The Patriot- Spring 2024- Issue 6

University of the Cumberlands Student Newspaper

Lacie DeGough Senior Spotlight

Standing firm and tall in her belief, as her natural stature imposes, Lacie DeGough is accurately described as stable. The twenty-year-old has always known what she wants and where she is going. In fact, she could tell anyone what they should do with their life. DeGough knows how to sympathize with everyone and give the best advice. Her Christian faith allows her to be at ease. She is certain about her standing and does not fall for anything that could possibly lead her astray. DeGough can seem elusive to most people with her long braid and reserved nature. Really, she just chooses to be alone. Many could describe her as an introverted extrovert. She likes to be by herself but also enjoys talking with others when the occasion arises. Based on her mysterious nature, many people would not know that Lacie originated in Roseville, California. She has lived with her family in London, Kentucky, since age eight. Most of her family moved from California to get away, and to be together. At a young age, Lacie never thought she would end up in Kentucky. Her family had visited Kentucky numerous times, but the thought of moving never occurred. As a high school student, Lacie chose to attend the University of the Cumberlands be

BY: FILIPPA MALMSTRÖM STAFF WRITER

cause of the school’s overall environment. She had many options but knew the best choice for her was always in Williamsburg, Kentucky. UC is a Christian college that is inexpensive and closer to home for Lacie. In December of 2023, Lacie graduated and received a B.S. in English Literary Studies and Communication Arts. During her senior year of college, Lacie worked as an intern. Following this internship, she was promised a full-time job with the same company upon graduation. Currently, she is the Communications Coordinator for the Foundation of Appalachian Kentucky. This outreach company serves Eastern Kentucky communities. As a Communications team member, Lacie says she “help[s] run the Foundation’s social media pages, create branded materials like flyers and posters, plan fundraising events/ campaigns, and keep [their] website updated.” Lacie makes it very clear that she loves her job. However, as she builds her repertoire, she hopes to one day become an editor. She says that if she ever chose to pursue a different career path, it would be in publishing. There are stark differences in the paths she must choose from, but her love for both is indescribable. With her current job, Lacie helps underserved people. Anthony Cage Grubb, a friend of hers, says, “Lacie’s dedication to others does not end when the office closes; she is constantly put ting others ahead of herself.” As a child, Lacie knew she would be working in the humanities industry. She says, “I wanted to be an author. I honestly do not remember any other job that I wanted as much as that one! I’ve had that dream my whole life, but I sort of stopped trying to pursue it when I started college.” One sure thing is that if Lacie wants to continue to chase this dream, she will make the dream a reality. Lacie leads a busy life. One thing she says that she has struggled with is time management. She says, “I struggled to balance spending time with my family and friends, working, and completing my schoolwork.” Since graduation, she has been able to spread out and do more

things because school is not taking up as much time. Now, she even has time to re lax, which was simply out of reach before. The one person that inspires Lacie the most is her mom. She says, “We share a lot of the same skills, but she has more experience with them. I trust my mom’s judgment a lot, and I will often get her opinion on things. She can be very straightforward when she gives me her opinion, which always pushes me to improve.” Since Lacie has much more free time, she can do more things she loves. She “like[s] to read novels, listen to Broadway musicals, and crochet gifts for [her] friends and family!” This statement goes back to her love for the humanities and written languages. Lacie also says that if she could eat dinner with any two people in history, it would be Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë. She loves Austen’s rom-com books and believes Jane Eyre is a masterpiece. Dr. Brittany Nantz has had Lacie in class several times and connected with her through Sigma Tau Delta and the campus newspaper. She has many great memories of Lacie. Dr. Nantz says, “She is the only person I know who has been escorted out of a building by security.” Out of everyone who has had to get escorted out of a talk show in New York City, it seems unbelievable that Lacie is one of those people. This incident, of course, was for no nefarious reason, but the story is a notable one to tell people when they mention Lacie. So, who is Lacie? Many generic words can describe her. She is a Christian, interesting, smart, and more. But I would rather say that she makes connections on firm foundations based on her remarkable relationship with God. Her life is nothing short of unique. Many people give up on what they want in life, but Lacie never stops because she knows she will not be satisfied with the result if she does. Her resilience has led her always to be the most intelligent person in the room. Lacie will never say she is the brightest person because of her humility, but other people recognize the high value in everything she does.

Martin Müller Successful Tennis Captain Graduates

Müller is a part of the 2024 graduation class, finishing his bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science and Business administration. It was always an obvious decision for him to leave Frankfurt, Austria, to continue his academic and tennis career at UC. Müller expresses the importance of finding a college that could provide the best level of tennis and academics. Despite many offers from other universities, he felt Cumberlands had everything he was searching for.

