’s stressful,” Dunn said. “I really feel scared and anxious every day, and I don’t think I can do this for four more years.”
Dunn was told she would regret it if she quit the sport before reaching the collegiate level, but she said she would regret not quitting to allow herself a normal social experience in college. She quit gymnastics and decided to major in integrated strategic communications at UK.
Despite Dunn’s hopes of having a normal college experience, she began college in the fall of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pivoting from her high school routine of going to
school in the daytime and gymnastics at night to fully asynchronous classes in her dorm room caused Dunn to hyperfixate on her body.
In her isolation, Dunn said she felt as if her eating disorder was the only thing that she could control.
“It became almost an obsession of like, how many times I could work out,” Dunn said. “Oh, I don’t feel that lonely if I’m obsessing over my weight or what I look like.”
Growing up, Dunn said she didn’t have the best nutritional influences around her and was even sent to a nutritionist as a sort of “apology” from her coaches for going about nutrition the wrong way with their gymnasts.
“That was when I kind of got into like tracking food and being weighed weekly,” Dunn said.
Along with the measurements of their bodies, Dunn said coaches would tell her and her peers that if college
Emma Dunn looks in a mirror while wearing her mother’s wedding dress on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Lexington, Ky. Dunn wore the dress at the reception of her own wedding months earlier.
coaches saw them gaining weight, they wouldn’t want them to be on their collegiate teams, no matter their skill sets.
“‘If you’re promised a Bentley, you don’t want a Honda in four years,’ is basically what they would tell us,” Dunn said.
After the end of her first semester, which concluded before Thanksgiving, Dunn returned home to her family and said she felt the impact of her college routine weighing on her.
“I realized, oh my gosh, I like don’t have anyone. This is so lonely,” Dunn said. “It’s so hard to make friends, and I don’t know what I even want to study in college really.”
Dunn said she remembers being on the phone with her then boyfriend, now fiance, crying, thinking she could recover, but not knowing if she would ever be happy with her body.
She thought she didn’t deserve to be happy if she didn’t feel skinny or had the adrenaline that came from starving herself that day.
One fear of Dunn’s was not being happy in her future
wedding dress, scared that her day would be defined by not feeling confident in the way she looked or being lightheaded throughout the day.
After graduating from college in October of 2024, she got engaged.
“I remember I was like I’m so happy with how I am with my relationship with food right now, and my body, but I don’t want to try on a bunch of wedding dresses and ruin that for myself. I’m scared that will be the nail in my coffin of falling back into old habits,” Dunn said.
Knowing her and her mother had very different tastes, she tried on her mom’s wedding dress anyway, and she said she ended up falling in love with the way it looked on her.
“It was just so fun, and such a sweet moment, just everything I couldn’t have imagined of just actually feeling beautiful in it,” Dunn said.
Though Dunn didn’t wear her mom’s dress in the wedding ceremony, she wore it all throughout her wedding reception. The dress opened a new door for Dunn, and she said it allowed her to finally see herself in a light she thought would never be possible.
‘If you’re promised a Bentley, you don’t want a Honda in four years,’ is basically what they would tell us.” “
- EMMA DUNN FORMER UK STUDENT
Alex Livers
According to UK’s Institutional Research, Analytics and Decision Support report of enrollment & demographics, 6.7% of all enrolled students in the Fall 2025 term were Black. 837 of those 2,571 students were male.
For Alex Livers, a junior electrical engineering major, joining his fraternity, the Mighty Mu Theta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. was about something that was bigger than himself.
Phi Beta Sigma is a part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) at UK, which are historically Black sororities and fraternities, also known as the Divine Nine (D9).
During high school and his first few years of college, Livers said he felt like he wasn’t doing as much as he could in the aspect of helping people.
“I was searching for something that would kind of hold myself accountable and push myself towards that aspect,” Livers said.
Livers said he conducted some research on the different organizations offered on campus and found that he really aligned himself with a certain fraternity on campus.
“I really see the brotherhood that it represented, and that attracted me so much,” Livers said. “There’s the D9 … Even within those groups, we all, because the community here on campus is so small, we all stick together in it.”
After finding Phi Beta Sigma, Livers said he reached out and got to know the chapter on campus, which instilled an interest in him.
Joining Phi Beta Sigma required Livers to devote several months to learning about the organization and the people involved.
“I align myself personally with the values and principle of brotherhood, scholarship and service, which they (Phi Beta Sigma) stand for,” Livers said.
At his probate, which Livers described as a new
member presentation and performance, one of the older brothers in the fraternity placed Livers’ line jacket on him, which was proof to him that he did something that was completely for himself.
“It’s the achievement that wasn’t, I guess, necessarily easy,” Livers said.
Now, Livers serves as the treasurer and secretary for the fraternity.
“The Black community on UK’s campus in particular is extremely small; it’s really interconnected,” Livers said. “I don’t think it’s more than 10% of the campus is Black, and it’s a PWI (predominantly white institution), so it is really hard to find that community here on campus, and most of the orgs on campus don’t even have above 20 members.”
The UK chapter of Livers' fraternity only has about three active members, according to Livers.
“Kentucky does struggle with finding that Black involvement on campus, especially since the Black community is so small right now. It’s hard to get those members,” Livers said. “We’re still doing good, we’re doing a lot of things on campus, we’re doing a lot of things off of campus. We started service events.”
Livers’ jacket is a piece and reminder of the fraternity that he said he found and feels community in.
- ALEX LIVERS UK STUDENT “
I was searching for something that would kind of hold myself accountable and push myself towards that aspect.”
Alex Livers wears his line jacket representing the Mighty Mu Theta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity in Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
The friendship between UK seniors Maddie Oakley and Kaidyn Ridenour of 17 years is one defined by clothing.
Ever since the two were introduced to each other, they have been inseparable, doing everything together. Ridenour said after meeting in Kindergarten — Oakley’s mom was Ridenour’s teacher — they have been dressing each other up and doing each other’s makeup since.
Despite pursuing different careers, Oakley studying human nutrition on the pre-dental track, and Ridenour majoring in public health on the nursing track, the two are with each other every day.
Ridenour said they live right next to each other with windows that “say hi to each other.”
After years of laughing and smiling together, Ridenour said they’ve developed smile lines from making each other giddy that they joke about needing botox for.
The two have influenced each other on certain fashion aspects, such as button jeans from Princess Polly that Oakley said she sold out after posting a video on her TikTok account.
The girls have amassed over 38,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok. The two not only share their love of fashion with each other but also their passion of creating online content for their followers.
During Ridenour’s senior year of high school, she said she started posting videos on TikTok.
“Then I started working with some clothing brands like Calypso, WKND Club, and I kind of just was
already taking photos and posting that content, and then I was like, wait, I really love doing this,” Ridenour said.
Oakley said she discovered her love for influencing after going abroad and filming short-form content there.
At the beginning of 2025, she said she started taking it very seriously and ended up landing her first brand deal.
“It just takes one video,” Oakley said. “Kaidyn and I have both worked with Prada, Versace and Valentino, just insane brands.”
Having confidence, even when it’s just a matter of “faking it till you make it” Ridenour said is what she believes makes them successful in their endeavors.
Oakley said having each other as friends also helps make them confident in their influencing.
“We’re always surrounded by creative minds everywhere we go,” Oakley said. “It’s not hard to want to be creative with our style with our videos that we make.”
When the influencers were younger, the fashion trends that they shared together were Vineyard Vines clothing and Southern Tide.
Today, the pair are big fans of vintage clothing and will often go hunting for vintage pieces together.
Ridenour said she and Oakley created a depop called @shopthewayshewearsit, which Ridenour runs with over 700 followers, selling old pieces she doesn’t wear anymore. They will also let girls rent dresses from them for things like vacations and date parties.
For years, the girls have shared pieces of one another’s, defining their years-long friendship.
Maddie Oakley & Kaidyn Ridenour
Kaidyn Ridenour and Maddie Oakley wear matching outfits and drink matcha at Floating Lotus Kitchen on Thursday, Feb.12, 2026, in Lexington, Ky. SPRING 2026
Shifting Gears.
Leather jackets and gloves, combat boots and dark layers often define the edginess of motorcycle culture and fashion. Silver buckles, distinctive hardware, cropped shirts and graphic tees are staple complements to the dark eye makeup, heavy eyeliner and bold lipstick that is key to this look. Utilizing black and white photos, KRNL wanted to showcase how this strong grunge style continues to transcend fashion through time.
WRITTEN BY LILLY KEITH
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTO BY LILY FOSTER
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER VINTAGE THERAPY TOP PANTS
SPRING
PHOTOS BY LILY FOSTER
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
VINTAGE THERAPY SHIRT
JACKET JEANS
PHOTO BY LILY FOSTER
PHOTO BY LILY FOSTER
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTO BY KATE THOMPSON
PHOTO BY KAJ BARRON
Cases of bottled Ale-8-Ones are seen on a conveyor belt at Ale-8-One Bottling Co. on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Winchester, Ky.
KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION
A CENTURY OF SODA: FORMULA TO SUCCESS Ale-8-One’s
WRITTEN BY ADELAIDE CAHILL | PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN KANTOSKY
Tucked away in a back corner of Ale-8-One’s production facility in Winchester, Kentucky, at the top of a brown spiral staircase, behind multiple locked doors and an alarm system, lies the formula that creates Kentucky's beloved soda — and Fielding Rogers holds the only key.
Rogers is the fourth-generation family member to run the Ale-8-One company. The 44-year-old chairman said his involvement with the company started at 6 days old when he was photographed in the former Ale-8-One office.
“I got to see the building built when I was, I think, 8 years old,” Rogers said. “There’s a handprint over in the concrete and part of the parking lot over there, so how I got to be involved is that kind of self-explanatory way.”
Studying business at Washington and Lee University, Rogers said that he was never too far from the family company.
During his summers in college, Rogers worked in the production facility, stocked shelves and helped with quality control.
At the time, his father was president. Rogers said his father always included the kids in the family business practices, most importantly, climbing up the spiral staircase to create the “secret formula.”
This formula has been essential to Ale-8-One for almost 100 years, which Rogers said is the key to producing every single original-flavored Ale-8-One drink that you will ever see.
“As kids, my brother, my sister and I, we would watch Dad make up the secret formula,” Rogers said. “There is a secret room in the warehouse. There is only one key. It's behind a locked door, and another locked door, and alarm systems and all this.”
The founder, G.L. Wainscott, Rogers’ great-greatuncle, began the concept of Ale-8-One in 1902 when he started a company that made flavored bottled water, turning into what he called Wainscott's Flavors.
Four years later, Wainscott created Roxa-Kola, named after his wife, Roxanne, which became his trademark for the majority of his career.
In 1926, Wainscott came up with the recipe for what would be Ale-8-One, and after entering it into a naming contest at the Clark County Fair, the soda’s name was born.
“There are so many kinds of legends about Wainscott,” Rogers said. “I only kind of know the word-of-mouth stories … but apparently he was just a very interesting guy, very entrepreneurial spirit. I think he was one of those guys who just has an idea and then doesn’t think about it, he just does it.”
The recipe Wainscott formulated can only be made by Rogers or a member of his family, although he said that, because no other family members are working at the company now, he has produced the formula himself since 2003.
“I think Dad had said, ‘It’s time for you to do it … The training wheels are off. It’s time to go mix it up,’” Rogers said.
When he became CEO in 2013, it also meant Rogers was now responsible for the “secret formula.”
“I’ve got these handwritten notes,” Rogers said.“The formula is the exact same formula; it’s just a very different scale.”
The notes have the formula measured in drams and drops, something that Rogers said had to be converted when the recipe was needed for mass production.
“I had to look up what a dram was,” Rogers said.
Fielding Rogers poses for a photo holding
on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Winchester, Ky.
“That’s not a normal unit of measure in my world.”
Rogers said everything also has to be done with food safety and consistency in mind. There are food-grade machines that mix the ingredients, unlike the wooden paddle that Wainscott used.
The formula itself is very potent, Rogers said, which means he only needs to go up the spiral staircase every few weeks to mix up a new batch.
“You don’t need a lot of it,” Rogers said. “A little bit goes a long way. A drop of it will make about 16 bottles.”
Rogers said his path was always more directed toward working for Ale-8-One compared to his siblings, but there was never any pressure from family.
“The family has always been like, ‘Do what you’d like to do,’” Rogers said. “I don’t think it was an expectation … We all got to pick, all the kids.”
Rogers took over from his father in 2009. He said his understanding of all the facets of the company came from working there all those summers.
“You get to interact with the fans and the consumers,” Rogers said. “You work in the grocery store, and so you've worked with the store managers. And then on the production side, you can see how it's made and … all the things that are important to make sure that the product always tastes great, and it's always consistent.”
His summer jobs couldn’t encapsulate all the
responsibilities he would have to undertake as chairman, Rogers said, which is why it was important for him to be open to change.
“When I showed up here, it was, well, sink or swim,” Rogers said. “Then it was drinking from a fire hose because learning the real business side of the business was completely different … I just try to keep an open mind … No one person can know it all.”
After nine years of being CEO, Rogers said he decided to give over control of Ale-8-One to the first non-family member, Ellen McGeeney.
“The goal when I started as CEO was basically to … take all the things I’ve learned from working as vice president, and make (Ale-8-One) as resilient as possible,” Rogers said.
Rogers said he felt confident that it was time to exchange power, and he still maintains the most important job: handling the secret formula.
“In about 2013, I decided, OK, most of the work I think I'm good at, I’ve done. Now, I want to … take it to the next level, expand that team,” Rogers said.
Coming up on the 100th anniversary of Ale-8-One, Rogers said he is proud that he has helped contribute to its legacy.
“I think (Wainscott) would be amazed (the formula) is still a secret,” Rogers said. “I think he would also be amazed that we do it in the kind of batches we do.”
a case of Ale-8-Ones at Ale-8-One Bottling Co.
Even though Rogers took a step back from the business side of Ale-8-One, he said his love for the company runs deep, and the most rewarding part of his job is carrying on the dream that his great-great-uncle started.
“I really just think of, you know, this is kind of his baby, and I think of myself as kind of a steward of the company for a generation,” Rogers said. “You wanna leave it better than you found it, so that is my goal.”
As for Rogers, he said he has no plans of turning over the secret recipe anytime soon or stopping the growth that he has started.
“We are still a small company,” Rogers said. “We don’t have the big budgets of the big global guys. So, a lot of what we count on is word of mouth. So, we’re not gonna be buying any Super Bowl ads, but we want to take really good care of our brand, his (Wainscott’s) brand, and keep the fans growing.”
“As kids, my brother, my sister and I, we would watch Dad make up the secret formula. There is a secret room in the warehouse. There is only one key. It’s behind a locked door, and another locked door, and alarm systems and all this.”
-
FIELDING ROGERS CHAIRMAN OF ALE-8-ONE
COMPANY
Bottled Ale-8-Ones are seen moving on a conveyor belt at Ale-8-One Bottling Co. on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Winchester, Ky.
Mallory Quisenberry wears a handmade quilted jacket, surrounded by quilts, on her family farm on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Frankfort, Ky.
From farmland to fashion week: Mallory Quisenberry quilts her legacy
WRITTEN BY ELENA WRIGHT | PHOTOS BY LILY FOSTER & ELIZABETH HUNTER
From her rural Kentucky roots to the runways of New York, Mallory Quisenberry has stitched a career together by textile revival and personalization through her clothing brand, Green Folk Collective.
Quisenberry, who grew up on a cattle farm outside of Frankfort, Kentucky, said she credits her agricultural upbringing and family’s quilting traditions for shaping her work as a heritage-inspired designer.
Her designs have been featured at New York Fashion Week and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, marking a rapid rise from self-taught sewing to couture runways.
Quisenberry points to generations of creative women in her family as having a lasting influence on her work.
“I’m so lucky because I’ve been surrounded by the best grandmas ever,” Quisenberry said.
She describes her paternal grandmother as a style icon who wore lipstick and high heels to go pump the gas, while her maternal grandmother was the foundational matriarch for her family.
Quisenberry said her great-grandmother, who founded the Central Kentucky Homemakers Quilt Guild, was known for her bold color combinations and unique fabric choices.
“She was a very creative person who had wild tastes,” Quisenberry said.
After finding statewide success in the guild, her great-grandmother would go on to be the president of the Kentucky Heritage Quilt Society. Quisenberry said she finds similar qualities reflected in her mother, who is also very creative and hardworking.
Deciding to leave the farm and pursue higher
education was an intimidating decision for Quisenberry; no one in her family had ever earned a college degree. Even so, she said she quickly found her home at the University of Kentucky, majoring in integrated strategic communications and minoring in spanish.
“After my first semester, I remember thinking, oh, I can totally do this, and I can make the Dean’s List,” Quisenberry said.
In 2020, she said she faced new financial pressures when funding for her internship with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education was cut due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From a place of desperation, she launched “Mal’s Closet Cleanout” on Instagram, selling clothes she repurposed or designed to support herself through college.
What began with small orders soon gained momentum with the resurgence of bleached T-shirts, allowing for a new business opportunity.
“I have a lot of memories of being in my Newtown Crossing apartment doing all kinds of designs,” Quisenberry said. “And I had a really great opportunity when Immanuel Quickley, who was playing UK basketball at the time, reached out to me.”
After Quickley’s support brought new attention to her page, Quisenberry diversified her inventory to include vintage UK merchandise and rebranded her account as “Mal Thrifts.”
