KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion Spring 2022 Magazine

VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 2 | SPRING 2022

ON THE COVER PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY “INSPIRED BY GOLFWANG”

KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

T

he 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.

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KRNL L+F SPRING 2022

EDITORS’ NOTE As the weather starts to get warmer and the flowers begin to bloom, the excitement for another issue begins to build up in the KRNL office in McVey Hall.

Each semester we carefully choose our stories and photoshoots in hope of capturing the beauty and diversity of our campus and the local community surrounding it. There are so many stories to be told, and we hope you enjoy and learn from the ones we chose to feature in this issue.

On another note, we are incredibly proud of this issue and our wonderful team that helped put it together. The spring issue is always more difficult to get started after having to get rolling so quickly following the release of our fall issue.

Allie ALLIE DIGGS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

4 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

This feeling of pride is also bittersweet as this will be the last issue that we serve as editor-in-chief, lifestyle editor and creative director for KRNL. We are all so thankful that we had the opportunity to serve as leaders for this incredible publication that has grown more than we could have ever imagined.

Hard work definitely pays off, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for KRNL. It truly is a team effort, and every issue their talents continue to amaze us.

Without further ado, we give you the Spring 2022 issue of KRNL. This also just so happens to mark the four-year anniversary of KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion.

So, cheers to this issue and to the future of KRNL. And as always, we truly think this is our best issue yet.

Anna ANNA BYERLEY LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Addi ADDISON CAVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

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24

NEWSCASTER TO NEWSMAKER: THE STORY OF MISS USA UK alumna and former journalist for WHAS11 Elle Smith talks about her life as the newly-crowned Miss USA.

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36

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER ME BY Vintage clothes not only serve as a statement piece but tell a story as well.

52

FACING THE MUSIC Get to know the various UK choral groups on campus and how their talented members are preparing for the new semester.

66

WIN, PLACE AND GROW: THE NEXT GENERATION OF JOCKEYS Jockey students get hands-on experience at the North American Riding Academy.

8 INSPIRED BY GOLFWANG

A photoshoot inspired by Tyler, The Creator’s clothing line.

18

WYLIE CAUDILL: PAINTING THE TOWN

Local muralist Wylie Caudill takes over Lexington with his art.

30

ADAM BENDER: WRESTLING WITH YOUR DIFFERENCES

Lexington native wrestler Adam Bender details his career as an athlete with one leg.

72

HIDDEN HISTORY IN THE EAST END: BRINGING NEW LIFE INTO PALMER PHARMACY Learn about one of Lexington’s first Black-owned pharmacies and the mission to preserve it.

40 STOP AND SHOP

A photoshoot inspired by Rihanna’s ‘Paper’ magazine cover.

48

HISTORY OF KRNL

Go back in time and watch KRNL evolve through the years.

58

BRITAIN TO THE BLUEGRASS: MILLEN HURRION’S TENNIS JOURNEY

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(NOT SO) HAPPY BIRTHDAY This shoot is the perfect mix of a celebration and a bittersweet farewell to our graduating seniors.

62 KENTUCKY PRIDE: JOSH HOPKINS’ ROOTS BLEED BLUE

Actor and Lexington native Josh Hopkins speaks on his love for his hometown.

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KLEINE POWELL: THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR CHEERING

Former UK Dancer Kleine Powell talks about her new life as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

Millen Hurrion from Weymouth, England, enters his final season with UK Men’s Tennis.

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INSPIRED BY

G LFWANG

BY ALLIE DIGGS

When Peyton Fike, our former creative director, approached me with this idea last year, I knew we eventually had to make this shoot happen.

Tyler, The Creator is one of the most influential creatives of our generation, not only in music but in fashion as well. His seasonal lookbooks for the release of his brand “Golfwang” are amusing but simple in design and poses. The juxtaposition of his clothing, set designs and models creates a memorable and intriguing spread. His models are often very serious but loose and playful with their poses. He inspired and pushed us to work more with design and try out a simple approach to our models’ clothing and positioning.

A special thanks to Mark Mahan for allowing us to use his studio for the shoot; we couldn’t have brought our ideas to life without the space.

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

8 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

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VINTAGE THERAPY VEST | 85 STREET SCENE HAT PANTS MAPLE & J BANGLE PHOTOS BY CHRISTIANA NYARKO 10 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

PHOTOS BY TY DUCKWYLER VINTAGE THERAPY HAT | 20 SWEATER | 18 PANTS | 30 STREET SCENE VEST MAPLE & J NECKLACE

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VINTAGE THERAPY HAT | 20 SWEATER | 25 STREET SCENE PANTS CALYPSO SHOES 12 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

PHOTO BY OLIVIA FORD

PHOTO BY SYDNEY TURNER VINTAGE THERAPY SWEATER | 34 CALYPSO NECKLACE

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PHOTOS BY MARTHA McHANEY & KAITLYN SKAGGS VINTAGE THERAPY HAT | 16 SWEATER | 23 PANTS | 20 MAPLE & J BANGLES

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PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS CALYPSO DRESS MAPLE & J BANGLES NECKLACE

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PHOTO BY CORRIE McCROSKEY VINTAGE THERAPY PANTS | 40 STREET SCENE HAT CALYPSO VEST MAPLE & J NECKLACE BANGLE

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PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY STREET SCENE SWEATER VEST TOP PANTS CALYPSO VEST SPRING 2022 | 17

WYLIE CAUDILL:

PAINTING TOWN THE

WRITTEN BY RILEY HOSTUTLER | PHOTOS BY MARTHA McHANEY

W

ylie Caudill is everywhere.

He doesn’t miss a show at the Lexington Opera House. He sets the scene for a night out at The Grove. He keeps kids entertained as they enjoy their ice cream at Crank and Boom.

Exactly how does he pull this off? Through his murals. In bringing color and life to Lexington’s mundane brick walls, Caudill has changed the aura of the city.

His everyday outfits offers one or more pieces of clothing doused in paint, indicating that he spends most of his time with a paintbrush in hand.

Caudill does not shy from self-expression.

Caudill was raised by creatives. His mother and four of his aunts are involved in the arts. One is a musician, another an actor, one a writer and another a sewer and quilter.

“They never pushed art upon me, but they were always doing it and I thought it was very cool,” Caudill said. “I was always surrounded by art, therefore, I was influenced by it.”

Caudill said he never planned for art to be his career. In high school, Caudill said he never planned for art to be his career. In high school, he took Advanced Placement art classes and knew he enjoyed it but never labeled himself an artist. +He then went on to study broadcasting and electronic 18 | KRNLasLIFESTYLE FASHION media with an emphasis in film technique at Eastern Kentucky University.

Wylie Caudill poses in front of one of his many colorful murals on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 in downtown Lexington, Ky.

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Rows of colorful paints line the corner shelf of Wylie Caudill’s studio.

“

One day on campus, Caudill decided to pick up a box of chalk and began doodling on the sidewalk for fun. His chalk work did not entail tic-tac-toe boards and hopscotch.

He concocted life-size masterpieces of anime characters and animals that looked like they could sit up from laying on the sidewalk.

The dreaded walk to class became an art show and Eastern Kentucky University students reveled in it. The rain became everyone’s enemy as it turned the chalk cartoons into a puddle of mixed colors. Yet, once the sun returned, it offered Caudill a clean canvas to create another showpiece.

The chalk creations kept appearing in different spots around campus —­ everywhere from an Egyptian sphinx on the side of a pillar to a kaleidoscopecolored chameleon on the concrete.

Caudill even created various sets of wings students could stand in front of for an Instagram opportunity.

I was always surrounded by art, therefore, I was influenced by it.”

- WYLIE CAUDILL, LOCAL MURALIST

Even at that point, he said he saw his art as more of a hobby.

“I wish I called myself an artist sooner. I didn’t really call myself an artist until I was making money from it, but that was stupid,” Caudill said.

“If you are making art anywhere, you should call yourself an artist, no matter the money or whether or not it is your career.”

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Wylie Caudill posing in front of one of his many colorful murals.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY @WYLIECAUDILLART VIA INSTAGRAM

“

If you are making art anywhere, you should call yourself an artist...”

- WYLIE CAUDILL, LOCAL MURALIST

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Graduation came and Caudill did not pursue art as his full-time career. He became a salesman at Kentucky for Kentucky, a local T-shirt company. After starting to work there, Caudill said he piddled with chalk work on rare occasion. He thought nothing more of his chalk art than a recreational activity.

When Caudill’s fellow employees at Kentucky for Kentucky found out he was an artist, they requested he paint a mural for the company. They saw a marketing incentive in painting their logo in a few different places, so Caudill agreed. This kick-started his career as an artist, he said.

People began asking for commissions, ranging from pet portraits and canvas paintings of castles. He did a lot of theater set designs and even painted wall art in the interior renovations of the Rohs Opera House.

“

I consider myself to be a goldfish, in that I can get as big as the fish tank I am in.”

- WYLIE CAUDILL, LOCAL MURALIST

PHOTO PROVIDED BY @WYLIECAUDILLART VIA INSTAGRAM Through these commissions, Caudill saved enough money to pay the next month’s rent. With this, Caudill said he decided to quit his job at Kentucky for Kentucky to pursue art full time.

Caudill said he never had a fiveyear plan, he just took it day by day.

He encourages all emerging artists to take the leap despite how scary it is.

“Once you start doing something full time, you start to get really good at it,” Caudill said. “When the pressure is on, it just happens.”

It truly did “just happen” for Caudill. His assertive, daring confidence has taken his artwork all over Kentucky. It appears on multiple restaurant and bar facades, on the walls of professional interior design work, inside business workspaces and schools, conversation pieces at weddings and soon to be on fiberglass horses.

Caudill said he hopes to expand his work even further.

“I consider myself to be a goldfish, in that I can get as big as the fish tank I am in. I took over [EKU’s] campus and once that was conquered, I moved onto Lexington,” Caudill said. “Hopefully, I can move to bigger cities, then something national and across the USA.” • SPRING 2022 | 23

NEWSCASTER TO NEWSMAKER:

THE STORY OF

MISS USA WRITTEN BY FRANKIE ROWLAND | PHOTOS BY SYDNEY TURNER

K

entucky’s newest It Girl, Elle Smith, described her crowning of Miss USA 2021 as a fairytale. In a matter of hours, she ascended from Miss Kentucky to Miss USA on Nov. 29 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the 70th Miss USA pageant.

“I was not expecting it at all,” she said. “I was holding hands with North Carolina and Texas. My earring had just fallen out. It was surreal.”

Born and raised in Springfield, Ohio, less than three hours from campus, Elle said she grew up with very little attachment to the University of Kentucky. Although Samuel Smith, Elle’s father, bleeds scarlet and gray for Ohio State University, Elle toured and applied to many other universities.

“As soon as we would arrive at different schools, she would immediately express her disinterest,” Lydia Smith, Elle’s mother, said. “But when we came to Kentucky, she lit up and began engaging in conversation with the tour guide. I knew this was it.”

As a freshman, Elle said she was unsure of which career path to pursue. After speaking to her adviser about her love for writing and history, she took Introduction to Journalism and continued on from there.

Elle did not choose to pursue journalism as a career until her sophomore year, when a professor chose her as the only sophomore in her class to anchor in a mock TV newsroom.

“I had no idea why my professor chose me, but as soon as I got behind the desk, I felt so comfortable,” she said. “It was then that solidified my decision.”