“My favorite memory is winning the Mid-South Conference for the first time in history last year,” Müller says.

The 22-23 season was the first time in history the men’s team won both the Mid-South Conference and Regular season tournament. Müller and his co-captains decided to change the leadership last year, following into the 23-24 season. He discusses the responsibilities of ensuring the spirit is better with a closer bond. His teammates feel that he is one of the reasons they could change UC history and take home the conference victory. Teammate Pierluigi Cruypenninck does not think the team could have won

without him.

“As a captain, he provides us with many advice, and he is there for everybody,” Cruypenninck says.

Although being captain is honorable, Müller discusses how it sometimes makes you the bad guy. At certain times, it is the captain’s job to call out other teammates, even if they are your friends. However, Müller and his co-captains have created a brotherhood that the team understands is business, not personal.

“Everything that happens on the tennis court stays on the tennis court,” he continues. Being a captain has not changed his friendship with his teammates. After four years, Müller has created friendships that will stay for life. They all share an unbreakable bond. Müller expressed that being there and supporting each other is essential to succeed on the court. Even though they are teammates, they are also a big family.

“The past four years went by so fast,” Müller says.

Looking back at his four years, Müller thinks his life here impacted him positively. The

BY: SUMMER MILLS

EDITOR IN CHIEF

PHOTO BY SUMMER MILLS

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARTIN M Ü LLER

The Patriots men’s tennis team is losing their two-year-standing captain, Martin Müller, after another successful season as Mid-South Conference Champions.

Patriots! I am sad to be saying that for the last time this week. I will be graduating next weekend. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve this campus in this leadership position. I enjoyed every minute of being Managing Editor and working my way up to Editor in Chief. I do not know what I would have done without the newspaper for the past two years. This organization showed me what I want to do with the rest of my life. Everything I have done has helped me improve my skills and work towards a brighter future.

It can be challenging for first-generation college students. Let me be the one to tell you that it does not matter what you go through in life. You will persevere and make it if you have a dream. You have to put your mind to it and chase after what you want. I discovered what I wanted to do and did not stop until I reached those goals. It can be challenging at moments but that goes for everything. Never give up. That is the mentality you must keep as you finish your college career.

I am excited to share my last issue with you. It features profiles of graduating seniors that many of you will know. They have also worked so hard to get what they want and succeed. Following these features, there is an entertainment review, specifically on one of the most anticipated albums by Taylor Swift. Then we have coverage of recent events on campus. Our staff also hopes you enjoy our dad jokes added to this issue.

I want to thank the entire campus community for allowing me to serve y’all. I am incredibly grateful to have shared my opinions, entertainment, and other ideas with everyone. Without an audience none of us would be able to do that. The newspaper has led me to do many things. With this group I got to travel and win multiple awards. I do not know how I got to this point, but it was because everyone supported me.

1 Thessalonians 5:13: “And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.”

Love, Summer Mills

M Ü LLER

FROM PAGE A1

friendships UC gave him will forever be with him, especially getting to know people from all over the world and sharing each other’s cultures. He discusses how it allowed him to see things from different perspectives. Learning from other cultures has always been something he wanted to do in life. Cumberlands gave him the perfect mix of academics, athletics, and friendships.

“When I came here as a freshman, I felt super welcomed by Martin,” Darius Küster said. Every year, new first-year students come. As captain, he looks out for them a little extra. Freshman Darius Küster felt comfortable with Müller the day he became a Patriot. Müller always made sure to include the freshman in the

team. He is open with them and gives them advice he hoped someone would have told him in his first year. To be adventurous and make ne w friends.

“Here at UC, it is really one big family,” Müller says.

As a graduating captain, he has one more mission. They all want the legacy of changing history to continue. Therefore, Müller wants to prepare next year’s captains before he leaves. They want to allow them to show their leadership before the real deal. Even though Müller is leaving, the team is still in his heart, and he wants them to continue succeeding. Having responsibility for a whole team is not an easy job,

Grad Jokes

and wanting next year’s captain to have that in mind is important for him. Müller also wants them to understand that being a captain has many secrets. It is constantly talking with the coach about players. He describes it as behindthe-scenes information.

After graduation, he looks forward to playing tennis and continuing his master’s online. Müller cannot believe how fast these past four years have been and look back at it joyfully. Although he will be in Austria, he will continue contact with his friends and teammates.