Still, she said her first true breakout moment came with the “Be Nice” crewnecks — a design and message that drew thousands of new customers and followers. For months, Quisenberry handstitched these words onto
10 crewnecks a week, and while the financial success was gratifying, she said it soon pushed her to think critically about her craft.
“I remember thinking: if you really want to do this, you need to have some real sewing technique and some sort of skill, and, at that time I didn’t, really,”
Quisenberry said.
The decision to slow down her business ultimately granted her the space and professional technique for Green Folk Collective to grow from viral moments into a steady brand. Stepping away from the fast-paced cycle of weekly drops, Quisenberry said she taught herself to sew through YouTube tutorials.
“I’m so glad that I learned that way,” Quisenberry said, “Because it really motivated me to make my online sewing course.”
She bought her first industrial sewing machine and spent months developing a three-week sewing course from her Louisville apartment.
“No one is going to pay me to do this, and I’m going to sell it for much cheaper than any other sewing course you can get,” Quisenberry said. “It was my way of trying to give back to something that gave so much to me.”
As her expertise and reputation grew, so did the scope of opportunities available with Green Folk Collective.
Quisenberry was invited to be a vendor at the 2023 Railbird Festival by her friend and fellow local artist, Bri Bowers. She said that has been her most successful event to date and was fundamental to her confidence as a business owner.
The following year, her quilt-inspired patchwork
18,
Mallory Quisenberry holds up the skirt of a dress she designed at her home-studio on Sunday, Jan.
2026, in Louisville, Ky.
“
Advice I’d give to myself: Remember not just my why, but that it’s important to make your day worthwhile, that’s where I find the most peace in my life.”
MALLORY QUISENBERRY
-
FOUNDER OF GREEN FOLK COLLECTIVE
Mallory Quisenberry laughs while stitching a patch on a coat made of an upcycled quilt at her home-studio on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Louisville, Ky.
It’s a piece of my life and many people’s lives that is nostalgic. And I also really love quilts because it’s one of the few things in history that transcends all socioeconomic status ... at the end of the day, whether you were rich or poor or in the middle, everybody had a quilt and had some sort of connection to it.”
- MALLORY QUISENBERRY FOUNDER OF GREEN FOLK COLLECTIVE
princess gown — featuring a strapless corset bodice and A-line skirt — was modeled and sold during New York Fashion Week.
“That was a dream come true,” Quisenberry said.
In 2025, her landscape dress, titled “Farming 13 Miles From Town,” was featured in the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft Couture runway show, modeled by her childhood best friend and later displayed in the museum.
Quisenberry said quilting is not a fleeting trend but a generational practice.
“It’s a piece of my life and many people’s lives that is nostalgic. And I also really love quilts because it’s one of the few things in history that transcends all socioeconomic status,” Quisenberry said. “At the end of the day, whether you were rich or poor or in the middle, everybody had a quilt and had some sort of connection to it.”
This deep, sentimental relationship to quilts shapes her work.
“It's something that resonates with me and my family,” Quisenberry said. “It allows me to feel very connected to who I am, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Beyond the family lineage, upcycling quilts into gowns, coats or even Christmas stockings offers her something more personal.
“This is cliche,” Quisenberry said. “But it really is a meditative practice that has given me a lot of peace.”
The mission of Green Folk Collective is to breathe life into old pieces for people to enjoy.
“That is the one thing that AI can’t replicate: personal taste,” Quisenberry said.
For her, sustainability and ethical business decisions mean sourcing materials locally when she can while keeping products affordable. Quisenberry said that this duality is important both as a business owner and consumer.
“Caring about where your clothes come from is a privilege,” Quisenberry said.
Beyond fashion, she offers her wisdom on living a fulfilled life, one day at a time.
“Advice I’d give to myself: Remember not just my why, but that it’s important to make your day worthwhile,” Quisenberry said. “That’s where I find the most peace in my life.”
Her advice is rooted in experience, built from the small, tedious tasks like trying out a new sewing machine for the first time.
“When you’re first starting out, it (the thread) comes unthreaded or gets tangled … it would take me about 20 minutes each time (to rethread it),” Quisenberry said. “I remember thinking to myself, I’m going to get so fast at it. And I did.”
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Mallory Quisenberry’s sheer robe billows in the air behind her as she walks around her home-studio on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Louisville, Ky.
WILLIAM
AMPS UP HIS LOVE FOR MUSIC ALLEN
WRITTEN BY COCO THOMPSON | PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
Outside, a thick layer of white snow covers the campus sidewalks. Inside, the warm smell of incense and muffled sound of alternative rock fills the WRFL office as William Allen, a junior at the University of Kentucky, slings his backpack off his shoulder and sits down at the office’s center table.
For Allen, the sounds of WRFL, UK’s student-run radio station, play a bigger role in his life than just background music.
“I just love music. I love sharing music,” Allen said. “And I like being in a community that appreciates music as much as I do.”
Allen said he grew up alongside musically-inclined parents and 2010s pop hits, but he has transcended far beyond beginner guitar and band at Lafayette High School.
Allen now DJs his own radio show on WRFL, and plays electric guitar in Valus, a band made up of Allen and two of his friends.
Allen’s music journey began officially at Lexington Music Education, where he and his brother started guitar and piano lessons at 6 years old. His band originated in the same place, after Allen joined LME’s “Rock School!” program, which matches students into small bands.
During his time with the program, Allen said he moved between a few different bands made up of other preteens before being asked to join a blues group with Liam Arora and Gabe Spencer, who would go on to become Valus’ respective drummer and bassist.
Backstage after a performance at girlsgirlsgirls Burritos, Spencer said Allen was welcoming when they first began playing together, while Arora remembers thinking, “This is the best guitar player my age.”
Now, almost a decade later, the connection between the three is clearly visible, both onstage and off.
“One summer I wanted to do more rock stuff, more emo stuff,” Allen said, detailing Valus’ transition from teenagers at LME to a fully realized “emo alternative” band with two albums under their belts.
Valus released their first official single, “Alone as a God,” in November 2024, and their debut album, “Mascot,” in February 2025. Their most recent album, “Stable for Scoring,” was released in October of the same year, and “had a very collective writing process,” according to Allen.
A song off of “Stable for Scoring,” titled “4th of July,” features one of Allen’s favorite lyrics. A reference to the passing of one of his grandparents, Allen sings, “You never said goodbye,” deepening the connection between Allen’s family and his music.
Allen also values a strong connection between his music and the audience during performances. He said he remembers being nervous as a child when playing for crowds of parents who would, “rather be anywhere else.”
Today, Allen said his favorite performances are house shows, which he praises for being intimate and “there for people who love listening to music and love having a good time.”
William Allen plays guitar and sings Valus’ song “Chique” at The Burl on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Lexington, Ky.
I think it’s super valuable … for music to be taught down. Everyone has their own unique experiences with music, and I think that’s what’s so cool about music education — everyone teaches music a little differently." “
- WILLIAM ALLEN SINGER AND GUITARIST OF VALUS
Valus has even performed inside Arora’s living room, a memory Allen said the band looked back on fondly, even though the night ended with an audience member breaking through one of the windows.
The feeling of sharing something with the world is what makes music so special to Allen, and what he said motivates him in his WRFL radio show, “Good Grief,” as well. The show serves as a direct reflection of whatever musical phase Allen is going through at the time.
Allen said he “kinda fell into” WRFL after looking to get involved on campus during his first semester at UK.
“I didn’t … start doing WRFL because I wanted to have a ‘hit radio show.’ I just wanted to have fun, and play songs on the radio, and have cool experiences and get to share some of the music I find interesting,” Allen said.
And while Allen isn’t allowed to play any of his own music on the air (or any Billboard Top 200 songs for that matter), Valus was given the opportunity to play at WRFL’s 37th Birthday Bash.
The Birthday Bash show was held at The Burl, a music venue in Lexington, and is in the running for Allen’s all-time favorite performance, partially because he got to open for Geese, a band Allen said he “worshipped.”
“WRFL’s kind of … an extension of what I want my music to be, and my performance to be and my future to be,” Allen said.
Ideally, Allen said he and the rest of Valus would be full-time musicians, but, for now, Allen is a double major in music performance and education and currently teaches at Lexington Music Education.
“I think it’s super valuable … for music to be taught
William Allen’s guitar sits on stage as the bent strings illuminate in the light at The Burl in Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, Feb 1. 2026.
down. Everyone has their own unique experiences with music, and I think that’s what’s so cool about music education — everyone teaches music a little differently,” Allen said.
Encouraging creativity and authenticity is at the heart of Allen’s music career, he said, especially today when “more people are shying away from (being creative) now that there’s the ease of typing a prompt into a computer.”
The passion for music and connection is visible in Valus and WRFL, which Allen said make him such a good fit within these communities.