Her involvement in extracurricular activities helped her navigate her interests even further. She participated in the UK Student News Network, the Kentucky Kernel and KRNL, WRFL and the National Association of Black Journalists. Elle also prioritized internships while she was in school. She worked with UK Sports Video, UK SEC Network, LEX 18, WKYT and Fox News.

Miss Kentucky and Miss USA pageant winner Elle Smith photographed in The Bellwether Hotel on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 in Louisville, Ky. | DRESS FROM REVOLVE

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Elle graduated in May 2020 with a degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in political science.

“Even if she had a million things going on throughout the day, she handles each task with such grace, you would have no idea how busy her life actually is,” Elle’s best friend, Jenna Griffin, said.

Elle expressed gratitude for the friends, family and professors that helped her maintain her hectic lifestyle, naming UK College of Communication and Information Associate Professor Kakie Urch as one of her greatest supporters.

“Everyone speaks highly of Kakie Urch for a reason. She is incredible and will do anything for her students.

I don’t think I would be where I am today without her,” Elle said.

Elle’s parents also feel that her success can be attributed to UK. “She developed confidence, she found mentors by being involved on campus and she learned how to engage with people on a different level. Her engagement became more intentional,” Lydia said.

Elle said that the development of her confidence was a gradual process. She described herself as shy and timid while a student at UK. She said that her career as a reporter after graduation helped her feel more selfassured.

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Her parents never guessed Elle would build a career by combining journalism and pageantry. Lydia believed Elle would become a Broadway performer due to her ability to memorize entire musicals at a young age, and Samuel assumed her natural athletic inclination would lead her to become a professional athlete.

“

Even if she had a million things going on throughout the day, she handles each task with such grace, you would have no idea how busy her life actually is.”

- JENNA GRIFFIN, ELLE’S BEST FRIEND

“From a mother’s perspective, she grew up surrounded by women,” Lydia said.

“Her grandmother and mother were strong. One can only hope that their daughter will pursue her dreams.”

After graduation, Elle became a journalist for WHAS11, an ABCaffiliated television station in Louisville, Kentucky. Months after starting her career, she announced her intention to compete for Miss Kentucky USA 2021.

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Her career in journalism gave her the experience necessary to endure the bright spotlight her success brings. Griffin said she was initially concerned for her friend about the constant publicity and potential for harsh critique but notes that clearly Elle’s career path prepared her for the position.

After winning Miss USA, Elle Smith immediately headed to Eilat, Israel to compete in Miss Universe 2021. She placed in the Top Ten. Since then, she has been fulfilling her duties as Miss USA after moving to Los Angeles. According to the Miss USA website, the organization is committed to maintaining charitable alliances, using advocacy and the power of volunteering to make an immense impact on various charities.

In addition to charity work, Miss USA is expected to attend various premieres and events as a representative of the organization.

Her friends and family have great aspirations for Elle in her new position, expressing that they hope to see her hold her new title with integrity and use her platform to advocate for cervical cancer - ELLE SMITH, MISS USA 2021 awareness, women and marginalized populations.

Elle aspires to prove that pageants are more than just looking pretty — she wants to make the position look fun and diverse. With female empowerment at the center of her platform, Elle plans to shatter traditional expectations and see future Miss USA pageants be increasingly representative of all people in the United States.

Elle said her advice to UK students is to not give up on their goals and maintain confidence in themselves.

Elle said that confidence — especially for women — is a power they have within themselves that can be encouraged and strengthened.

“Believe in yourself always,” she said. “There is always going to be someone in a position of power who will doubt you, whether it is a professor, a boss or someone else. Trust yourself and that you can be successful.” •

“

Trust yourself and that you can be successful.”

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ADAM BENDER:

WRESTLING WITH YOUR DIFFERENCES

BY BARKLEY TRUAX | PHOTOS BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

A

dam, a Lexington native, was born with infantile fibrosarcoma, a rare form of cancer in his left leg. Weighing the option to begin a tough road with chemotherapy, Adam’s parents made the tough decision to have his leg amputated just days after his first birthday.

“Losing my leg at such a young age, it may have been good for me because I was able to adapt to my environment and my surroundings without ever knowing life on two legs, so I didn’t really have to make any adjustments,” Adam said. “Everything I did was learned from one leg to start with.”

Growing up with a brother, Steven Bender, a year older than him made Adam competitive from the start.

He remembers watching Steven play soccer games when he was three. Adam would use his crutches to help him kick soccer balls across the field after Steven’s games with the rest of the younger kids.

That’s when Adam’s parents started allowing him to kick the ball around the house. Despite him using canes to get around the soccer field, his parents quickly realized that maybe he could participate in sports at the same level as Steven.

“I wanted to go out there and do what he was doing,” Adam said.

By age four, Adam’s parents signed him up to play soccer, throwing him into the deep end with the rest of the kids.

“I always believed in myself and I believed that I could get the job done,” Bender said. “Your mind is

30 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

going to take you further than anything else in life.”

After the Herald Leader’s made a viral video feature on Adam, ESPN came to town specifically to document him and his ability to play sports on one leg.

That blew a young Adam’s mind. He was the type of kid that watched ESPN’s flagship program, “SportsCenter,” every day before school.

“It was definitely a life changing experience and something I’ll never forget,” Adam said.

He eventually played more than just soccer. He played flag football and baseball, and at age seven he found the sport that would transform his life: wrestling.

He realized that he was able to compete at the same level as his bipedal peers. He took that mindset and pinned it to the mat.

Adam’s father, Chris Bender, wrestled at Franklin County High School and had heard of a Division I wrestler named Anthony Robles. Robles, a one-legged wrestler himself, won the NCAA Championship at the 125-pound weight class in 2011. Chris figured his son had accomplished anything he set his mind to before, so why would wrestling be any different?

“He took me to my first practice and ever since then I fell in love with wrestling,” Adam said.

Adam cut his teeth at the Bluegrass Wrestling Club and Carr Wrestling Academy. While he was a member of the Stallions, he met former Woodford County wrestler Joe Patterson — someone who was instrumental in Adam’s development on the mat.

Adam Bender, a senior at Kentucky Wesleyan College, attends his senior night for wrestling on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022, in Owensboro, Ky.

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32 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

While learning under Joe Carr Sr. and Joe Carr Jr. at their lucrative wrestling school, Adam reiterated with them not to take it easy on him. They obliged and worked him harder than anyone else they coached.

“I wanted that,” Adam said. “I mean, there’s no way to get to the top if coaches are trying to give you the benefit of the doubt or they don’t tell you that you’re slacking.

Don’t just think that I can’t because I have one leg, then that’s only going to hurt [my performance].”

Adam had all the confidence in the world heading into his sixth

“

He was set to enroll at Lexington Catholic High School in the fall of 2014 but ran into one problem: the school didn’t offer a wrestling program. Enter Patterson back into the fold, who returned to Lexington after a brief stint training with the Puerto Rican national wrestling team.

The fit was perfect.

“Coach Patterson was one of the first ones to not look at me different,” Adam said. “He just pushed me and pushed me because he knew what I was capable of. He believed in me.”

Adam competed his freshman and sophomore season at Lexington Catholic where he compiled a 75-

Everything I did was learned from one leg to start with.”

grade year but failed to place in the middle school state tournament, which honors the top six wrestlers in the state. That was the motivation he needed. Adam doubled down that offseason and came back more prepared than ever.

Adam was upset with himself but put in the hours necessary to eventually place third in the state tournament. In the eighth grade, he had no competition whatsoever, winning the state title with ease.

Adam was ready for the high school level, to say the least.

- ADAM BENDER, WRESTLER 11 record and placed fourth in the KHSAA state tournament during both seasons. The program folded after his sophomore season and has yet to reopen, which means Adam will likely forever be the winningest wrestler in Lexington Catholic history.

A change of scenery was exactly what Adam needed heading into his junior year in 2016.

“I felt like I wasn’t getting any better. I just felt like I was plateauing at Catholic,” he said. “I only had so many partners. It was literally me wrestling with the assistant coaches

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“YOUR MIND IS GOING TO TAKE YOU FURTHER THAN ANYTHING ELSE IN LIFE.” - ADAM 34 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

BENDER

because the kids at Catholic had never even shot a single leg before.”

There were only about seven wrestlers on the team his sophomore year. He desperately needed better competition and quickly found it when he decided to transfer to Woodford County.

“The wrestling tradition is a lot richer. That was where I needed to be because I knew that ultimately, I was going to look to wrestle in college and I didn’t think I was going to get to where I needed to be at Catholic, so I had to make that move,” Adam said.

In two years wrestling for the Yellow Jackets, Adam ended his high school career with an 83-10 record (158-21 overall), including a 49-2 junior season that saw him place third in the state tournament, the highest in his career. He also placed fifth as a senior, something that pushed him to pursue college wrestling.

“I can’t go out this way,” he said.

Chris Freije, the head coach at Kentucky Wesleyan at the time, recruited Adam, and it seemed like a great fit. Ironically, Freije was the Arizona State University roommate of Robles, the one-legged national champion that got Adam into wrestling in the first place. It was an offer Adam couldn’t pass up.

He committed and has been with the Panthers for the past four years.

Currently a redshirt junior, he injured his meniscus earlier this season and is sidelined for the remainder of their schedule. He plans to transfer from the program with two seasons of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19

rule allowing an extra year of eligibility for all collegiate athletes.

“It’s definitely a lot tougher than high school and it’s a grind, but it’s definitely something that I would do over again,” he said. “I recommend anyone wanting to compete outside of high school and enter the next level that they seriously consider it because it’s something that’ll change your life.”

He’s seen success at the youth, high school and now collegiate level on and off the mat.

Adam credits his support staff for helping him at every level. He knows he couldn’t have done it without them.

“Trust yourself, be strong-minded,” he said.

“It’s not always going to be easy, but if you just work hard enough and you look at things from a different perspective and try to be positive, things are going to work out for you.” •

ADAM BENDER IN 2015 AND 2008.

PHOTOS BY CHARLES BERTRAM, PROVIDED BY LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER

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Somet h ing t o remember me by T

he past isn’t just told through history books and documentaries but also through the clothes on your back, the shoes on your feet and the rings on your fingers. Putting your grandfather’s sunglasses on, you can see the world the same way he once saw it, and in that way, his memory lives on.

Here, four individuals tell the stories of different articles of clothing and accessories that were passed down to them from previous generations and what those pieces mean to them today.

WRITTEN BY ASHLEY FISHER | INTRODUCTION BY RANA ALSOUFI | PHOTOS BY MARTHA McHANEY

Elizabeth Spencer ““When I was younger, my mother was always meticulous about her jewelry,” UK College of Communication and Information Assistant Professor Elizabeth Spencer said. ““She’d ask me to pick out her jewelry, so I’d go digging through her jewelry box and find the perfect accessories to go with what she was wearing. It’s one of those sweet memories I will always have with her.””

Spencer’s mother, Georgia Deer, passed away in 2017 from Alzheimer’s. But during the last few years of Deer’s life, Spencer recalled her mother always wearing a ring with a silver band and dark red gem in the center. ““Eighteen months before she passed, we transitioned her to a care facility. When we went to take off her ring before taking her there, it wouldn’t come off, so she brought it with her,”” Spencer said. “A week before she passed, I went to stay with her and the ring went missing in the care facility.”