BY: ANASTASIIA SHATALOVA STAFF WRITER

Emilia Martinez Morales

“The discipline I developed through swimming.”

Emilia Martinez Moralez was born in the city of Irapuato, Mexico. She is 24 years old and studying for a double major in communications and business at the University of the Cumberlands. Sports have always been present in her life. In early childhood, she was involved in gymnastics, dancing, and swimming. According to her, her parents passed on her love of swimming. “Since my parents were swimmers and pool owners, swimming has always been part of my life. My father began teaching me to swim at a very early age,” says Emilia. She received a scholarship to the University of the Cumberkids thanks to swimming, which al lowed her to receive an education in America.

“Swimming training is quite hard; I would say that swimming itself is one of the hardest sports,” says Emilia. She shared with us my schedule and how she juggled school and swimming. “Combining swimming with school is quite difficult, but I enjoyed it because I did it not only at the University of the Cumberlands but also while attending school at home.” Her schedule at the University of the Cumberlands is 6 am swim or dry training, after which she takes a nap, then classes, then more swimming training, and on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, she also coached the children from the school swimming club. Her teammate Aldara Gonzalez, a thirdyear student at the University of the Cumberlands, says, “I always wondered how Emilia managed to combine swimming, study, and work so well and still leave time for friends.” She is amazed at how organized Emilia is. Since Aldara sometimes has problems with lack of time. “The coach also influenced the improvement of my discipline,” says Emilia. According to her, the coach was quite strict regarding discipline. If athletes were even one minute late to practice, they would have to do one emergency workout, but then he changed the rules to the fact that if an athlete were late, he would have to work three hours in the cafeteria. If the same athlete is late a second time, he must work six hours in the canteen. If this is his third delay, the clock time increases to nine. An athlete is at risk of no longer being on the team if late more than three

times. If an athlete was late for the bus before leaving for the competition, the coach left without him. This way, Emilia was never late, which also helped her develop discipline outside of training. “One time my alarm didn’t go off, and if Emilia hadn’t called and woke me up, I would have slept through practice,” says Judit Garreta, a sophomore at the University of the Cumberlands, also Emilia’s teammate. In this way, Emilia also helps her friends maintain discipline. Discipline led Emilia to become one of the University of the Cumberlands women’s swim team captains during her senior year. She is delighted to be the team captain, and she can help the girls if they have any problems and motivate them to do good and challenging work so that the team can perform well in competitions. Thus, during these four years at the University of the Cumberlands, Emilia learned the discipline that led her to new heights. Now, Emilia is preparing for graduation. She is graduating in May and hopes to do her master’s at another university while working as an assistant coach, as she is passionate about swimming and has a passion for teaching other students how to swim.

The Tortured Poets Department

Taylor Swift’s Hit Release

BY: SUMMER MILLS EDITOR IN CHIEF

another album that included 15 additional songs. The albums were immediately a hit. Swift did it once again with an amazing and well-marketed release. Not only is she an amazing singer and performer, but also a smart businesswoman. She knew how to market her album and chose wisely by unexpectedly dropping a second part to the album. This element adds surprise and mystery to the release and makes her audience more intrigued. Near the end of the album’s first part, the songs start to get lost. When it transitions into The Anthology, the songs are not as strong. The lyricism is still present, but the beats and aura are indistinguishable. “The Alchemy,” “The Albatross,” “The Prophecy,” and other song lyrics seem to run together. To differentiate these songs, it may be helpful not to listen to the album in order. Listeners should break them up by listening to one song at a time. The best songs are near the beginning of the first album. Swift truly grabs her audience’s attention with songs like “Down Bad,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me,” and “Guilty as Sin.” With lyrics like “I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday every day/ I’m so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague/ I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it’s an art” Swift easily relates to her audience. The Legend’s fans recognize her as someone who is accessible and relatable because

she understands what it is like to go through real issues and to overthink in a relationship. At 8 p.m. on her release date, Swift also came out with a music video for “Fortnight,” the album’s first single. She did not initially mention that she would be filming a video when announcing her album. However, everyone highly anticipated the film because she collaborated with Post Malone, another prominent artist. The video was well-received by audiences with many fans commenting that it accurately displays the attitude of the album. Many fans thought The Tortured Poets Department would have more folk undertones like Folklore and Evermore. However, it has more Reputation overtones than anything else. The dark academia that fans expected was not delivered but was ousted with a psychiatric ward aesthetic. The original release and The Anthology should currently be rated a solid 4.5 stars. The rating could change with the establishment of more familiarity with all the songs. First impressions show the album does not get a complete five stars despite how enjoyable it is. Due to the drop in mood in the middle of the album, The Tortured Poets Department does not get as high of a rating as it could.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CARYN MORGAN