“It’s really important for stations like WRFL and any outlet of creativity to exist and … continue to exist,” Allen said.
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WRFL’s kind of … an extension of what I want my music to be, and my performance to be and my future to be.” “
- WILLIAM ALLEN SINGER AND GUITARIST OF VALUS
Fans watch as Valus performs on stage at The Burl on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Lexington, Ky.
Pets are often considered man’s best friend, and what better way to show friendship than to match? Dressed in furs, sharp heels and lots of textures and patterns, models in this shoot highlight the similarities between them and their furry companions. Each model's photos and outfit strived to make a sharp, classy reflection of personality with bold posture and playful poses.
WRITTEN
BY
ADELAIDE CAHILL
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTOS
SUBJECT MATTER
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTO BY KAJ BARRON
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTO
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTO BY KATE THOMPSON
PHOTO BY LILY FOSTER
PHOTO BY KATE THOMPSON
Derek and Brandon Campbell pose for a portrait outside of The Burl on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Lexington, Ky.
Black, queer and country: Meet The Kentucky Gentlemen
Meet The Kentucky Gentlemen
WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRIA LANDGRAF | PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
BBeing seen has never carried the same meaning for everyone, a sentiment The Kentucky Gentlemen know well.
At 31, twin brothers Brandon and Derek Campbell are carving out space in country music from the margins they were never meant to occupy. As Black, queer artists, their presence alone challenges a genre that has historically limited who is seen, heard and celebrated.
Raised in Versailles, Kentucky, the siblings blend country, pop and R&B with dance, fashion and theatrical performance — not just expanding the genre’s sound, but challenging long‑held ideas about who and what belongs on its stages.
“We are two dreamers that any time anyone looked us in the eyes and said, we ‘couldn’t do it,’ we showed them why we could,” Derek said.
Moving to Nashville, Tennessee, touring with The War & Treaty, releasing their debut album, “Rhinestone Revolution,” in June 2025, and earning spots on national artists to watch lists, The Kentucky Gentlemen have
spent nearly a decade proving that point.
They have also been recognized by Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation as “New Voices in Country” and selected for the inaugural Black Music Action Coalition and ACM OnRamp program.
“It was 10 years in the making,” Derek said. “Just ‘Rhinestone Revolution,’ and the whole thing was about shining anyway.”
For Brandon, the release marked a turning point.
“It was a perfect way to really express ourselves and release something we made ourselves,” Brandon said. “It was the perfect way to get everything out in one era.”
That work ethic was shaped long before they settled into the Nashville music scene. Growing up in a large, tight‑knit Kentucky family — “about 16 aunties and uncles all together,” they said — music was woven into everyday life.
Church choirs, family performances and nights spent singing along to Disney Channel became their early training grounds.
“We’re very thankful to be shown what unconditional love is and support,” Brandon said. “But it’s not the easiest thing to do when who we are exists outside of our family.”
In their younger years, they said they would leave football practice early to go to ballet. Though they shared influences, Derek and Brandon did not follow identical paths after high school.
not to choose between their influences but to embrace all of them.
“When we came back together and decided to become The Kentucky Gentlemen, we had different interests,” Derek said. “We chose the best of both of us and brought it together.”
“Everyone is sitting back, terrified of being who they are, and it makes everyone so miserable. We refuse to be miserable.”
“So for college, everyone thought we were going to play football or do the NFL thing,” Brandon said. “Instead, we chose music and dance.”
Eventually, the brothers reunited creatively, deciding
- BRANDON CAMPBELL MUSICIAN
That authenticity doesn’t stop with the music.
For The Kentucky Gentlemen, transparency is personal.
“There’s a funny thing when we said, ‘Let’s show the world who we completely are,’ and things didn’t get easier,” Derek said. “I personally realized what it would take on my mental health if I wasn’t able to live as myself.”
Brandon Campbell leans an arm on the shoulder of his brother, Derek Campell while posing for a portrait outside of The Burl on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Lexington, Ky.
Derek and Brandon Campbell lift up the Woodford County hand signal during their performance at The Burl on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Lexington, Ky.
SPRING
Derek said stepping fully into his identity became necessary to show the truth to himself and for others who need to see that kind of openness.
“Even if it seems like we’re the first of our kind to do something, we don’t want to be the last,” Brandon said. “Little kids and grown adults need to see people like us being recognized so they know it’s OK to be who they are.”
Being open, they said, carries responsibility.
“Visibility is so important,” Derek said. “The more visible we are, the more that visibility saves lives.”
That belief carries onto the stage. The twins said they move together and apart, leaning into both their similarities and differences through choreography, harmony and style.
“We perform just like we did when we were growing up in our bedroom,” Derek said. “Sometimes I’ll switch notes on him, on purpose, just to mess with him.”
Their attention to visuals is just as intentional as their music. Their customized clothing and bold fashion choices contribute to how, with every detail, they assert ownership over their image.
“When it comes to how we’re dressed, we try to make everything ours,” Brandon said. “We either made it from scratch or did something to it.”
They said the discipline behind the scenes has been just as important. Early in their Nashville years, the brothers committed to constant songwriting, building a catalog and sharpening their voices as writers. That persistence paid off during the pandemic, when an unexpected email led to a nationally premiered music video filmed in their living room.
“I got an email back from someone that said, ‘Hi, I just passed this to the president of CMT (Country Music Television) and want to do a world premiere for this. Do you have a music video?’” Brandon said. “And we lied and said yes.”
Within 24 hours, they transformed their home into a makeshift set, pulling in props and recruiting a few friends willing to help. It was the kind of rapid, improvisational effort they said that reminded them why they keep creating and why their work resonates with fans.
As their audience has grown, so have the moments that reinforce that connection.
‘‘ VISIBILITY IS SO IMPORTA NT. THE MORE VISIBLE WE ARE, THE MORE THAT VISIBILIT Y SAVES LIVES.”
- DEREK CAMPBELL MUSICIAN
After a show in Tennessee, the brothers said they received a handwritten letter from a fan in Ohio describing how much their music meant to him. They later invited the fan to their Ohio show and learned he was autistic, so they made sure he had sensory‑friendly headphones for the concert.
“He stayed the whole time,” Derek said. “We finally got to talk to him afterward and realized it’s so much more than folks just pressing play on our music.”
Another fan approached them after an early tour stop and quietly handed them money.
“He said, ‘I know how hard this can be,’” Brandon said. “And he pretty much handed us our rent money.”
Those interactions, Derek said, matter as much as any milestone.
“There’s nothing more special than realizing people out there care that deeply,” Derek said.
Now, with new music and collaborations ahead,
LITTLE KIDS AND GROWN ADULTS NEED TO SEE PEOPLE LIKE US BEING RECOGNIZED SO THEY KNOW IT’S OK TO BE WHO THEY ARE.”
- BRANDON CAMPBELL MUSICIAN
Brandon said The Kentucky Gentlemen are continuing forward without softening their edges or their message.
“Everyone is sitting back, terrified of being who they are, and it makes everyone so miserable,” Brandon said.
“We refuse to be miserable.”
Derek and Brandon Campbell perform a song at The Burl on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Lexington, Ky.
Double Dan, Double the Horsepower
Dan James knew he wanted to work with horses after seeing Tonto, a gray pony that came over to Australia when he was 7 years old.
“I said to my mom and dad at that time, ‘If we buy that pony, I’ll ride,’” James said.
James is the CEO of Double Dan Horsemanship, which originated in New South Wales, Australia, and now has a second headquarters located across the world in Lexington, Kentucky.
“I never had a plan B to do something outside of the equine world,” James said.
James said he grew up surrounded by horses and property and knew he wanted to stay connected to them for his entire life.
Horsemanship was that solution for James. The best way to describe
WRITTEN BY LAURYN LEMONS
horsemanship, he said, is the art of riding, training and handling horses while focusing on communication skills and trust with horses.
“From the time I was a kid, I was fascinated by how people got to do things with horses and how they got them to do it. That kind of spurred the curiosity about it, and from that, I pursued the journey,” James said.
From Australia’s Got Talent to multiple Fédération Équestre Internationale World Equestrian Games, James has experienced it all in his career as a horseman.
James came to Kentucky for the first time in 2009, where he did some work with horses to prepare for the 2010 World Equestrian Games.
James said he was not impressed with the state during his first visit, as the infamous ice storm caused some chaos throughout Kentucky and
surrounding states, but a year later, he returned for the games.
Eventually, in 2011, James began doing clinics in Lexington as part of Double Dan Horsemanship.
“At first, I was thinking, who would live in this God forsaken place? And now I say, God’s got a sense of humor,” James said.
Although he still splits his time between Kentucky and Australia, James said he considers 2012 to be the year he officially moved to Lexington, as he came over with two of his horses.
James said his years of growing up in Australia helped his horsemanship to be successful in Kentucky.