The ring was found three days later. Spencer described it as a completion of all the memories she was trying to hold onto.

The first few years after her mother’s passing, Spencer rarely took off her mother’s ring. But when the ring became fragile, she started to only wear it on days that she really needed to feel her mother’s strength and encouragement.

In 2020, Spencer decided it was time to get the ring reset. ““It was a long process, but one day I came across a crown setting and knew it was perfect,”” Spencer said. ““My mother was spiritual and knew she would be renewed in heaven after passing. The crown setting represents her being healed and healthy, and wearing the new setting feels like a symbol of healing. Wearing it gives me a lift and makes me feel strong. It gives me a feeling of hope.”

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A picture of Elizabeth Spencer’s mother, Georgia Deer, wearing the ring.

Elizabeth Spencer is photographed wearing the same ring above. | PHOTO PROVIDED BY ELIZABETH SPENCER

Gannon Diggs Gannon Diggs, father of current KRNL Editor-in-Chief Allie Diggs, sits in a bright sunroom at his home in Paris, Kentucky, with his father’s pilot aviators in hand.

Gannon’s father was a captain in the Air Force and was gifted the sunglasses after graduating from the Air Force Officer Training School. The sunglasses have seen multiple bases and were also worn while he was stationed in Udorn, Thailand, during the Vietnam War. ““He wasn’t a big sunglasses guy after he retired from the military, so he only wore them on occasion, but he was so proud of these sunglasses,”” Gannon said. ““He was very proud of serving this country.””

Gannon remembers seeing his father wear the sunglasses to baseball games and NASCAR races. ““Seeing him in these were always really good memories,”” Gannon said. “Now when I wear the sunglasses, I can’t help but think about all they have seen when he was wearing them.”

Gannon Diggs’ father wearing his pilot aviators in the 70s. The Diggs try on the aviators in the photos to the right. | PHOTO PROVIDED BY GANNON DIGGS SPRING 2022 | 37 SPRING 2022 | 37

Natalie Huseman’s mother Linda Huseman on her wedding day. Natalie Huseman tries on the same dress in the photo to the left. | PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATALIE HUSEMAN

Natalie Huseman

Natalie Huseman’s grandmother Joan Fischer on her wedding day. | PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATALIE HUESMAN 38 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Linda Huseman, the mother of University of Kentucky junior Natalie Huseman, passed down two wedding dresses to her daughter.

The first wedding dress was Linda’s and the second belonged to Natalie’s grandmother, Joan Fischer. Fischer was married in 1956, but her wedding wasn’t the only time her wedding dress was seen. ““My parents had ten kids ­­­— ­six girls — so for every bridal shower, my mother would put her wedding dress on a mannequin,”” Linda said. “You would walk into every bridal shower and it would look like a person was standing there, but it was just her dress.”

Linda’s parents were happily married for 50 years. Linda got married in 1992 and will be celebrating her 30th anniversary this June.

“My mom’s wedding dress is special to me because it symbolizes their marriage,” Natalie said. “They’re still together and have a great relationship. It’s an important symbol of what I hope to have one day: a good loving relationship.

I look up to them.”

Ella Webster Ella Webster, a UK junior, discovered her love for vintage clothes and Appalachian music from her grandmother, Cheryl Webster.

“My grandparents were old-time musicians from rural Kentucky. They played a lot of Appalachian-like mountain music. My grandmother was really into fashion and hasn’t really gotten rid of any of her clothes since the 60s or 70s,” Ella said.

Following in her grandparent’s footsteps, Ella is a fiddle player and her favorite clothing to wear while she performs is clothing her grandmother passed down to her.

“When I was younger, my grandparents would take me to Appalachian festivals and my grandma would show me all her vintage clothes. At first, I honestly thought it was annoying and didn’t have much interest in it. Then I realized it was actually really cool,” Ella said.

After that realization, her grandma started giving her bags of clothes every few months. Ella’s favorite pieces are a blue, floral Gunne Sax dress and the green dress her grandmother wore when her husband ran for district attorney in Pikeville, Ky. “I have so much of her clothes, pretty much everything I wear is hers,” Ella said. •

Ella Webster’s grandparents performing on stage. Below, Ella Webster models her grandmother’s dress. | PHOTO PROVIDED BY ELLA WEBSTER

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STOP AND

BY LUCIA SANCHEZ

! p sho

While corner stores are typically known for their wide assortment of essentials, they have come to mean much more than that to their cities’ locals. They are places visited daily by people in search of a quick snack, ingredients for dinner, or just wanting to see a friendly face. They have come to represent a sense of community, something I experienced in my brief hour in La Princesa Super Mercado.

Rihanna was the guiding inspiration for this shoot. Her March 2017 cover for Paper Magazine featured her clad in eccentric outfits, shot in underwhelming corner stores.

The uniqueness of the shoot immediately caught our attention, and we knew it was a must for our Spring 2022 issue. We searched through our vendors Street Scene, Warehouse, Calypso and Vintage Therapy for luxurious furs, flashy fabrics and eye-catching accessories.

For our largest shoot yet, we split into teams, tasked with shooting flamboyant ensembles in unexpected environments. We want to give a special thanks to the establishments who were generous enough to have our creativity envelop their stores for an hour or so.

The shoot not only produced some of my favorite shots but was an opportunity for our KRNL community to come together creatively like never before.

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PHOTOS BY SYDNEY TURNER (LEFT AND CENTER) CORRIE McCROSKEY (TOP RIGHT) KAITLYN KRAKE (BOTTOM RIGHT)

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STREET SCENE SUNGLASSES SHIRT PANTS COAT PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

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STREET SCENE EARRINGS JACKETS DRESS PURSE

CALYPSO BUTTON-DOWN TOP

PHOTO BY SYDNEY TURNER SPRING SPRING 2022 2022 || 43 43

CALYPSO BLAZER STREET SCENE EARRINGS WEARHOUSE COAT PHOTO BY KAITLYN KRAKE 44 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION 44 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

VINTAGE THERAPY COAT | 250 BLOUSE | 20 CALYPSO SHOES STREET SCENE NECKLACE SPORT COAT WEARHOUSE DRESS PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

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CALYPSO PANTS

PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY 46 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION 46 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

CALYPSO DRESS WEARHOUSE JACKET PHOTO BY TY DUCKWYLER

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HISTORY OF KRNL

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In 2014, the fashion section of the Kentucky Kernel was blossoming as more students started showing interest in fashion. In March of 2014, six students along with their Assistant Student Media Advisor May May Barton decided to start a subset of the Kernel called KRNL, which was going to become a high-end, glossy magazine.

In October 2014, KRNL’s first fall edition was published.

The magazine consisted of “The Southern Sophisticate,” “Escape to the Outdoors” and “Funk n’ Spunk” photoshoot themes and covered topics like sustainability and outfit ideas.

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“The Expressionist,” “A Case for New Classics,” “La Vida Local” and “From Kroger with Love” headlined photoshoots in the Spring 2015 edition of KRNL. The Fall 2015 edition covered a range of fashion styles in photoshoots titled “Inherently Hippie,” “Meet the Parents” and “UK Commonwealth Chic.”

BY SOPHIA GRIGGS

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Lifestyle was more prevalent in the Spring 2016 issue with story titles like “Spring Break Trips on One Tank of Gas” and “Poised Performance.” The Fall 2016 edition showcased some Kentucky pride with photoshoots titled “Fall in the Bluegrass,” “Shade of Blue” and “Lex in the City.”

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The three photoshoots titled “Young Professionals,” “Dreaming in Denim” and “Dog Days of Summer” displayed a range from casual to professional fashion in the Spring 2017 edition. The “Urban Legends,” “The Age of Autumn” and “All That Glitters” photoshoots inside the Fall 2017 edition showed a new side of KRNL with trendy and unique themes.

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20 19 Lifestyle earned its place in the title in Spring 2019 as KRNL was rebranded as KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion.This issue had a lifestyle story to interest everyone, with topics covered like “The Art of Burning Man” and “Spicy Fat Cat for the Wildcats.” In the Fall 2019 edition, the issue included lifestyle stories titled, “Inked Art” and “Historical Haunts Highlighted.” Fashion was still prioritized with both issues having dynamic photo shoots like “We All Compare: The Complicated Path to Individuality” and “Back to 2000s Grunge.”

Continuing with the artistic approach, the Spring 2018 edition’s photoshoot themes were “Street Scene,” “Wild West” and “Blurred Lines.”

Eye-catching headlines of lifestyle stories reading “How to Add Tasteful Color,” “Colorful and Creative LastMinute Halloween Costumes,” “Winter Drink Recipes,” “Café Gems of Lexington,” “Local Holiday Festivities” and “Holiday Gift Ideas” covered the interests of many in the Fall 2018 edition.

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The COVID-19 pandemic did not hold the KRNL publication back. In a time of such uncertainty, the Spring 2020 publication offered optimistic photoshoots titled “Resort to Color,” “Defying Norms” and “The Timeless Edit.” As students came back on campus in the Fall of 2020, KRNL covered a lifestyle story on “The New Normal” and made masks fashionable in their photoshoots.

The Spring 2021 edition's stories on Lexington’s drag scene and horse breeding along with colorful photoshoots titled “The Fruit Shoot” and “Rewind Nostalgia” brought life back to students during the pandemic.

The Fall 2021 publication offered innovative fashion with the “Slim Aarons,” “Nonsense Chores” and “After Hours” photoshoots as well as celebratory stories, like the UK Women’s Volleyball team making history.

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KEEPING UP

with

KRNL

BY RILEY HOSTUTLER

Our social media platforms strive to build a community of creatives that are part of the University of Kentucky. Through lookbooks, mood boards and trend alerts, followers get daily fashion advice. By providing playlists, pop culture updates and day-in-the-life stories of what cool things UK students are involved in, our followers can be inspired by the lifestyle of our student body. Meet other students who share the same hobbies and interests by following KRNL on social media.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

@krnl_lf

@styledbykrnl @krnltalks

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VALENTINE'S DAY LOOKBOOK ON OUR

Instagram!

BEHIND OUR

FASHION SHOOTS

PHOTOS BY KAITLYN KRAKE & TY DUCKWYLER

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Xander Curry singing on stage at the Singletary Center on Tuesday, Jan 11, 2022 in Lexington, Ky.

FACING THE

MUSIC WRITTEN BY RANA ALSOUFI | PHOTOS BY OLIVIA FORD

S

tepping foot in the Otis A. Singletary Center for the Arts at the University of Kentucky, one knows that there isn’t a place on campus quite like it. If entering the building in the middle of the day, one can hear the echoes of the choir students’ singing bounce off the brick walls or maybe even the tuning of the band and orchestra students’ instruments as they get ready for another day of rehearsal. Plenty of students choose to spend their downtime and study time in the building to soak in its ambience, which could be considered a welcomed breath of fresh air after a long day of classes and work.

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But most importantly, the Singletary Center is the beloved home of UK’s choral groups, which are made up of talented college students — and even some professors — who come together to share their love for music with one another and to collaborate in its creation. One of these students, 19-year-old Harrison Hancock, is amazed by how the department brings the community’s singers together.

“One thing they just get so right — something that is extremely important to me — is the idea of community,” he said. “They absolutely do that.”

