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Feed the blood supply: Donate during Big Blue Crush Nov. 16-20

By Eric Lindsey

Nov 13, 2026

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2026) — Kentucky fans know the key to winning on the football field is to feed the studs. To feed the blood supply and save local lives, donors need to step up and give blood during Big Blue Crush, Kentucky Blood Center’s (KBC) competition against rival Tennessee to collect the most blood. Stop by the Lewis Honors College Scholars Lounge on November 19 and 20 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

From UK Gatton College to the Super Bowl: How Harrison Swinney built a career in the business of entertainment

Nov 13, 2026

Global Scholars Honors Pathway alum Harrison Swinney '13 is the chief financial officer of Medium Rare, a live entertainment company that partners with athletes, artists and major brands to produce festivals and events across the country. Read more about his career!

Worth unearthed: How the Groppos meld mining and history

By Kevin Puckett

Nov 10, 2026

Long before Jack Groppo, Ph.D., a mining engineer, and his daughter, Martha Groppo, Ph.D., a historian from the Honors program, shared a classroom, they shared a philosophy around the family dinner table. That philosophy was to “unearth worth” — to ask big questions, stay curious and find value in connections, even when it isn’t obvious.

From Kentucky to Colombia, UK graduate works to expand opportunity

By Daniel Flener

Nov 9, 2026

When University of Kentucky Lewis Honors College May 2026 graduate Jesse Lee arrived in Bogotá, Colombia, this summer, he came ready to help expand educational and employment opportunities for young people. Through a NextGen Service Fellowship, he would also learn how geography can shape access to those opportunities.

UK Theatre and Dance alum Taha Mandviwala finding his next act

By Kiana Pino Alpaca and Tom Musgrave

Oct 20, 2026

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 20, 2026) — When the national touring production of “Life of Pi” ended last fall, 2016 University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts graduate, Honors program alum, and Singletary Scholar Taha Mandviwala, who had the title role of Pi Patel, was ready for the next chapter in his life.

BBN Tackles Plastic expands to all UK residence halls

By Cadence Hamilton

Oct 15, 2026

BBN Tackles Plastic, a UK Recycling initiative aimed at reducing campus plastic waste through the collection of plastic bags, has expanded into all University of Kentucky residence halls this fall. The collected plastic bags are donated to Sustainability Future Leaders, an on-campus student organization, where members transform the bags into sleeping mats which are distributed to Lexington’s unhoused population through a partnership with The Hope Center. Honors student Misa DeVries is the director of Sustainability Future Leaders.

The Thrifty Cat event helps nearly 500 attendees reuse residence hall essentials

By Cadence Hamilton

Oct 13, 2026

University of Kentucky students reduced waste during Big Blue Move-In by participating in Thrifty’s Pop-Up, a free thrifting event. Residence hall essentials collected during the 2026 spring semester move-out were made available to students during the event hosted at the Cats Den in the Gatton Student Center. More than 490 attendees participated with 93% of collected items redistributed. “College is such an expensive time for many students, but The Thrifty Cat offers free clothes, residence hall essentials, and a fun and free activity to do with friends,” said Ella Young, a sophomore majoring in marketing in the Gatton College of Business and Economics and also a student in Lewis Honors College.

Making every opportunity count: Ian Mattingly’s UK Invests story

By Lindsey Piercy

Oct 9, 2026

For Lewis Honors College freshman Ian Mattingly, investing isn’t just about today. It’s about building toward the future. Mattingly, of Versailles, Kentucky, came to the University of Kentucky with some experience saving and investing. But through UK Invests, he is gaining firsthand experience managing an investment account of his own and learning more about investment strategies he can carry with him long after college.

2026 Homecoming royalty crowned

By Hayden Gooding

Oct 8, 2026

Ali Kashif and Molly Bachman, both Lewis Honors College students, were crowned 2026 University of Kentucky Homecoming king and queen Wednesday night. 

UK Alumni Association to honor 2026 Lyman T. Johnson Award recipients at 35th annual luncheon

By Meredith Weber

Sep 29, 2026

The University of Kentucky Alumni Association’s Lyman T. Johnson Alumni Constituency Group will host the 35th annual Lyman T. Johnson Awards Luncheon 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, in the Gatton Student Center Grand Ballroom. Awardees include five from the Lewis Honors College.

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