“In Australia, you are required to be more diverse in what you do to make a living. You deal with a broad range of horses. Over here, it’s a lot
Dan James with Palomino horses at their farm in Midway, Ky. Photo provided by Double Dan Horsemanship.
more specific,” James said.
This diversity in Australia led James to be more equipped to deal with a variety of horses, which he said has given him a leg up in horsemanship.
In Double Dan Horsemanship, a method called Liberty is the focus, a horse training technique where no tack is used. Tacks can be classified as ropes, halters and bridles.
This technique cannot go without mentioning James’ partner, Dan Steers, hence the name of the horsemanship.
“One of the greatest accomplishments in what we’ve done is Dan Steers and myself successfully maintaining a partnership through the course of our careers,” James said.
James and Steers work together to teach others important nonverbal communication cues with their horses, focusing on body posture, demeanor and attitude.
“Over the years of being able to watch both horses and people, it helps us personally to become better communicators,” James said. “And
“One of the biggest parts in helping people is meeting them where they’re at,” James said.
James has also participated in over 1,000 live shows, where he competes against other riders in judged exhibitions, typically in front of an audience.
To successfully have a horse compete at the highest levels and do it with a great moral integrity really does take a true artist,”
- DAN JAMES CEO OF DOUBLE DAN HORSEMANSHIP
then try to pass some of those skill sets along.”
James said he has used his years of experience in horsemanship to his advantage, showing others how to feel satisfaction in their relationships with horses.
“To successfully have a horse compete at the highest levels and do it with a great moral integrity really does take a true artist,” James said.
Within his horsemanship, James said horse protection and maintaining good intentions with the people he works with is a priority.
In 2011, a recruiting agency contacted James and offered him the opportunity to compete on Australia’s Got Talent. James and Steers showcased one of the first onstage live animal acts.
“We knew it would be great exposure for us,” James said.
James and his partner were able to make it past a few rounds, and their routines gained attention all throughout the world, attracting over 1 million views on platforms such as YouTube.
Recently, in March 2023, James and his partner were called to host the opening ceremonies for the American Performance Horseman, a showcase and celebration of the best athletes in the Western equine world at Globe Life Field in Texas.
Many of these opportunities come from the awards James has racked
up throughout his career.
In 2018, he won the James Brainard Award, which honors a horseman who uses observation and analysis to apply the best approach for a horse. He was also the Freestyle Reining Champion at the American Quarter Horse Congress in 2014 and made an appearance in the Gaucho Derby, an ultra endurance and survival race in Patagonia, Argentina.
Despite the achievements throughout his career, James said he stays grounded in remembering where he started.
“I always go back to thinking about the very first award I won back at Pony Club (Australia),” James said.
His favorite part of what he does, working with horses one on one, James said also stems from his childhood.
“There are always those moments where you’re working on something new with your horse, whether it be a maneuver or whatever it might be, and often those moments happen firstly at home, when nobody’s in the arena,” James said. “That part has never gotten old.”
A silhouette shows an Outback Arafura horse rearing at Liveringa Station in Western Australia. Photo provided by Double Dan Horsemanship.
BORN OUT OF SILENCE:
A survivor’s journey to motherhood
WRITTEN BY LILLY KEITH | PHOTOTS BY LILY FOSTER & CARA RAIFORD
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026,
Hadley Duvall holds her newborn baby girl in her nursery at her home on
in Kentucky.
Hadley Duvall lived in fear for the majority of her childhood.
Getting off the bus after school, she knew her stepdad would be there at home, alone.
When she got checked out of school, Duvall said her body would tremble with fear.
What if he were the one to pick her up instead of her mom?
School was an escape from him. An escape from something that Duvall said she didn’t yet understand, but she knew was wrong.
Even at sleepovers in her own house, he would wake her up in the middle of the night to get her alone.
The first time it clicked with Duvall that what she was experiencing from her stepfather was wrong was at a school assembly. The guidance counselors taught the young children about their “no no squares” and how it was wrong for anyone to touch them there.
“I almost went and talked to the guidance counselor that day in second grade,” Duvall said. “Instead, I went home, and I remember telling my stepdad, you’re not supposed to be touching me there; this is what they said in school. And his response was ‘Well, that’s for strangers.’”
At 7 years old, Duvall said his response made perfect sense to her. Why wouldn’t she believe him? Her stepfather married her mom when she was only 2 years old, and he had been a consistent father figure in her life.
Starting at 5 years old, Duvall was sexually abused by her stepfather. At 12 years old, Duvall took her first pregnancy test; it was positive. Just a few weeks later, she experienced a miscarriage, another secret Duvall was forced to keep with her abuser.
Her family life was normal, from the outside looking in. The “perfect all American family,” she said, with new cars, name brand everything, dogs, a boat, a jet ski, yearly family vacations.
“That’s why you really never know what someone’s going through,” Duvall said. “Their marriage, back then, to me, was healthy. Cooked dinner every night, we always had food and groceries, clean laundry, clean house. We even had a housekeeper at one point for a couple of years. We lived a good life.”
The abuse continued into high school, and in health class, after learning about women’s bodies, Duvall knew something had to change.
“Looking around wondering like who else is going through this? Who else has experienced this?” Duvall said. “Just not wanting to live in fear anymore. I was just so done.”
Duvall said she decided she needed to tell her mom during her freshman year of high school about what had been happening.
Over text, Duvall told her mom she needed to talk to her about something. Her mom asked lots of follow up questions. One being if they needed to call the police. When Duvall said, “yes,” her mom checked her out of school so they could have an in person conversation.
“I remember we’re driving down the street, I know
“
Looking around wondering like who else is going through this? Who else has experienced this?
Just not wanting to live in fear anymore. I was just so done.”
- HADLEY DUVALL WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST
Hadley Duvall holds her newborn baby girl in her nursery at her home on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Kentucky.
exactly what street, I know everything about the day,” Duvall said. “And I just came out and told her, and she immediately stopped the car in the middle of the street.”
Her mom vomited. After driving home, they sat in silence for what Duvall said felt like hours, trying to figure out what they were going to do next.
Duvall said they decided she would stay with a friend, telling her stepdad that she was there working on a school project. Meanwhile her mom remained at home and prepared to leave their life there behind.
Her mom cleared the bank accounts, hid and locked up the guns in their house and then confronted her stepfather with witnesses, Duvall said.
Every year when that day comes around, Duvall said she celebrates it as the day she had her breakthrough moment. This April marks nine years.
Her abuser is now incarcerated with a 20 year sentence after taking a plea deal almost 10 years ago. After serving 5 years, he was up for parole.
However, Duvall talked to the parole board, resulting in a 10 year deferment, which makes him ineligible for parole until 2032.
Duvall shared her experience using her social media platforms, turning her circumstances into something bigger than herself.
In Andy Beshear’s gubernatorial campaigns, Duvall participated in an ad for Beshear where she shared her story. She said the opposing candidate at the time, Daniel Cameron, would not allow for women and girls to have control of their bodies in situations like hers.
Duvall participated in a similar ad for presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2025 and joined her on a tour bus across the states to speak out about reproductive freedom and women’s rights.
In June of 2025, at age 23, Duvall took another pregnancy test. It was positive.
“Honestly, when I first found out I was pregnant ... I was just like oh my gosh, not again,” Duvall said. “I was
Reproductive rights activist Hadley Duvall goes through her baby drawer on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at her home in Kentucky.
really terrified. Honestly, I wasn’t excited, and I can say that with full excitement now.”
Duvall’s fiance, Hayden, whom she met in college, was thrilled when Duvall told him she was pregnant. The two are planning to get married next year.
As Duvall grew to be excited about her pregnancy, she said she also fought several fears and memories of past experiences.
After the first year Duvall was with her fiance, they lost his nephew to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome at only 5 months old.
“After having Hampton (Duvall’s daughter), we both kind of … weren’t really talking to each other about how scared we were and how anxious we were,” Duvall said. “We both kind of just sat with each other and cried about the pressure … We witnessed his death, and that’s hard.”
Being able to be emotionally vulnerable has helped Duvall through the fears of having a newborn.
With her previous miscarriage at 12 years old, Duvall said that also added anxiety onto her most recent pregnancy.
“I knew that I was at risk for another one,” Duvall said. “It’s like the first thing I wanted to cover was like, what’s my plan? If something happens, if I wake up in the middle of the night, if I’m not feeling well or something’s going wrong, where is the safest place to go?”
Kentucky has a near total abortion ban, with a trigger ban that went into effect in June of 2022. Residing in a state with limited reproductive care for women, Duvall said she was nervous.
“The women I work with, beside every single day, the stories that I’ve heard, I know the risk. I know the complications, and I knew the hard conversations that needed to be had,” Duvall said. “But honestly, his (her fiance’s) support made me feel a lot better.”
Being an activist, Duvall knows that her daughter will understand that there are people out there fighting for her.