While many may recognize UK as being best known for the prowess of its athletic programs, one aspect of the school that doesn’t often get quite as much attention is the various choral ensembles that exist on campus and are housed in the Singletary Center. But getting to experience their recitals, concerts and other performances through the school year is also a notable representation of UK’s talented and accomplished student body.

The UK choral program is made up of four choral and three acapella ensembles. The choral ensembles — Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir, Chorale and Choristers — perform a diverse range of music with instrumental accompaniments, whereas the acapella ensembles consist of the acoUstiKats, Blue Note, and Paws and Listen.

Hancock said that Chorale is widely considered among the choral program at UK to be the top chamber ensemble out of them all.

Led by Director of Choral Activities Jeff Johnson, the co-ed choir is usually made up of juniors and seniors (with the occasional lucky sophomore) who must first audition to secure a spot.

Although it may seem intimidating enough for non-musical-majoring students at UK to feel discouraged in trying to join Chorale, one thing that current members want to emphasize is that any and all students who are passionate about singing and want to put in the work are welcome to pursue it, regardless of what they’re studying.

“Just because you don’t necessarily want to do music for the rest of your life doesn’t mean that you can’t like music and can’t participate in music making,” said Hancock, a sophomore vocal performance major who’s a member of both Men’s Choir and Chorale.

“We had Collage back in December, and that is like 300 to 400 singers on stage, and I would guarantee that half of them are not music majors.”

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Members of the UK Women’s Choir warm up in the rehearsal room at the Singletary Center on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022 in Lexington, Ky.

On Jan. 13, the members of Chorale elected a new president for the student leadership team, 20-year-old natural resources and environmental sciences major Matt McBee. For McBee, being a Chorale member who is not majoring in a music-related study has been exciting but also humbling.

“I definitely have to work really, really hard because I don’t get a whole lot of outside experience,” he said. “But I’m also very in control of my schedule, which has just been very nice. I can kind of do the ensembles I want to do, spend my time where I want to spend it, but it’s definitely been a lot of work.”

McBee’s goals as president for the next couple of semesters is to strengthen the sense of community and belonging that he believes Chorale has created among its members, especially for non-music majors like him.

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“You always go into a big ensemble like this thinking there’s going to be a stigma, that you’re not going to meet anybody because everybody else has this major in common, but that’s not it at all,” he said. “You’d be surprised how little music majors actually talk about music. Every single ensemble on this campus is so easy to break into.”

“

Every single ensemble on this campus is so easy to break into.”

- MATT MCBEE, CHORALE PRESIDENT

Many members of UK’s choral ensembles have been pushing for more diverse representation in their groups, not just among its members but also in the music they perform.

Former Chorale Co-Presidents Xander Curry and Mason O’Brien’s mission was to branch out regarding the songs they perform by shining a spotlight on composers who are underrepresented in the choral sphere.

“We’re doing more pieces by composers who are people of color who maybe haven’t been heard before, and I think that it’s really beneficial to utilize UK as a choral platform to give a light to voices that have been underrepresented,” said Curry, a senior vocal performance major.

The choral ensembles are an ever-evolving group of performers, and while they often like to honor the traditional aspects of choir performances by going back to classical pieces of work by wellknown composers, they also want the songs they sing to reflect the diversity of the world today.

“I think that that message of programming in a way that gives light to a more diverse piece of music sung by a more diverse student body is what will make Chorale a better environment for everyone to be in,” Curry said.

UK’s Women’s Choir is similar in that they primarily focus on works written by female composers and people of color, something that is made a priority by the ensemble’s director, Lori Hetzel.

“Our theme for the last two years has been silenced communities, so one of our main purposes is to try to include as many different cultural backgrounds and composers that are not of the dead, white man, Western variety,” Women’s Choir CoPresident Caitlin Flemm said.

The Women’s Choir has had the opportunity to work directly with two female composers, Elaine Hagenberg and Diane “Dee” White-Clayton, who have composed two original pieces of work that the choir debuted to the world during the American Choral Directors Association — also known as ACDA — Southern Conference this year that took place Feb. 23-26 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both the

Men’s and Women’s Choir at UK were selected to partake in the conference after passing the blind auditions. This was a huge accomplishment for the two ensembles as this is only the second time in history that both the men’s and women’s choirs of the same institution have been able to attend the Southern Conference in the same year.

The Women’s Choir is incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity not only to have performed at ACDA this year but also to have been able to work with two accomplished composers to help prepare, strengthen and empower them as an ensemble.

UK Women’s Choir co-presidents Caitlin Flemm and Jessica Rogers practice before their rehearsal outside of the Singletary Center on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 in Lexington, Ky.

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“UK’s choir is so phenomenal for offering that kind of opportunity,” Women’s Choir CoPresident Jessica Rogers said. “I don’t know of any schools that get that opportunity like how we do.”

The process for preparing for the ACDA Southern Conference was exciting and stressful for both the men and women of the groups. Katie Copeland, who is one of the “wardrobe queens” for the Women’s Choir, said that the group was putting in extra work during rehearsal time to make sure they were well-prepared for February.

“It’s an exciting energy because we know we’re really working up to something that’s really big, at least in the choral world,” Copeland said.

“

of Chorale, Men’s Choir and acoUstiKats. “I think that that’s very much so in my future, so in all of our rehearsals, you just soak up so much knowledge from everyone in the room — not just the director but the TAs and other students as well. I think we all learn from each other.”

The choir students at UK also encourage anyone who is interested in pursuing their musical talents a little more during their time at college to take the plunge and to join or audition for any of the ensembles on campus.

“Even if you’re like, ‘Oh, I just sing in the car sometimes, I don’t know if that’s enough,’ just come and try it, and you will be supported and uplifted and encouraged, and you’ll get to maybe meet your best friends,” Rogers said.

UK’s choir is so phenomenal for offering that kind of opportunity... I don’t know of any schools that get that opportunity like how we do.”

Hancock hoped that the conference would be not just an incredible experience in general, but a learning opportunity for him and his fellow choirmates to grow as performers.

“It’s a huge deal,” he said. “Being able to travel to Raleigh and get those experiences are lifelong memories.”

The UK choral groups want their talents to be even more widely known and to have an even greater impact, and many ensemble members hope that their accomplishments will solidify their legacy as one of the strongest choir schools in the United States. They believe that their experiences studying at UK and participating in ensembles is preparing them effectively for the futures that they hope to lead post-graduation.

“I plan to be a professional opera singer one day. That’s my hope and dream. But also after that, I want to be able to teach at a college where I can also have a choral group to lead as well,” said O’Brien, current member

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- JESSICA ROGERS, WOMEN’S CHOIR CO-PRESIDENT

The idea of found family is highly emphasized by many of the current choral students. That feeling of familiarity and closeness to fellow choirmates is something that the ensembles have worked hard to cultivate and hope to maintain for years to come.

“Your voice adds to a group,” Chorale’s McBee said. “You are nothing without the peers you stand beside and produce music with, and I think that’s gonna help me a lot in terms of working in group settings later in my life.”

Hancock shared a similar sentiment and added that there is something that everyone can gain by collaborating.

“It’s a garden of success,” he said.

“Everyone is cultivating their own garden, but then you have community gardeners that come around and help you grow your garden.

So we’re all lifting each other up, and that’s an environment that in the arts is sometimes hard to find because people sometimes can be divas, people can be selfish. It’s all very, very familiar, and we are a family.” •

Harrison Hancock practices his singing on stage at the Singletary Center on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022 in Lexington, Ky.

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University of Kentucky tennis player Millen Hurrion rests on the bench after practice and reflects on his swing at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on the University of Kentucky’s campus on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 in Lexington, Ky.

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BRITAIN TO THE BLUEGRASS:

MILLEN HURRION’S TENNIS JOURNEY WRITTEN BY HUNTER SHELTON | PHOTOS BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

M

illen Hurrion’s professional tennis journey is taking shape in Lexington, Kentucky.

Hurrion, a fifth-year student from Weymouth, England, is in the midst of his final season with the University of Kentucky Men’s Tennis team.

Following a 19-8 record in the 2021 season, capped off by a second-round exit in the NCAA Championships, Hurrion and the Wildcats return all but two players from last year.

“I think we’re a lot deeper than last year, a lot more experienced,” Hurrion said. “I don’t think we have the excuse anymore of being a young team.”

UK’s experience comes from a 12-man roster, seven of whom are upperclassmen.

Including Hurrion and Liam Draxl, the reigning 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Player of the Year, four Wildcats were ranked in the 2021 ITA Singles Top 125.

Hurrion and the Cats feel that they have the star power and leadership necessary to reach the top of the mountain come the end of their 2022 campaign.

“That’s all we want to do, is win a championship,” Hurrion said. “This is my last go, we have another fifth-year senior...

This is our last go in college and I think we’re ready to do it.”

From Great Britain to the Bluegrass, much of the 22-year-old’s life has been spent with a racket in hand. Hurrion recalls beginning his tennis journey around the age of three in kindergarten, back home in England.

Tennis wasn’t exactly easy at the start for Hurrion, however.

“Really, I wasn’t the most athletic kid,” he said. “Quite a few other kids had better hand-eye coordination than me.”

Hurrion holds the title of team captain for Kentucky, a role that is not lost on the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Englishman.

“The first thing is off the court, being there for the guys. I’ve kind of made sure that they know whatever they need, whether it’s tennis-related or not, that I’m there for them,” Hurrion said. “I think a happy team is the most important thing.

You can’t play well unless everything else is sorted.”

Along with supporting his teammates away from tennis, Hurrion knows that his leadership as a veteran will pilot the future captains of Kentucky tennis in the right direction.

“Being accountable and showing my experience. This is my fifth season now, some of the guys are in their second or third,” he said.

Growing up, Hurrion would work on his craft repeatedly, developing a stronger bond with the sport along the way.

“I just remember, it was really rewarding once I started to get the hang of it, and I kind of fell in love with it that way,” he said.

Hurrion’s talent and his love for the game brought him to the United States in 2017 to pursue the collegiate tennis world and an education. Kentucky was not his first landing spot.

Boiling Springs, North Carolina, hosted the first two years of Hurrion’s collegiate career at Gardner Webb University.

SPRING 2022 | 59

Two Big South Conference first team selections and 52 victories in singles and doubles play highlighted a solid beginning to his college tenure in the Tar Heel State. Following the 20182019 season, it was time for a change.

After touring Kentucky, Hurrion knew he had found his new home away from home.

“Honestly, it was just the vibe here when I visited,” he said. “I think the team atmosphere we have here is something really special, and I definitely looked for that.”

UK’s coaching staff, led by Head Coach Cedric Kauffmann and assistants Matthew Gordon and Peter Kobelt, played a big part in Hurrion making the jump to Kentucky.

“The coaches here, I honestly can’t speak highly of enough,” he said. “Cedric, Matt and Pete, I think you’ll never find better coaches in those positions.”

If the team atmosphere and coaching staff weren’t enough, the city of Lexington was a cherry on top.

“

Hurrion is in his third and final season with Kentucky.

Through his first two years, he peaked as high as No. 32 in the ITA singles rankings while appearing in the 2021 NCAA Singles Championship as an at-large selection.

Following the 2021 spring season, Hurrion made noise on the professional circuit, reaching the final of a 25K tournament in France as a part of the International Tennis Federation’s Men’s World Tennis Tour. The tournament run is what Hurrion recalled as one of the defining moments of his young career.

“I came all the way through qualifying, and it was one of my first tournaments on the tour, so that was really special for me,” he said.