Taylor Swift released her newest album on April 19, 2024. On February 4, 2024, Swift announced at the Grammys that she would release a new album on April 19 titled The Tortured Poets Department. Many fans noticed at the awards show that she also held up two fingers when she announced the new album. Since the pop star is known for her “easter eggs,” fans began to theorize what she could be coming up with. After the release of The Tortured Poets Department at midnight, Swift returned at 2 a.m. and released The Tortured Poets Department: An Anthology,

PHOTO BY LACIE DEGOUGH

Events Spring Fever

BY: ALLY KENNEDY STAFF WRITER

PHOTOS BY ALLY KENNEDY

As the school year wraps up, the University of the Cumberlands holds events to ensure the students end the year on a fun note. On Monday, April 15, 2024, at 5:30, the university held Spring Fever. It was similar to the Fall Festival earlier in the year, but it did have some differences. One is the beautiful and sunny weather. The school went all out to ensure the students enjoyed their time. There were competitions, free boba, music, and even human-sized games. Spring Fever was also the beginning of Spring Fest. Spring Fest was a fun-filled week, including the finale of Spotlight, a shout-out to Chris Miller for winning this year’s competition, a Student Government Association social, the spring for mal, Secret Church, and a weekend in the burg.

Beginning of Spring Fest

Spring Fever had something for every type of student. There was a DJ who played music the whole time, mashing up different songs uniquely and differently. Many had never heard his take on Turn Down for What mixed with My Girl. He even got some people on the dance floor during The Cupid Shuf fle. There were also many opportunities to compete in various sports such as spike ball, cornhole, volleyball, and even mini golf. However, students were supposed to sign up to compete in the cornhole and spike ball tournaments. Much to many students’ surprise, there was a human-sized foosball game. The players would strap themselves into

an inflatable and play. Many participated in these games and seemed to have the time of their lives. The school even provided free boba. The university had a food truck set up to give the University of the Cumberlands students whatever they wanted. They had a surplus of flavors for the students to choose from. The one downside to this was that there was only one truck, which caused a long line and took up a lot of time. However, the event did not end until 8:30 at night, so students had plenty of time to enjoy everything. Another good thing the university did was to provide an alternative for students who were thirsty and did not want to wait in line or simply did not like boba. Beside the tennis courts was a table where students could get cups of water or lemonade. This time of the year is always enjoyable because of the weather, but it is even better when the university provides events like this. Monday was one of the first beautiful and warm days, which called for the perfect day for a spring event like this. Enjoying the last little bit of the school year outside with free drinks and entertainment excites college students. Add in a little friendly competition, and you have Spring Fever. While the university always plans fun activities for the students, this one was for the books!

Cumberlands Royale

Spring Formal

BY: ALLY KENNEDY STAFF WRITER

Spring is here, so what better way to celebrate the arrival of a new season than with a formal? The University of the Cumberlands hosted an epic and entertaining event on Thursday, April 18, 2024. While all events that have occurred on campus this year have been widely attended, this one was immensely packed. The Wellness Center lawn was transformed into a dance floor while also doubling as a casino with blackjack and poker tables set up, and an abundance of students came dressed up and ready to party.

While many students occupied the dance floor, there were many other things for students to do other than dance. There were food trucks lined up beside the Wellness Center lawn. One provided students with nachos, while the other two provided snow cones in a cup, and fresh baked goods such as cake pops and brownies. The best part is it was all free! Outside of that, the university had coolers inside the tent filled with water and soda to ensure that all students stayed hydrated.

Besides food and dancing, there was also blackjack and poker. Although many students knew how to play, there were a fair few who did not know the rules of these games. The “casino employees” were very nice and helped students understand how to play. The university did not allow real money to be used, so instead they provided students with tickets and limited each student’s playing time to ensure everyone had the chance to enjoy the casino part of the formal. Closest to the Boswell Campus Center, the staff provided chairs along with small fires to help warm the students up and to allow them to make smores. Around 10:30 there was a delivery of McDonald’s and Taco Bell. The students ate this up. Literally. Within minutes it appeared that most of the food was gone. This event allowed for students to dress up and reward themselves with a night of dancing, food, and blackjack. This was a fun-filled event that all the students and faculty enjoyed.

PHOTOS BYBRITANY SMITH