“It is a scary time to bring a child, especially a girl, into the world. I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Duvall said. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know
that I work alongside — and there are so many women who I haven’t even met yet — who are also doing this work, who are fighting for a better future, for all the little girls.”
After finding out Duvall was having a girl, Duvall said people reassured her that she would be able to give her baby a childhood that she never got.
“That’s true, but that’s so much pressure,” Duvall said. “You literally hold the fate of someone’s memories, someone’s upbringing.”
Pregnancy has given Duvall an opportunity that she hasn’t had before — to do things completely her way, on her own terms, but she said the memories of the past have caused a whirlwind of emotions.
“There were days that I would just sit and cry, and I would wonder what route I wanted to take, was I making the right decision? Was I capable of doing this?” Duvall said. “It’s been very nerve-wracking, not only finding out that it’s a girl, but just being pregnant again.”
Duvall said she never wants her baby girl to feel silenced about anything, the way she was when she was younger. She is still fighting for the future of her baby, and those of the women who surround her.
“I didn’t want anyone to think that, because I’m pregnant, I feel any less about choice. Because, honestly, it has just heightened my feelings about it,” Duvall said. “So just knowing that every day I get up, I’m still fighting for a cause while having the privilege of living through my choice and choosing what’s best for me, and in this situation, it was to keep the pregnancy.” SCAN
“ I didn’t want anyone to think that, because I’m pregnant, I feel any less about choice. Because, honestly, it has just heightened my feelings about it.”
- HADLEY DUVALL WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTVIST
SPRING 2026 |
Reproductive rights activist Hadley Duvall holds her newborn baby on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at her home in Kentucky.
WEAR IT WRONG
Sustainability in the fashion industry isn’t new, but KRNL decided to take our own spin on this phenomenon. Breaking out sewing machines and getting creative, these funky and unique pieces emphasize the ability people have as consumers to repurpose clothing items, stretching their closets and wearing it “wrong.”
From a skirt made of belts to a purse made of jeans, this shoot showcases the versatility of fashion.
WRITTEN BY REAGHAN CHEN
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTOS
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
Belts can sometimes be the star of an outfit, so why not highlight all of your favorites at the same time? Layering belts allows you to combine different leathers, fabrics and hardware to create a one of a kind piece.
A new way to wear a necktie?
This shirt is made fully from ties, breaking the rules on when and where to wear this formalwear accessory. Sewing together patterns and colors of ties can turn these historically mundane items into a unique and eye catching top.
PHOTO BY LILY FOSTER
MADE BY KRNL FASHION TEAM MADE BY OWEN ROBINSON
Wearing it wrong challenges you to think of your clothes in a new light. Items like gloves can be used strictly for their fabric and shape, which is why two long gloves sewn together can make the perfect bralette.
If you have two button up shirts in your closet, you now have a skirt in your arsenal. By connecting the shirts, you can embrace the notion of wearing it wrong, while trying out new color and pattern combinations.
MADE BY KRNL FASHION TEAM
MADE BY SARA RUTH
PHOTOS
PHOTOS
WRITTEN BY REAGHAN CHEN | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ASHLEIGH JONES
At112 pounds, Jennifer Phelps’s self-confidence was at an all time high. A mother of two, in her late 40s, Phelps at 5 foot 3 inches, got down to a size that she said she hadn’t been since high school.
But Phelps did not make this transformation alone. A GLP 1 was the driving force.
“I struggled with my weight for many years, and I’ve tried lots of things over the years, and partially my fault for not remaining consistent with diet and exercise,” Phelps said. “It just seemed like the weight would never leave. So when I heard about GLP 1s, I was like, wow, this could be interesting.”
Using Mounjaro for one year and Ozempic for four months, Phelps said she lost 100 pounds. However, after insurance stopped covering the medication in February 2024 because she no longer met the obesity criteria, Phelps said she could not afford to continue.
“Complete sadness on my part,” Phelps said. “I was sad that the journey was over.”
Almost two years later, Phelps has gained 50 pounds back, left with the photos and thoughts of what her lifestyle looked like with high self confidence and zero food noise.
“I wasn’t eating. I mean, you have no food noise at all,” Phelps said. “That was just crazy because I love junk food. I love sweets. While on that GLP 1, I didn’t think about it, ever.”
Twenty three year old Malina Gaworski said she has already seen the effects of a compounded GLP 1, which she chose due to it being the lowest cost option, after just six weeks of use.
“It has definitely eliminated the ‘food noise’ as they say,” Gaworski said.
A former member of the dance team at Eastern Kentucky University, Gaworski tore her ACL, changing her once active lifestyle completely.
“It really, like, kind of set me into a depression, and I was just very unhealthy and overweight and not working out,” Gaworski said.
Gaworski said she does not like to put a numerical goal on her weight loss, but she would like to get under 200 pounds.
Discovered in the 1980s, GLP 1s targeted patients with Type 2 diabetes; however, one of the side effects was weight loss. The Food and Drug Administration approved these medications for obesity first in 2014, and then again in 2021 and 2023, with guidelines on when to appropriately prescribe for off label use.
Dr. Caroline Geisler, an assistant
professor in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Kentucky’s College of Pharmacy, has focused on how metabolism is regulated in obesity and Type 2 diabetes throughout her career.
Geisler has also done research on GLP 1 signaling, working alongside large pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk, some of the leaders in GLP 1 medications.
“This drug, it works so well,” Geisler said. “It’s what the obesity field has been promising — or looking for — for the last 100 years.”
What is a GLP-1 and how do they work?
Dr. Stephanie Rose started the weight management clinic at UK in 2014, where she talks about GLP 1 medications with her patients regularly and has led educational conversations with other healthcare professionals on these drugs.
Rose said these GLP 1 medications, which mimic nutrient sensing hormones, have been “a breakthrough in terms of what people are able to accomplish in terms of weight loss.”
GLP 1, which stands for glucagon like peptide 1, according to the National Library of Medicine, is a naturally occurring hormone in our gut that helps regulate blood sugar, hunger signals and other metabolic systems.
Medications like semaglutide, branded under Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, branded under Mounjaro and Zepbound, are GLP 1 agonists, which means they mimic the GLP 1 hormone.
Tirzepatide is a dual agonist, which means the medication activates a second hormone known as gastric inhibitory polypeptide, or GIP, along with GLP 1.
Geisler said these medications slow down how food moves through one’s body. They send signals that there is food in your stomach, which can then tell someone’s brain that they are full.
“
these medications are nausea and vomiting, but Geisler said there are also risks of pancreatitis and an inability for food to move through the body when taking a GLP 1.
At UK’s weight loss clinic, Rose said that there have to be specific requirements before she brings up a GLP 1 to a patient, even though she said there has only been one person who did not know what this medication was.
“I do not prescribe them unless they are absolutely indicated, right?” Rose said. “So the indications are a BMI greater than 27 with comorbidities or a BMI of greater than 30, and so I do not prescribe
you know, 24 and want to get down to a BMI of 22.”
Rose said she does continue her patients on medication once they get down to a normal or healthy weight because obesity is a relapsing disease.
“But in terms of giving it to somebody who otherwise falls in a normal BMI category, that’s challenging. That is not something that I currently would feel comfortable doing,” Rose said.
For Gaworski, who goes to the bariatric weight loss clinic at St. Joseph East in Lexington, Kentucky,
This drug, it works so well. It’s what the obesity field has been promising — or looking for — for the last 100 years.”
-
DR. CAROLINE GEISLER ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UK COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
lifetime drug, which is why she is also working to set healthy habits in her diet and exercise routine.
This combination of medication and lifestyle changes is something Rose also believes in for patients at her clinic.
“These meds can be a great tool, but I also explain to people that these meds are a tool. You know, just like a diet is a tool. A surgery is a tool. Medicine is a tool,” Rose said. “All these things are tools that go in your toolbox to help you with weight loss.”
Some people may not be aware of what life
What is the difference between a compounded & non-compounded GLP-1?
In 2024, the FDA announced there were shortages of GLP 1 medications, which caught media attention as many patients who take it for Type 2 diabetes could not get access to these drugs.
This led to the FDA allowing GLP 1s to be compounded, which Rose said essentially means the GLP 1 agonist is mixed with something else, like B12, and it could be used in place of a brand name GLP 1 like Ozempic or Wegovy.
Compounded medications are significantly less expensive, especially for those not covered by
could be like after they get off themedications.
“Your body doesn’t burn as much energy, and your brain tries to tell you to eat more. So when people get off these drugs, if they’re not equipped to manage that, they’re gonna likely gain the weight back,” Geisler said.
This is the reality Phelps said she faced after she abruptly stopped taking a GLP 1 medication. She said diet and exercise were never discussed when she and her provider decided that Phelps should start the medication.