When it comes to college matches or singles tournaments, Hurrion is all-in on the collegiate experience.

“I honestly prefer the college environment just because there’s nothing like it,” he said. “I think when people come and experience a college match for the first time, it’s so different to what their perception is.

Tennis is such a gentleman’s game, and it’s very quiet.

Then you come to a college match and it’s all kind of thrown out the window and it’s all very rowdy.”

I think the team atmosphere we have here is something really special and I definitely looked for that.”

- MILLEN HURRION, UK TENNIS PLAYER

“I love Lexington because I’m not from a big city back home. I’m from a small town so I didn’t want to go somewhere that was kind of too crazy and too much going on,” he said. “I love it here. It’s a cool city.”

Weymouth, a seaside town in Dorset county in southwest England, has a population of just over 50,000, about one-sixth the size of Lexington.

Hurrion still misses some things about his hometown.

“One thing I like better about Weymouth is I live by the beach, so that’s pretty cool,” Hurrion said.

What Lexington lacks in sand, it makes up for in entertainment and gastronomy.

“In Lexington, there’s just a lot more stuff to do. You know, like The Local Taco,” he said.

“I love the little food and coffee spots around here, it’s a cool place.”

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Hurrion now has one final season to enjoy the unique environment that is college tennis. He and his fellow Wildcats help create a rowdy experience of their own at home court, the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center, every chance they get.

“After last year we did pretty good at home and made it a tough place for other teams to come here. So I think we’ve established that throughout the country,” he said.

At the end of the 2022 season, Hurrion will graduate from UK in May with a degree in business management, then it’s right back to the professional circuit.

Kentucky is a pitstop in Hurrion’s journey, albeit an important one. His time in Lexington has only bolstered his hopes of succeeding as a pro.

“I really want to make it in the tennis world,” he said. “I’m dedicated on and off the court to make it as a professional, and I believe I can do it, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” •

“I THINK A HAPPY TEAM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.”

- MILLEN HURRION SPRING 2022 | 61

KENTUCKY PRIDE:

JOSH HOPKINS’ ROOTS BLEED BLUE WRITTEN BY BARKLEY TRUAX | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JOSH HOPKINS & LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER

F

rom Hollywood to New York City to Texas, Josh Hopkins has lived all over the country and met some extraordinary people in his travels and career as an actor.

He’s starred in the likes of “Cougar Town,” “CSI: Miami,” “Quantico” and more over his 26-year acting career, but he hasn’t forgotten where he came from.

“I just love where I’m from,” Hopkins said.

“Lexington is one of the greatest places to grow up. I mean, it’s family friendly but not isolated, and I just love it.”

Hopkins quickly grew an affinity for his home team, the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

He grew up in the Joe B. Hall years and was enamored by the likes of Kyle Macy, Rick Robey and Jack “Goose” Givens.

Hopkins remembers asking his father why fans would boo Givens every time he made a play, only for his father to tell him they weren’t booing but collectively bellowing “Goose” at the Kentucky legend.

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“I didn’t really have a good enough sense as a normal human being to enjoy that,” Hopkins said with a laugh.

Once he gained that sense, he remembered crying when Kentucky played rival Louisville for the first time in 24 seasons and the game saw the Cardinals edge the Wildcats 80-68 in overtime in the Stokely Athletic Center in 1983. Hopkins recalled crying even harder the following season when Kentucky lost to the eventual national champions Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, in the Final Four where the Hoyas held the trio of Sam Bowie, Kenny Walker and Melvin Turpin to 19 points.

Two years later, that’s when Rex Chapman became a Wildcat — Hopkins’ favorite Kentucky basketball player of all time. Thirty-five years later, the two would begin a podcast together: “The Rex Chapman Show.”

They’ve come a long way since the start of their relationship.

“It started with me following him around the UK campus and following him around in the malls,” Hopkins said. “But that was my start of the relationship, not his start of the relationship.”

They really meshed once Chapman became prevalent on social media. The first time they met in person was during the 2012 National Championship game that saw Kentucky capture their eighth title in program history. Chapman bought the pair two tickets, and the rest was history.

“We were cemented as buddies at that point,” Hopkins said.

Now the two come together once a month to talk to notable athletes and influencers such as Stephen Curry, Martina Navratilova, Isaiah Thomas and more. All episodes can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and anywhere else podcasts are available.

Even though Hopkins has as much notoriety as Chapman these days, sometimes he sits back in awe of the relationship he now has with someone he looked up to growing up in Lexington.

“Fourteen-year-old me would freak out,” he said.

That’s just the basketball culture in Lexington, though. Kentucky’s fanbase, the Big Blue Nation, would travel to the moon to watch their beloved Cats play on the hardwood. The love starts early and that spark never goes away, Hopkins said. It’s because of his love for Kentucky basketball that he wanted to get into it as a teenager himself.

Hopkins graduated from Sayre High School where he played on the school’s basketball team. He said he wasn’t close to being an All-State selection, joking that he averaged four points, four rebounds and four turnovers a game for the Spartans.

“I probably was built better for baseball naturally, but basketball — it’s like, we’re in Kentucky,” Hopkins said. “I just concentrated on that more because I loved it. You know, [Lexington was] where we were, so playing was a lot of fun.”

Hopkins recalled when his teammate David DeMarcus scored 59 points while making 17 three-pointers in a 119-36 stomping of Millersburg Military Institute on Valentine’s Day in 1989. That was a national record that stood for over two decades and has since been topped, but it still stands as a KHSAA record all these years later.

“He was Jimmy Chitwood,” Hopkins said.

“He was a big, country, farmer boy, and he

Josh Hopkins, pictured center, in his basketball uniform at Sayre High School.

“

We were cemented as buddies at that point.”

- JOSH HOPKINS, ACTOR & LEXINGTON NATIVE

didn’t miss. Just being around that kind of guy, he was great and just kept catching fire, and it was a lot of fun.”

Hopkins may not have had the scoring prowess of DeMarcus, but he had one claim to fame: the inbound pass.

Fake a pass to make a pass. “I’m just one of the greatest intuitive inbounders,” Hopkins said. “I think you’re born with it, and I got it, so, I’m one hell of an inbounder. No one can deny.”

SPRING 2022 | 63

Josh Hopkins, actor on the TV show “Cougartown,” greets the crowd during the second half of the UK vs.

UT-Arlington game at Rupp Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014 in Lexington, Ky. | PHOTO BY ADAM PENNAVARIA 64 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

“

Lexington is one of the greatest places to grow up.”

He was able to learn some of the more exciting aspects of basketball playing for the late Charlie Givens on the Salvation Army Lakers. While his experience with Sayre was a more traditional experience into the game of basketball, playing under Givens gave him a more streetball type of approach to the game.

The court inside the gym at Douglass Park on Georgetown Street felt like it was 110 degrees Fahrenheit, but as a 15-year-old kid, it felt amazing to Hopkins, like he could do anything. Even if he couldn’t jump high enough to dunk a ball, he felt like he could.

“That’s one kind of ball when you go and play with these guys where you’re throwing alley-oops and stuff, that was different,” Hopkins said. “I made a lot of good friends there that I’ve kept in touch with for all these years.”

That was when Hopkins realized the many diverse cultures present in Lexington and learned not to be stuck in his one little bubble. Givens was instrumental in helping Hopkins recognize the importance of parenting, patience and having social skills. He showed Hopkins that he needed to be willing to help those less fortunate and to treat everyone the way he expected to be treated.

“I treasure that experience,” Hopkins said.

After graduating from Sayre, Hopkins considered going to UK but thought better of it. He saw that as “big high school” and wanted to start fresh and go somewhere he could never know everyone, which is why he decided to go to Auburn University.

- JOSH HOPKINS, ACTOR & LEXINGTON NATIVE

“About two years in, I was really kind of depressed at Auburn,” Hopkins said. “I was not doing anything toward an interest that I had, and so I left school. I didn’t really know what I was going to do, but then I heard about Actors Theatre of Louisville.”

Nine men and nine women were selected into his class from their audition, and Hopkins made the cut. He called it his biggest break in the acting business.

From there, he became an actor’s apprentice and was taking acting classes all while living on Muhammad Ali Boulevard in Louisville.

“It was a big opening door for me to go there and learn and learn the right way,” he said.

Hopkins said he had no idea that type of resource was available in the state. Aspiring actors coming in from the outside don’t look at Kentucky as a place to cut one’s teeth in the arts but rather an Appalachian, poverty-ridden area.

Hopkins is proud to know he learned acting the right way in the state that molded him into the man he is today. He said he’s thankful to know Kentucky is where he started his career.

Whenever he can, he likes to include Kentucky-related apparel and items onto his acting sets. He has even gone as far as giving Ellen DeGeneres a bottle of Woodford Reserve on “The Ellen Show.”

“My family is still there. My mom, my sisters, nieces, nephews, all my best friends in the world are still there,” Hopkins said. “It’s just home.” •

SPRING 2022 | 65

WIN, PLACE AND GROW:

THE NEXT GENERATION OF JOCKEYS WRITTEN BY RAYLEIGH DEATON

T

he early afternoon sun gently pours through the barn door, its white paint chipping and peeling with wear. The air is filled with the sweet smell of hay from the lofts above the stalls, mixed with the pungent earthiness of the horses.

Conversation, punctuated by the occasional whinny or nicker from the stalls, comes from the small congregation of people gathered in the barn, laughing and talking about the newest horse, Hubert, who had just arrived that morning.

It is feeding time, and the horses know it; their excited Pavlovian neighs reach a fever pitch as the feed bucket makes its way around the barn.

A solitary orange barn cat patrols for uninvited rodent guests and generally looks disdained at the commotion.

It is an idyllic scene that one might expect to see at a Kentucky horse farm. But the barn is also a classroom, and the equestrian individuals are students at the North American Riding Academy — the only racehorse-riding certification program offered through a community college in the United States.

The academy, known as NARA, is located at the Thoroughbred Training Center, approximately 20 minutes from downtown Lexington, Kentucky.

Founded in 2006 by Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, NARA recently rebranded and is now under the ownership of Bluegrass Community and Technical College’s equine program.

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Dixie Kendall is the program director for BCTC Equine, where she has worked for over 11 years. She said the rebranding was intended to better market the variety of opportunities and pathways students can pursue through the academy. Although NARA was originally founded as a jockey school, it now includes a number of other focuses.

“The program offers a lot more than just our racehorse-riding program,” she said. “Whether it’s racing, breeding industry, sport horse, we have a full plethora of equine classes that we have as part of our program.”

With those myriad classes come myriad career paths.

NARA offers a two-year associate’s degree, but Kendall said it gives students a low-cost option to get a head start in the industry, opening doors to internships and job opportunities, and the courses easily transfer to four-year institutions should students decide to continue pursuing their degree.

Although many NARA students have backgrounds in the equine world, Kendall said that a surprising number have come through the program with little to no prior horse experience.

One such student, Derek Manns, left his background in managing restaurants to hopefully start a new career managing barns. Manns said he has been riding horses since he was five years old, and now, in his 30s, he is finally doing what he loves.

BCTC Equine Studies student Derek Manns puts on a horse’s bridle in the barn located at The Thoroughbred SPRING 2022 | 67 Center on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022 in Lexington, Ky. | PHOTO BY SYDNEY TURNER

“When COVID started, I was like, ‘It’s time to follow your dream,’ so that’s where I’m at,” he said. “I just like to be around [horses] every day, taking care of them.”

Eric Resendiz, a second semester equine student, wants to go into horse training after graduation. He said his passion for horses began at an early age, when he would go to the racetrack where his father worked.

“I moved here from Arkansas a few years ago, that’s kind of where it all started,” he said. “I went to the racetrack — that’s kind of the only thing to do, so I went all the time.”

Although he originally wanted to go to the University of Louisville for his degree, Resendiz said he is glad he chose to attend NARA.

“

I think a lot of it comes down to just having the guts to do it.”

- AMY HEITZMAN, INSTRUCTOR

“I think the hands-on experience is really fun,” he said. “And there’s great people, good teachers. It’s really fun.”

Kendall said NARA focuses on the thoroughbred racing industry, preparing students to enter careers as jockeys or exercise riders — both of which are highly physical lines of work.

“It’s definitely a different aspect, riding a racehorse, than it is in any other discipline,” she said. “Galloping racehorses is a very, very physical endeavor.”

Because both careers entail galloping horses at high speeds for extended periods of time, students pursuing their jockey license or wanting to become exercise riders have to “make weight,” meeting certain weight requirements, and undergo tryouts that test their physical abilities.

Ohio native Genny Cavalier is one such student hoping to pass the physical tryout, which she will complete this spring. At 28, she is in her second semester at NARA and is on track to become an exercise rider after graduation, eventually hoping to work as a jockey.

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One of the horses the BCTC Equine Studies program shares the stable with looks out the window of its stall at the Thoroughbred Center on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022 in Lexington, Ky. | PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

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One of 15 students training for the tryouts, Cavalier said the competition she will face is “stiff” this year.

The tests are done on an Equicizer — a mechanical horse that simulates the experience of riding a real one. They examine students’ abilities to complete a two-point hold, a position on the horse where riders lift themselves completely off the saddle and maintain contact with the horse with their knees and reins.

Cavalier also said students have to complete 50 situps in two minutes and run a mile in under nine minutes.

“And that’s just starting out,” she said, laughing.

As one might guess from the rigor and physicality of the tryouts, the life of an equestrian student is filled with hard work — and early mornings.

The handful of students in the barn that afternoon had just finished their Equine Care Lab class, learning how to care for horses daily

needs like first aid, grooming and bandaging. Their day began promptly at 7 a.m., when they arrived at the school.

Each week, students are assigned one horse that they will take care of every day. When they get to the school each Monday through Thursday, they have until 8 a.m. to groom, feed and care for their horse, given just 20 minutes to clean out their horse’s stall.

Resendiz said that the morning class is “kind of chaotic,” but it is still his favorite class so far.

“I’ve learned a lot; I’ve learned how to be quicker in certain areas,” he said. “It teaches you to be a little bit more detailed, and it’s pretty fun.”

“

We all have the same end goal: to be successful in the horse industry.”

BCTC Equine Studies instructor Amy Heitzman chats with Derek Manns and other students after class in the barn at The Thoroughbred Center. | PHOTO BY SYDNEY TURNER

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- TAYLOR MARTIN, NARA STUDENT Resendiz joked that being up so early on a regular basis has helped him get used to the bitter Kentucky winters. Getting an early start to the day four mornings per week suddenly makes some chilly weather seem not so bad.

After that morning class, students jump into the rest of their course load, taking classes like Introduction to the Racing Industry and Training Principles and Practices.

One of Kentucky native Taylor Martin’s favorite classes is Introduction to Racing, which teaches students about the different areas of a racetrack. NARA is able to use the track owned by the Thoroughbred Training Center for its classes.

Martin, 22, is wanting to use the skills she is learning in her future career as an exercise rider.

“I love going fast on horses. I want to work with them every day,” she said.

And the horses certainly go fast. Martin said that a horse can usually gallop in excess of 40 miles per hour, although it depends on the horse.

BCTC Equine Studies program coordinator and instructor Dixie Kendall feeds some of the program’s horses.

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

Another of Martin’s favorite classes thus far dealt with bloodstock, the industry of purchasing horses for breeding. The class took a trip to Keeneland for the yearling and broodmare sales, and she said that the opportunity was invaluable.

“You have to go and really talk to the people that are in the industry already,” Martin said. “It really got me out of my comfort zone.”

Amy Heitzman, an instructor at the school, teaches a number of the lab-based courses offered, including Equine Care. She said one of her favorite things about NARA is the small class sizes, which are typically capped at around 15 students. The racehorseriding classes only accept six students, who are selected based on their performance during tryouts.

Heitzman said the small classes create a more personalized experience for her and her students.

“I like how they [have] very one-on-one interactions, and I get to know the students personally,” Heitzman said.

Martin echoed this, saying that the school’s small size fosters a tight-knit community of students.

“We all get along really well,” she said. “We all have the same end goal: to be successful in the horse industry.”

A career in the equine world in any capacity means long hours and fast-paced, hard work, rain or shine. Despite this, Heitzman said that the work is incredibly rewarding, and while natural ability definitely plays a part, success in the industry is largely determined by one’s level of dedication.

“I think a lot of it comes down to just having the guts to do it,” she said. “Just that drive to want to do it.” •

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HIDDEN HISTORY IN THE EAST END:

BRINGING NEW LIFE INTO PALMER PHARMACY WRITTEN BY GRAY GREENWELL | PHOTOS BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

The second of Dr. Zirl Palmer’s three pharmacies built, and the only one left standing is actively being preserved

by Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation sits at the corner of Fifth and Chestnut as cars pass by in the rain on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 in Lexington, Ky. 72 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

T

he corner of Lexington’s Fifth and Chestnut streets is home to history. That history — a striking baby blueaccented building with a Modernist architectural style and boarded-up windows — is what was once Palmer Pharmacy, one of the city’s first Black-owned pharmacies.

The legacy of Palmer Pharmacy wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the man responsible for its creation, though.

Dr. Zirl Palmer was born and raised in Bluefield, West Virginia, nearly three decades before the height of the civil rights movement. Palmer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and mathematics at Bluefield State College.

However, West Virginia didn’t allow Black students to attend professional school during this time, pushing an untiring Palmer to move to New Orleans and attend the College of Pharmacy at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Palmer managed to have the state of West Virginia (the very same place that denied his professional education) pay for his train fare and part of his tuition, eventually earning his master’s degree at XULA. After serving in World War II, Palmer said he came to Lexington in 1951 with the intention of carving his path to success as a pharmacist during a time in which segregation was prevalent.

“My reason for coming here was they had roughly nine Black physicians and four dentists but no Black pharmacists,” Palmer said in a 1978 interview with Edward Owens of Lexington’s Urban League, provided by courtesy of the University of Kentucky’s Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. “Segregation really prevailed then and I thought that if I came to an area where they had that many physicians as well as dentists that I couldn’t miss as far as making a success in the drug business.”

Palmer’s first pharmacy opened in the mid-1950s and sat on the corner of Fifth and Race streets. He spent five years at his first building before he opened the second location — Palmer’s Pharmacy, Luncheonette, and Doctor’s Office — just down the road on Fifth and Chestnut streets in 1961.

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Dr. Zirl Palmer, owner of Palmer Pharmacy and first African American University of Kentucky member of the Board of Trustees. PHOTO PROVIDED BY UK’S SPECIAL COLLECTIONS RESEARCH CENTER

Palmer’s Pharmacy, Luncheonette, and Doctor’s Office was the first Black-owned Rexall franchise drugstore in the United States. The pharmacy soon became a hub for Lexington’s East End community, offering not only a place where people could pick up their prescriptions but also stop by for refreshments at its soda fountain and lunch counter. The oasis Palmer created with his pharmacy didn’t seem all that attainable when he first arrived in Lexington, but the success of his second location breathed new life into a community that had since been overpowered by segregation.

“When I came here, there wasn’t any place where a Black person could sit down and drink a soda,” Palmer said in the 1978 interview. “People used to line up at the soda fountain all the way out the door waiting to sit down at the soda fountain.”

Palmer opened a third pharmacy on Georgetown Street following the success of his other two locations. However, Palmer’s newest location was the target of a Ku Klux Klan bombing in 1968, an already tumultuous year in the civil rights movement.

The bombing of the Georgetown Street location left Palmer, his wife Marian and their four-year-old daughter Andrea trapped in rubble for hours before being hospitalized along with five others. Former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon Phillip J. Campbell was convicted of the bombing in 1970, but the damage to Palmer, his family and his business was already done.

“

When I came here, there was not any place where a Black person could sit down and drink a soda.”

- DR. ZIRL PALMER, OWNER OF PALMER PHARMACY

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“It’s a very, very frustrating thing to be afraid to go to bed, afraid to get up, afraid to start your car, you know, afraid of everybody you see that they’re going to knock you out,” Palmer said of the bombing in the 1978 interview.

Alarmed by the bombing and fearful for the safety of his family, Palmer retired and sold his businesses. Despite no longer operating his drugstores, Palmer continued to be a vital member of the city of Lexington and a civil rights pioneer until his death in 1982. He was the first Black member of the UK Board of Trustees and he was active in committees like the Civic Center Board and the Kentucky Human Rights Commision.

Today, the baby blue-accented building on Fifth and Chestnut streets is the only former Palmer Pharmacy location still standing.

After being sold by Palmer, the building most notably served as the home of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington’s Catholic Action Center from 2000-2016. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government acquired the Palmer Pharmacy building in 2016 and slated it for demolition the following year. Demolition never occurred, though, and the building has remained vacant and in poor shape since then, according to a Lexington organization working to renovate the building.

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation proposed a grant to preserve the last remaining pharmacy of Dr. Zirl Palmer’s. The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation is located on North Broadway.

That organization, The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation, is aiming to preserve Palmer Pharmacy and the legacy that the building represents.

Founded in 1955, The Blue Grass Trust’s mission is to save and promote the special, historic places essential to Central Kentucky, and Palmer Pharmacy is one of those.

The Blue Grass Trust had been following the state of the pharmacy for some time before they decided to submit a grant proposal to the National Historic Trust for Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, which was established in 2017 to preserve and protect Black historic sites that have been overlooked. The Blue Grass Trust’s proposal was successful, and Palmer Pharmacy was one of the 40 historic sites chosen to receive a $50,000 grant in July 2021.

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On top of the grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, $350,000 has already been allotted to the preservation effort by the city. The Blue Grass Trust will use the funds they’ve obtained through national and local grants as well as third parties to renovate the building.

Executive Director of The Blue Grass Trust Jonathan Coleman stresses the importance of his organization’s efforts to preserve Palmer Pharmacy.

“When you have buildings that become sort of derelict, empty, that sort of thing.

It’s kind of like a hole in that community,” Coleman said.

The Blue Grass Trust is using their resources to not only preserve Palmer Pharmacy itself and offset repair costs but also to promote the story of the building,

“

When you have buildings that become sort of derelict, empty, that sort of thing. It’s kind of like a hole in that community.”

- JONATHAN COLEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE BLUE GRASS TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Coleman said. The non-profit has added signs on the exterior of the former pharmacy that detail its history, and they’ve helped in the search for a new tenant for the building.

Coleman and The Blue Grass Trust recognize the cultural significance of preserving a building like Palmer Pharmacy, acknowledging that the building represents stories of equality and racial justice.