“Just take this shot, and you will lose weight, period,” Phelps said of the instructions she was given by her provider.
insurance, which is a reason Gaworski said she opted for the compounded version.
But earlier this year, the FDA declared the shortage over, which means, “Compounding a commercially available product is allowable only in certain narrow circumstances,” according to the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy’s (KBP) guidelines.
The KBP explained that these permissible situations would occur if the medications ended back on the FDA’s shortage list, but because semaglutide and tirzepatide are currently commercially available drugs, they should not be compounded.
However, there is an exception. For 503A pharmacies, which are pharmacies that compound for a specific patient, the KBP “allows compounding an essential copy when a prescriber documents a clinical difference for an individual patient.”
In Lexington, Lexington Compounding Pharmacy is an example of a 503A pharmacy.
Gaworski said she decided to go with a compounded GLP 1 after looking at the price comparisons. Each month costs her $107 to get the medication and syringes delivered to her doorstep.
The clinic, Gaworski said, goes through a pharmacy
in New York, which she thinks might be a reason why it was a cheaper option. She also said the clinic explained to her that a compounded version is “less concentrated, obviously, than the name brand, but … the results would be fairly similar.”
Phelps said her doctor also offered a compounded GLP 1, but she chose not to proceed due to the cost being around $200 a month.
What is the true cost of a GLP-1?
With the rise of GLP 1s, off label use has become more normalized. With websites like forhers.com and ro, people can now get a GLP 1, name brand or compounded version,
delivered to their doorstep with no in person doctor visit.
“It is available, and it is another tool to modify the way you look, the way you live, how much energy you have, etc.,” Geisler said.
But this tool can impact more than just someone’s physical appearance. Dr. Christia Brown is a developmental psychologist at UK who has studied gender and ethnicity related issues in regard to body image and beauty standards for over 20 years.
Brown said a GLP 1 “teaches us
“
Just take this shot, and you will lose weight, period.”
-
JENNIFER PHELPS FORMER GLP-1 PATIENT
to ignore our normal body cues,” which can prevent people from thinking about food as a fuel source and discourage them from eating in a “cognitively and emotionally healthy way.”
Phelps said she experienced this firsthand. Now, after gaining half of the weight back, Phelps has experienced mental struggles tied to her own body image and confidence.
“I mean, if I’m being completely honest, I would prefer to be a size four rather than a 10. And I know I’m smart enough to know that’s just a number,” Phelps said. “Why am I even hyper-fixated on a number? But you know, it’s human nature.”
This fixation on “thinness” is an issue Brown said affects much of the female population, starting in adolescent girls and, many times,
continuing throughout adulthood.
“You see disordered eating appearing in girls as young as 7 and 8,” Brown said. “As soon as girls start to pay attention to media images of women, you start to see body image go down, and you start to see caloric restrictions for appearance’s sake.”
Brown said we can see this portrayed on magazine covers and in movies, with the majority of celebrities being thin. And despite the increase of body positivity in pop culture, Brown said the idea of being thin is still very prevalent and ingrained in our society.
“I think even when we have folks that were like, ‘Oh, look, we are inclusive of body size,’ the fact that we give so much positive attention to people losing weight kind of undercuts that ideal,” Brown said.
With the rise of GLP 1s, this dialogue has continued at a larger scale, which Brown said gives clues to what is valued for women and girls.
Gaworski was first introduced to GLP 1s by her mom, who was able to lose 30 pounds with Mounjaro. She said her mom encouraged her to bring up the conversation with her provider, and today, several people in Gaworski’s life are on a GLP 1.
This normalization of medicated weight loss is now a reality, but
Brown said important questions have to be asked about why someone is opting for a GLP 1.
“Are you doing it for health reasons, or are you chasing a body ideal and taking medication to chase a body ideal?” Brown said. “That’s where I think the slippery slope is.”
With the FDA approval of these medications, it is now a personal choice if you can meet the requirements and afford to get on a GLP 1.
Despite weight gain and having to get her gallbladder removed, which Phelps said she believes may have resulted from using a GLP 1, Phelps said she would “absolutely” recommend a GLP 1 for someone wanting to strictly lose weight.
“If I could, I would still be on it,” Phelps said.
ONE MAN’S TRASH IS PAPA’S TREASURE
Not too far off of Dixie Highway, a charming brick farmhouse is home to my grandparents, Patty and Bob Schell. Better known by the names their grandkids gave them: Nana and Papa.
In their backyard, a hand laid brick path will take you along a pasture, past a quaint pond and a handmade swing set and place you at the front door of Papa’s barn.
Throughout the 30 years the two have lived there, the barn has held horses, donkeys, chickens, goats and even a rabbit, which I had named Rainbow Cupcake Sprinkles. It acted as a classroom where the Schell kids and grandkids learned how to fish, harvest green beans, drive tractors and whittle wood. And, in the summer, it’s where the grandkids and I would play until Nana would ring the dinner bell.
Of all the things the barn has been, one thing has always remained true: Within its walls lies a collection of keepsakes, knick knacks and ephemera that my Papa has curated over the course of his life and the lives of his loved ones. While newcomers may see trash, a mere 30 minute gallery walk with Papa will illuminate the value in even the most unassuming object.
Of the collection, some of my favorite pieces are his Spamjo, my mom’s old lunch pail and (selfishly) his collection of KRNL magazines. However, these barely scratch the surface of the entire ensemble. Having grown up in this life size collage, I attribute my love for the art of collage to my Papa and his barn.
WRITTEN & ILLUSTRATIONS BY ASHLEIGH JONES
Papa saved all of his badges from his time as an ironworker for Padgett Construction.
Since the passing of his older brother, Tom, Papa saves his brother’s fishing lures as a way to preserve his memory. Many of his other sibilings and close family do the same.
When he did construction work for Keeneland
The light she left behind
WRITTEN BY SYLVIA FREIRE | PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN KANTOSKY
Amy Marsh looks up and sees her daughter, posed in her old dance photo.
Stuck in a glass frame, Lauren Collins’ presence continues to shine through the space she used to call home.
The summer after her first year at the University of Kentucky, Lauren was back home to Union, Kentucky. On July 16, 2023, she went in to work like any other day at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Later that day, Marsh was coming home from a Cincinnati Reds game. Lauren stopped to speak to her mom before leaving again, this time with her hair done and makeup on.
“I said to her, ‘Lauren, I wish you wouldn't go,’” Marsh said. “And she just kind of turned around, did like a little leg flip, and was like, ‘I'll see you later.’”
The Ring camera showed Lauren's last goodbye as she left to go to her friend's house at midnight. Only 10 minutes later, she crashed.
At 2 a.m., a police officer knocked on Marsh’s door, letting her know that Lauren had been in a car accident.
“I knew in my gut,” Marsh said. “I just knew.”
The next few moments became a blur for Marsh: the drive to the hospital, the waiting room, the doctor’s voice.
“I don't remember everything the doctor said, but I just remember her saying she tried everything,” Marsh said. “My brain was just trying to figure it out, and I just was screaming, nonstop screaming. I just couldn't stop.”
After the accident, Marsh received calls from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office to retrieve Lauren’s things from her car.
She met with Detective Jeff Nagy, who told her there was an eyewitness. An off duty paramedic saw the accident, pulled over and saw a tire mark across her car window.
A truck tire came off, detached from its vehicle traveling on the other side of I 75, but instead of the driver staying to see where his tire went, he fled.
“The night before Lauren's funeral, I got a call,” Marsh said. “Someone came to the Independence Police Department and said that they had lost a tire, but that they didn't believe that it had hit anybody, and they didn't believe it was him that they were looking for.”
After months, the police department realized the person who came to them was the driver, and soon Marsh would attend court and see him. In front of her eyes, he pled guilty, leading to his sentence of seven years in prison.
Family and friends filled the room that day with support.
“They (Boone County Court) said they've never received more victim impact statements for any other case ever,” Marsh said.
Marsh said she couldn’t stay stuck in grief because her daughter
wouldn’t have wanted that.
“I can’t live in anger,” Marsh said. “I can’t let that be the thing that defines this.”
After the funeral, Lauren’s Kappa Delta sisters put together a memorial dedicated to her, to commemorate the friend they loved and supported.
Lauren’s friends wrote on slips of paper words that described her, including funny, incredible and having a contagious smile.
“But they (her sorority sisters) said she was unapologetically herself,” Marsh said.
Trinity Acosta, Lauren’s twiddle, which means they share a “big sister” in their Greek family, said they were even called “twins” due to their closeness and likeness.
“Everything about her was truly just everything I had lacked in a best friend in high school, and Lauren met all of those things that I needed in my college friend,” Acosta said.
During Lauren's memorial at the Kappa Delta house, Acosta spoke, as well as Lauren’s big.
Amy Marsh dabs a tear from her eyes while Brady checks on at her at their house on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Union, Ky.