“It embodies an important story in Lexington’s past, and that is the story of Black Kentuckians fighting for greater equality, greater freedoms and for natural rights as American citizens, and of course, Dr. Palmer was central to that story in Central Kentucky,” Coleman said. “So while it is a very cool building, it is also an embodiment of a very important story, not only in Lexington history, but of course, in the history of our nation.”

Not only in the case of Palmer Pharmacy but also with historic preservation in general, Coleman said efforts like these support social and economic equity, particularly in marginalized communities.

Telling and preserving the stories of individuals like Palmer and representing broader communities and neighborhoods “helps to make our pasts a little more present,” Coleman said.

The preservation and rehabilitation of Palmer Pharmacy is not an overnight task, but things appear to be looking up for the building — which could be well on its way to making its return as a significant fixture in Lexington communities, according to Coleman.

“The city seems to be moving forward with a new tenant, things are going really well and we look forward to seeing the building restored and once again a vital part of Lexington’s East End,” Coleman said. • Historical information regarding Dr. Zirl Palmer and Palmer Pharmacy was obtained from The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation’s website.

The BGT insignia is the trademark sign of The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation.

www.bluegrasstrust.org/dr-zirl-palmer-and-preserving-palmer-place

SPRING 2022 | 77

KLEINE POWELL:

THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR CHEERING

WRITTEN BY BROOKLYN KELLEY

K

leine Powell filmed the job interview that changed her life in a bathroom in Arizona.

She locked the door and told her friends not to listen to the audition video she was filming for a spot as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

Those same friends cried and celebrated with her when she got word of her acceptance to the 2021 DCC Training Camp.

The DCC can be seen on the sidelines and on the field at halftime at every game the Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They can also be seen at United Service Organizations tours worldwide, youth dance and cheer camps and on their annual swimsuit and sideline calendar.

Powell said she was in the middle of a celebratory, post-grad, 16-day, cross-country road trip with two of her friends from the University of Kentucky, her alma mater, when she got her DCC acceptance email.

“We had to stop in Arizona. So I did one of my videos there,” Powell said. “I had to film it in my friend’s completely brand new apartment.”

She got the email with a link to a video of the coaches telling her that she made it to Training Camp and that she would have to move to Texas within two and a half weeks, even though she was traveling in Seattle.

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“I was like, ‘If I make it through and I get into Training Camp, this is literally going to change my life,’” Powell said.

Powell was a member of the UK Dance Team, and she said she has been dancing for most of her life. She danced for a couple studios in her hometown of Richmond, Kentucky, though she said she took a year off to play soccer.

“

I was like, ‘If I make it through and I get into training camp, this is literally going to change my life.’”

- KLEINE POWELL, DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADER, UK ALUMNA

She said she wasn’t the best at soccer, but it was a part of what she called her “tomboy phase.”

“Coming out of fifth grade, you’re always so nervous,” Powell said. “I was really shy back then too. And so I was like, ‘Mom, I think I want to try out for the dance team,’ and I hadn’t danced for a whole year, so she was like, ‘Are you sure?’”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS

SPRING 2022 | 79

“

I’m the same person, but everything seems to be different. I mean, I cheer for the best squad in the world.”

- KLEINE POWELL, DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADER, UK ALUMNA

Powell said that she made the middle school team, and she continued to dance in high school.

She said that she knew her dance career wasn’t over with her senior year of college, so she decided to try out for the DCC. “I just kept making it through to each round, and I was like, ‘What is happening?’” Powell said.

“That was so cool. But then I was like, ‘Wait, I have to move to Texas now.’”

She said that the DCC Training Camp days were usually 18 hours or longer, and that she and other new girls were competing against 28 veteran cheerleaders for the 36 coveted team spots.

“It’s just one of those things that you’re just so excited to be there and to be gifted another night,” Powell said. “It’s a gift because I feel like before DCC, I truly did take things in my life for granted. And so I’m really grateful for the experience because I finally learned how to be present.”

Powell said that when she found out she made the team as an official DCC member, rehearsal had already gone an hour past scheduled time, and all the girls were exhausted.

A video featuring coaches and Training Camp alumni began playing on the big screen in the stadium, congratulating the women on being the 2021-2022 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

“I threw my poms up in the air and then smashed them down,” Powell said. “All the veterans were sitting on our left side. They all ran over and were hugging all of us. A big clump of just happy, and it was really cool. I think that was definitely my favorite memory.”

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Being a Cowboys Cheerleader means donning the iconic blue, long-sleeved crop top, stark white shorts and white cowboy boots, which Powell described as “magical.”

The classic blue and white uniform has even been added to a collection at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.

Powell said that being a DCC means that the girls do not have much downtime, including enough time off to go home to Kentucky around Christmas.

The cheerleaders didn’t rehearse on Christmas day, but there was a game on Dec. 26 and Christmas shows to perform. Powell’s parents and siblings came to Dallas from Kentucky to be with her for the holidays. But Powell understands the tight schedule.

“I’m also dancing for the best team in America, so it kind of evens itself out,” she said.

Game days for Powell often start at 3:30 a.m. with about an hour and a half to do her own hair and makeup before a bus ride to practice preceding a noon game. She said they practice for about two hours before fixing themselves up and making their way to do their pregame dance at Miller LiteHouse. They then eat, fix themselves up again and head to the game. They end around 6 p.m. when she gets home.

Included with the long hours and intensive practices are fun traditions that the cheerleaders have maintained, like the passing of Abbey Bear, a stuffed bear who reps a replica of the women’s uniforms. The name Abbey Bear

PHOTO PROVIDED BY @KLEINEPOWELL VIA INSTAGRAM stands for above and beyond, and she is passed to a cheerleader who has shown extra kindness following each game.

“Whoever has Abbey Bear from the last game will get up, say what Abbey Bear did that week, thank the person who gave them Abbey Bear and then will kind of describe the person who they want to give Abbey to next,” Powell said. “My really good friend Kelcey, who’s a third year, gave me Abbey Bear for I think it was the third home game.”

Powell said that another tradition is standing in a circle holding pinkies and saying the Lord’s Prayer before a game, then throwing their arms up in exclamation and turning to the outside of the circle to go out to perform.

As far as stage fright goes, Powell said that it isn’t something that bothers her, even though she performs in her “fluid hip-hop” style in front of thousands of fans. She said she’s so excited to be cheering there that she ignores all the nervousness that she’s feeling.

“When I don’t wear my glasses, everything just looks blurry,” she said. “I think it helps because I can’t see people’s faces in detail.”

Powell’s life has changed in many ways since graduating from UK as a digital arts and media major, but she said she still wants to do design in some capacity after moving on from professional cheerleading.

“There’s no timeline for anything, so I’m just going to try to do this now and then I’ll figure out something later and then maybe I’ll move on and do something else in another 10 years. Who knows,” Powell said.

She would love to stay on the team for three or four years if she is able so that she has time to grow and be more relaxed after her first year. She said that her life is completely different since becoming a Cowboys Cheerleader, but in a good way.

“I’m the same person, but everything seems to be different. I mean, I cheer for the best squad in the world,” Powell said. “Not even to say that I’m engaged now, and I’ve moved away 17 hours from home and it’s just, everything has been such a whirlwind. But honestly, it’s awesome. I wouldn’t change it for the world.” • PHOTO PROVIDED BY DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS SPRING 2022 | 81

PHOTO BY SYDNEY TURNER

Catie 82 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

(not so)

HAPPY

WRITTEN BY CATIE ARCHAMBEAU Celebrating four years of KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion with our senior shoot is fitting; it’s happy and sad at the same time. Our seniors have helped shape this magazine and grow our organization alongside our staff over their college years, so toasting to the hard work that gets put into our bi-annual publications has never been easier.

A state of being happy and sad at the same time is common when approaching life milestones, like graduating college and preparing for shifts and changes in life — happy for all of the memories, lessons, people and experiences that have been made and for the ones to come but sad to leave it all behind.

Our “Not-So-Happy-Birthday’’ shoot was inspired by this state of being and the anniversary of our magazine. Our staff had fun with tasty props from Crumbl Cookies and European Delights, making all of our birthday wishes come true.

Let us raise a toast to our senior class; thank you all for your hard work and creative collaboration. On behalf of the KRNL L+F staff, we wish you all the best in your endeavors and can’t wait to celebrate your future successes. As for four years of KRNL L+F, we couldn’t have grown and changed in the ways we have without you all. Here’s to a place where creativity and individuality flourish, and to many more issues.

NOT PICTURED: LINDA KIM & OLIVIA MORAN SPRING 2022 | 83

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

e i r u a L

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Corrie

Barkley

Ty

Hunter

PHOTO BY SYDNEY TURNER SPRING 2022 | 85

PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

Anna

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a y Ja

PHOTO BY CHRISTIANA NYARKO SPRING 2022 | 87

PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

Addi

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Bailey

PHOTO BY OLIVIA FORD SPRING 2022 | 89

ILLUSTRATION BY LINDA KIM

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This semester’s Press Play was curated in collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s student-run radio station WRFL 88.1 FM. WRFL puts a spotlight on lesser-known artists in order to introduce UK to new music, and it is KRNL’s pleasure to partner with a fellow creative organization on campus.

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POPS RESALE S P O N S O R E D

C O N T E N T

WRITTEN BY OLIVIA SANDERSON PHOTOS BY OLIVIA FORD

POPS Resale is a fixture in student life at the University of Kentucky, and it’s obvious why.

Not only do they carry everything from tapes and vintage clothing to records and old-school Nintendo games, but they also focus on creating a safe atmosphere in the store.

“There is a stereotype that we’re all gonna be judgy. That’s not the case. For the most part, we’re pretty nice guys and gals and we’re always willing to help,” said Tyler Palmquist, who has worked at POPS for 23 years.

Palmquist specializes in the records at POPS, having his own personal collection of over 15,000 records. But having so many records does not give him a big head. If anything, his goal is to help the customers find what they like and to learn more about music himself.

Another worker at POPS, Dotty Berryman, helps to run the clothing section. Her goals align with Palmquist’s as well.

“I want them to feel happy. I want people to feel comfortable to explore and stuff,” Berryman said.

While Berryman says she is anything but a musical expert, she still feels at home in POPS. Despite differences between interests or music tastes, POPS has something for everyone.

Being full of eclectic and wild finds looking for owners who will take full advantage of their quirky nature, POPS sees no limits. Even when a customer is not sure about a piece of clothing, Berryman likes to make sure they know “if you want to pull it off, you’re gonna pull it off.”

The little joys of working at POPS — like finding receipts in old clothes for Berryman or selling someone a record they are stoked about for Palmquist — shows through in its growing clientele.

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Even throughout the pandemic, POPS has maintained a safe atmosphere for customers with a mask requirement and letting people navigate the store at their own pace.

“We have always specialized in things that you do at home,” Palmquist said. “If we’ve got it, we’d love for you to have that record so you can take it home and enjoy it.”

Palmquist described POPS as “sort of like the old country store, where dudes sit around and talk, with more of a musical nerd bent.”

To support this local Lexington business and experience the musical version of that old country store, visit its website at popsresale.com or in store at 1423 Leestown Road, Suite B, just 10 minutes from UK’s campus. •

CSL PLASMA S P O N S O R E D

C O N T E N T

WRITTEN BY OLIVIA SANDERSON

As one of the world’s largest plasma collectors, CSL Plasma has two donation centers in Lexington that help to save the lives of fellow Kentuckians.