“It was a really tough week for me and my friends because recruitment is a hard process, in general, and especially losing someone so close to you … It was really hard mentally and physically,” Acosta said. “Doing that speech and getting to watch everybody show up and be there for Lauren was super awesome and was very emotional for me and my entire sorority.”
Acosta said even during Lauren’s hardest times, she was still able to put on a happy face and make the people around her laugh.
“Lauren and her family took me in as if I was their own, and it was almost as if I had known them my entire life,” Acosta said.
When Acosta found out about Lauren’s accident, she said her boyfriend at the time drove her up to northern Kentucky to stay with Marsh and help the family process in any way she could.
At the beginning of 2024, Marsh called a friend to start Shine Like Lauren Inc., an organization dedicated to her daughter to provide college scholarships and other opportunities to those who shared similar traits to Lauren.
Marsh knew she needed to do
“something for Lauren, something to dedicate her legacy to, something deeper.
“I don’t get to see who she would’ve become,” Marsh said. “So this is how I keep walking with her.”
Marsh continued to grow the organization in any way she could, whether it was through Facebook or Instagram.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” Marsh said. “We just figured it out as we went.”
The organization officially started in February 2024, beginning with Lauren’s alma mater, Simon Kenton High School.
Soon, the organization raised over $15,000 in scholarships, and as time continued, videos of students showing their personalities rolled in.
The organization dedicates itself to providing annual scholarships to students who demonstrate their creativity and passion in the form of a video. The scholarship is available to students in Union and the surrounding counties.
“It’s not about being the smartest kid in the room,” Marsh said. “It’s about heart.”
Since its start, the organization has given five scholarships in 2025,
I don’t get to see who she would’ve become, so this is how I keep walking with her.”
- AMY MARSH
LAUREN COLLINS’ MOM
anywhere from $2,500 $5,000 per recipient.
“It’s like the community carries her with us,” Marsh said.
Every choice the nonprofit’s board made was meticulous in dedicating its events to Lauren. The colors blue and white were first on their minds, as they decided to make an event based on the colors of each school Lauren went to.
Blue and White Night became an annual event, bringing the community together to honor and dance the night away for Lauren.
“I know it sounds so cliche, and you hear it, especially when young people die, people say, ‘Oh my gosh, they were this light,’” Marsh said. “It is true.”
The community surrounding Marsh and her family grew every day, with the foundation continuing to spread awareness and commemorate Lauren.
“She would love this,” Marsh said. “She would love all of it.”
Back at home, the frame continues to hold its place on the wall.
“She was always the one helping other people shine,” Marsh said. “Now that’s what we try to do for her.”
Amy Marsh poses for a photo while holding a portrait of her daughter Lauren at her house on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Union, Ky.
SUBJECT MATTER SWEATER
VINTAGE THERAPY SKIRT
WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRIA LANDGRAF
To celebrate their final college season, our seniors headed out for a snowy winter escape. Dressed in long trench coats, chunky knits and bold layers, they stood out against the soft white backdrop. Textured scarves, knit beanies and worn-in boots added depth and individuality to each look. Surrounded by quiet skies and frost-covered trees, the moment felt calm, reflective and full of meaning — the perfect winter sendoff to their time together.
Bundled Up
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER SPRING
SUBJECT
VINTAGE THERAPY COAT
SUBJECT MATTER
COAT
SKIRT
GLOVES
SUBJECT MATTER COAT
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
PHOTO BY LILY FOSTER
SUBJECT MATTER SWEATER COAT
PHOTO BY ELIZABETH HUNTER
Behind The Scenes
Contributors
Reaghan Chen EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Lily Patterson FASHION EDITOR
Brooke Heary CO-DIGITAL EDITOR
Lilly Keith MANAGING EDITOR COPY EDITOR
Lily Foster PHOTO EDITOR
Adelaide Cahill ONLINE CONTENT EDITOR ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Ashleigh Jones CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Ciah Marks HEAD OF VIDEO PRODUCTION
Merritt Manire SPONSORED CONTENT COORDINATOR
Alexandria Landgraf LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Anna Zheng CO-DIGITAL EDITOR ASST. CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Emogene Bane EVENTS COORDINATOR
Sara Ruth LOOKBOOK COORDINATOR
Sarah Manske PHOTOSHOOT COORDINATOR
Landyn DeSpain ASST. CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Owen Robinson ASST. FASHION EDITOR
Serena Florell ASST. DIGITAL EDITOR
Peyton Dybowski PODCAST ORGANIZER
Elizabeth Hunter ASST. PHOTO EDITOR ASST. CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Featuring...
Writers
SYLVIA FREIRE
LAURYN LEMONS
COCO THOMPSON
ELENA WRIGHT
Podcast Hosts
ANNA BRILLANTI
ELAINA GARRETT
MOLLY SMYTH
Outreach Team
MARIA EDUARDA BARTMANN
VANIA GARCIA
MEGHAN JARBOE
GRACE PERKINS
Fashion Stylists
DAKOTA ADAMS
MéSHIYA BRADSHAW
CAMERON CHAPPELL
KRISTIAN DANG
MALLORY MCCUBBIN
ASH RENNIE
ABBY STREET
ELLA SUTFIN
Makeup Artists
KARA FRENCH
VICTORIA SOLANO
Photographers
KAJ BARRON
CHRISTIAN KANTOSKY
CARA RAIFORD
KATE THOMPSON
Videographers
LILY BUCHANAN
GRACIE GREEN
STERLING HOHMAN
MORGAN LINCOLN
AWARDS
College Media Association
2025 Organizational Pinnacle Awards
Feature Magazine of the Year First Place
2025 Individual Pinnacle Awards
Best Investigative Story
KRNL Staff, First Place
Best Multimedia Sports Story
KRNL Staff, Third Place
Best Portrait
Lily Foster, First Place
Best Magazine Spread
Ashleigh Jones, Second Place
2024 Organizational Pinnacle Awards
Feature Magazine of the Year Third Place
2024 Individual Pinnacle Awards
Best Investigative Sports Story
KRNL Staff, First Place
Best Vertical Short Video
Hayden Burn, Third Place
Best Sports Feature Photo
Sydney Turner, Second Place
Associated Collegiate Press
2025 Individual Awards
Design of the Year: Magazine Page/Spread (Spring 2025 Issue)
Ashleigh Jones, First Place
Multimedia Story of the Year:
Multimedia News Story (Spring 2025 Issue)
KRNL Staff, Second Place
Broadcast Story of the Year: Broadcast Feature Story
Edward Smith, Second Place
2024 Organizational Best of Show
Best Feature Magazine (Spring 2024 Issue)
Third Place
2024 Individual Best of Show
Best Environmental Portrait
Sydney Turner, Second Place
2023 Organizational Best of Show
Best Feature Magazine (Spring 2023 Issue) Second Place
Southeast Journalism Conference
Best Magazine Designer
Ashleigh Jones, First Place
Best Arts & Entertainment Reporter
Chase Myers, First Place
2025 Best of the South
Best Magazine
KRNL Lifestyle & Fashion, First Place
Best Public Service Journalism
KRNL Lifestyle & Fashion, First Place
Best Magazine Writer
Alexandria Landgraf, First Place
Journalist of the Year
Laurel Swanz, Second Place
SPONSORS
KRNL SPONSORS
La Chula
304 S Limestone Lexington, KY 40508 (859)-916-2253
PHOTOSHOOT SPONSORS
Subject Matter
771 West Main St. Suite 110 Lexington, KY 40508 (859)-440-8400
Instagram: @subjectmatterlex
Vintage Therapy
101 W Loudon Ave. Suite 178 Lexington, KY 40508 vintagetherapylex@gmail.com
Instagram: @vintagetherapy_lex
SHOOT LOCATIONS
Bundled Up
Masterson Station Park 3051 Leestown Rd. Lexington, KY 40511
Shifting Gears
Goodfellas Pizzeria 1228 Manchester St. Lexington, KY 40504
Tailored
Monarch Studio 615 W Short St. Lexington, KY 40508
Wear It Wrong
Art and Visual Studies Building
The Hazel True Haunsz Fiber Arts Studio 236 Bolivar Street Lexington, KY 40506
MODELS
Bundled Up
Cameron Chappell
Reaghan Chen
Peyton Dybowski
Lily Foster
Ashleigh Jones
Alexandria Landgraf
Holly Long
Anna Zheng
Shifting Gears
Hagen Becraft
Jada McDowell
Raymond Gifford
Gracie Story
Tailored
Muzan Abdelrahman
Lenah Bumiller
Kanye Wade
Sofia Watts
Pets: Love, Pesto, Pinto & Yuki
Wear It Wrong
CeCe Gregory
Lucy Short
Hayden Woods
NAIL ARTIST
Kat Benjamin
BEHIND THE SCENES
Ryan Craig
Bryce McNeil
David Stephenson