While plasma is mainly made up of water, it contains red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. These carry proteins, blood sugar, salts and fats that all help the body to regulate itself. It is used to develop life-saving medicines for people with rare diseases, specifically helping to clot blood to prevent excessive bleeding and helping to maintain a healthy blood pressure.

“Human plasma is used to produce therapies that treat diseases such as primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, hemophilia and other bleeding and neurological disorders,” said CSL Plasma Center Manager Christopher Otto.

People in Kentucky are receiving plasma donations every day to help them stay healthy. Real people are benefiting from these services and most people are eligible to help.

“It takes 130 donations to treat an individual suffering from primary immune deficiency for one year,” Otto said.

In order to donate plasma at CSL Plasma, the donor must be between 18 and 74, weigh at least 110 pounds, have a local address and valid identification and have not gotten any tattoos or piercings within the last four months.

Not only can those on the receiving end of the plasma donation benefit, CSL Plasma offers payments to donors.

New donors can earn up to $650 within their first month of regularly donating.

Plasma donation can be simple for those wishing to participate thanks to CSL’s collection process.

“We collect plasma using a special process called plasmapheresis that separates the plasma from the blood and collects it in a bottle. We use a sophisticated hightech machine that safely collects the plasma and returns the other parts of the blood back to the donor,” Otto said.

Questioning eligibility for donating? Call CSL Plasma at (859) 233-9296 or (859) 254-8047 to check.

Donations are now needed more than ever, so become a donor today. Visit cslplasma.com or in person at one of Lexington’s locations at 817 Winchester Road or 1840 Oxford Circle. Help do the amazing and save lives today. •

AM I ELIGIBLE TO DONATE PLASMA? Anyone in good health can donate plasma, between the ages of 18-74, who weighs at least 110 pounds, has no tattoos or piercings within the last four months, meets our eligibility and screening requirements, and has valid identification and a permanent address.

For a complete list of donation requirements, please contact a CSL Plasma center near you and ask to speak to a member of our medical staff.

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING TO MY FIRST PLASMA DONATION? To be eligible to donate, you must have certain types of identification: • A valid government-issued identification (Example: Driver’s license, Military ID, etc) • Proof of social security number (Example: Social Security Card) • Proof of local residency (Example: Piece of mail postmarked in the past 60 days, current lease, utility bill, etc.)

WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE I DONATE PLASMA? • Ensure you are well hydrated: drink 4-6 eightounce glasses of water, fruit juice or other caffeine-free liquid at least 2 to 3 hours before donation.

• Avoid caffeinated beverages.

• Avoid nicotine or alcohol before or after donating plasma.

• Eat a well-balanced, non-fatty meal in the hours before you donate.

• Get adequate sleep.

WHAT SHOULD I DO AFTER I DONATE PLASMA? • Eat a light meal.

• Drink more fluids than usual for the next 4 hours.

• Avoid nicotine or alcohol before or after donating plasma.

• Avoid lifting heavy objects with the arm used for the donation.

• Keep your venipuncture site clean and dry.

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girlsgirlsgirls burritos S P O N S O R E D

C O N T E N T

WRITTEN BY AMBER HARRIS | PHOTOS BY MARTHA McHANEY

A grilled, golden brown burrito filled with locally sourced beef, beans, spinach and onions rolled with waffle fries and hot sauce adds a flavorful flair to a traditional burrito.

Grilled kale, roasted carrots and green onions from Black Soil KY, charred jalapeno ranch, pickled red onion, pickled peppers and cilantro on chips and queso add a healthy twist to savory nachos. Located on the edge of the University of Kentucky’s campus since 2018, girlsgirlsgirls Burritos offers diverse and wholesome food choices for both the picky eater and the foodie alike.

Owners and best friends Sara Wood and Wade Hancock opened the restaurant together in the Spring of 2016. At the time, the two rented the kitchen inside a bar that sat on the corner of Euclid and Woodland avenues.

They began grilling burritos and frying chips with just a griddle and one deep fryer.

The limited amounts of resources at the beginning never discouraged Wood, she said.

She accepted the challenge and embraced the resources around her. She utilized her website and began an online delivery service. In a period of a financial bind, she decided to use the most cost-effective option of delivering orders by bike.

“Mentally and physically [the bike] was helping me stay healthy in a very stressful time in starting a business,” Wood said. “It is very humbling. I am grateful and proud to have bicycle delivery as our business model.”

Wood said that bicycle delivery also helped the company uphold its environmentally friendly values. Along with biking, girlsgirlsgirls Burritos instills waste management in the restaurant by separating compost, recycling and landfill trash. The owners and employees are also conscious of not wasting their water usage and are energy efficient, Wood said.

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“I want to send as little to the landfill as possible. With that value set in mind, it makes us think about everything we do here in a really cool way,” Wood said. “We consider the food we bring in, the product we produce and everything within the restaurant in a really respectful and intentional manner.”

All the ingredients used in girlsgirlsgirls Burritos’ recipes are locally sourced. The menu items are all made in-house as well.

“The meals are made with love by your friends that love you,” Wood said.

Wood also said that maintaining clean energy within the store also requires the staff’s mental and physical energies to be optimistic.

“There are parties always happening in the kitchen, a lot of quality conversations are always going down and community building is happening,” Wood said. “Working with food is also an easy opportunity to get to meet people.”

Team bonding is as much of a priority to the employees at girlsgirlsgirls Burritos as meal preparation and brainstorming new recipes, Wood said. The team participates in group gatherings on and off the clock, like sharing meals during their shifts and special event nights at the restaurant.

Wood said she sees value in allowing her employees to express themselves in the work environment.

“I’ve worked in restaurants my whole life, and I am grateful I have gotten to wear what I want to work,” Wood said. “I know that seems small, but it is really important in maintaining one’s humanity.”

The atmosphere of girlsgirlsgirls Burritos reflects the company’s value of selfexpression. The upbeat music, artwork, murals on the walls and creative design of the furniture create a welcoming environment.

Customers are told to seat themselves when entering the restaurant.

Make sure to stop by girlsgirlsgirls Burritos to taste their menu, be encouraged by the staff and know that your food is wholesomely sourced and produced. The restaurant is open daily. Wood said to keep an eye out for upcoming events and live music opportunities. •

We consider the food we bring in, the product we produce and everything within the restaurant in a really respectful and intentional manner.”

- SARA WOOD, CO-OWNER OF GIRLGIRLSGIRLS BURRITOS

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CONTRIBUTORS

ALLIE DIGGS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MARTHA McCHANEY LEAD PHOTO EDITOR

MICHA’LA HOOD

MARKETING STRATEGIST

KENNEDI BEAM ASST. DIGITAL EDITOR

CORRIE McCROSKEY

ASST. LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER (LOOKBOOK/FASHION)

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ANNA BYERLEY LIFESTYLE EDITOR

ADDISON CAVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

RANA ALSOUFI MANAGING EDITOR

CATIE ARCHAMBEAU FASHION EDITOR

PHOTOSHOOT COORDINATOR

DEVIN EVOLA ASST. CREATIVE DIRECTOR

RILEY HOSTUTLER ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR

GRAY GREENWELL ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR

LUCIA SANCHEZ FASHION COORDINATOR

SYDNEY WAGNER FASHION COORDINATOR

ABBEY PURCELL DIGITAL EDITOR

JAYA DURRAH ASST. FASHION EDITOR

BAILEY CISSELL LEAD STYLIST

LEANNA MARJI

KAITLYN SKAGGS

ASST. LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER (LIFESTYLE)

RAEGAN BALDWIN MAKEUP ARTIST

ALANA BLACKMAN STYLIST

EMMA BLAZIS STYLIST

SAVANNAH CHAPMAN AD TEAM

MADYSEN CLARKE STYLIST

RAYLEIGH DEATON WRITER

TY DUCKWYLER PHOTOGRAPHER

OLIVIA FORD PHOTOGRAPHER

KARRINGTON GARLAND

NITA KIEM VIDEOGRAPHER

PODCAST ORGANIZER/HOST

JORDYN KNOX

KAITLYN KRAKE PHOTOGRAPHER

REAGAN NEWMAN STYLIST

CHRISTIANA NYARKO PHOTOGRAPHER

OLIVIA SANDERSON WRITER

EMME SCHUMACHER AD TEAM

HUNTER SHELTON WRITER

GRACIE STIENER AD TEAM

BARKLEY TRUAX WRITER

SYDNEY TURNER PHOTOGRAPHER

PODCAST ORGANIZER/HOST

NOT PICTURED WRITERS ASHLEY FISHER SOPHIA GRIGGS BROOKLYN KELLEY FRANKIE ROWLAND BROOKE WAGNER MAKEUP ARTIST

FASHION LAUREN BURKEEN

DESIGN LAURIE JONHATAN LINDA KIM ADVERTISING TEAM OLIVIA MORAN SPRING 2022 | 97

SPONSORS KRNL SPONSORS POPS RESALE

1423 LEESTOWN RD. LEXINGTON, KY 40511 859.254.7677 POPSRESALE.COM

CSL PLASMA

817 WINCHESTER RD. #140 LEXINGTON, KY 40505 859.233.9296 CSLPLASMA.COM

GIRLSGIRLSGIRLS BURRITOS 395 S. LIMESTONE STREET, LEXINGTON, KY 40508 859.285.6853 GIRLSGIRLSGIRLSBURRITOS.COM

MODELS GOLFWANG: MUSTAFA ABDULRAZAK NAJMA AMARKHAIL XZAVIER BROWN KENAN FLORES KELSEY HUTCHISON LINDSAY MAYSTEAD EMELIA STRICKER NOT SO PERFECT BIRTHDAY: SENIORS (DETAILED IN SHOOT) STOP AND SHOP: GUILLE ARIAS LEXI BRADY JAYLIN EDMUNDS DAVIS MCINTIRE SAMARA NELSON ERRIS PIERSON ANAYA SMITH SASHA SOTO JOHN WISE

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PHOTOSHOOT SPONSORS GOLFWANG LOCATION

MAHAN MULTIMEDIA STUDIO

VENDORS

CALYPSO BOUTIQUE VINTAGE THERAPY STREET SCENE MAPLE & J

STOP AND SHOP LOCATION LA PRINCESA SUPER MERCADO

VENDORS

CALYPSO BOUTIQUE VINTAGE THERAPY STREET SCENE WEARHOUSE

NOT SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY (DESSERTS) EUROPEAN DELIGHTS BAKERY CRUMBL COOKIES

BEHIND THE SCENES MAY MAY BARTON RYAN CRAIG DAVID STEPHENSON AKHIRA UMAR

All prices are subject to change without notice. While the KRNL staff makes every effort to provide the most accurate, up-to-date information, occasionally one or more items may be mispriced. In the event a product is listed at an incorrect price due to typographical, photographic or technical error in pricing information received from our suppliers, merchants have the right to refuse the sale of the product listed at the incorrect price.

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L I F E S T Y L E + FA S H I O N VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 2 | SPRING 2022 A NATIONAL AWARD-WINNING DIVISION OF KERNEL MEDIA UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY 338 McVEY HALL LEXINGTON, KY 40506 WWW.KRNLMAGAZINE.COM FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @KRNL_LF LIKE US ON FACEBOOK @KRNLLF CONTACT US KRNLMAGAZINE@KYKERNEL.COM

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